Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-24
Probable Report Of Alabama Conven-
ton Committee.
CONSERVATIVE !: VIEW EXPECTED
Judge ChambeFs' Letter and His
Proposed Plan.
A TALK ON THE SUBJECT


from the committee to report upon a plan
Tor regulating the exercise of the franchise
In that state. The report of the committee
mas been long delayed because Of a num-
Der OF reasons. among which has been a
great diversity Of opinion in regard to the
plan that should be reported Had this re-
port been made Immediately after the or
ganization of the convention it would have
been very radical But the discussion that
has followed has resulted in producing con-
servatism among members of the commit
tee, SO that it is generally believed among
those best Informed on the prevailing opin-
ION or the delegates that the work Of the
convention will result in a method for reg
ulating the franchise that will bear more
equally on the white and colored vote than
methods at first approved
me views OF Representative Livingston
or georgia on southern methods Of dis
franchising the negro which were publish
ed in The Star, and the danger of a Iimi-
tat1on of state representation in Congress
from radical measures of that kind. ex-
pressed the feeling of the conservative ele-
ment In Alabama and during the past cou-
pie of weeks this element has been actively
at work in offsettng the influence of those
OF more radical views Strangely enough
the conservative element is understood to
De the younger men Of the state.
JuOxe ChamDers views.
Judge VIM. L. Chambers Of Alabama.
now a member Of the Spanish treaty claims
commission. has written to the president
Of the convention his views on the work
of regulating the exercise Of the franchise
in his state
Il have higher respect" he said to a
Star reporter today. "for the man who
boldly advoca.es the disqualification Of the
negro because he is negro and who pro-
poses to take the consequences of decreased
representation than l have for the man
who proposes to accomplish the same re-
suit through methods that practically null
lily the Constitution. which in the end
would necessarily be held unconstitutional
by the United States Supreme Court. 1t Is
never right to do by indirection and SUBJ
terfuge what cannot be done openly and
legally. The negro is a complete American
citlZen, and If. as class. they are largely
disqualified for the ballot their right to use
1t can only be limited In way which will
stand the test Of the United States Su-
preme Court. to apply to all men, whether
Wnlte or black. who unfortunately possess
the same disqualification and whose exer-
else OF the franchise would be equally as
great menace to the institutions of our
country" I
His Letter to the Convention.
In his letter to the president of the Ala
bama constitutional convention Mr.. Cham
bers said: j!i q
THE suffrage question is easy enough Of
solution If the members Of the convention
could forget themselves In a bold purpose
to do the right thing
u. EXCLUDES all idiots and criminals.
'2. Require'sof all voters between the
years Of twenty-one and fifty a reasonabIe
educational qualification. This would not
exclude a single veteran of the war be-
tween the States and the number of ne
groes over fifty years of age who would
qualify (see clause B hereunder) would be
lnhn1tesimally small A white man In Al
ALBANIA between twenty-one and fifty wears
OF age who cannot read and write ought
not to complain that the suffrage Is denied
him, especially as he may otherwise quail
lily himself under the provisions Of clause 3.
3. Every voter otherwise qualified must
pay privilege tax of 81 at the time of
casting his ballot, and If he is tnellirible
under clause two ne may nevertheless be
permitted to vote IL he has made a contri-
button OF 50 to the educational fund of his
county. which said contribution must be
proven by receipt from the superintend-
ent Of education of his county. bearin.
date not less than three months, nor more
than six months previous to the election.
Effect on the Negro.
"a fair and honest administration of such
a law would not necessarily exclude a
single white voter while 1t would in all
relieve US of nineteen-twentieths
of the negro vote. The number of ne
groes In any community who would quail
fy would be so small that they need not be
reckoned as a political factor in any sense
The only excuse white man between
twenty-one and fifty years Of age can give
for not possessing the necessary educa-
tional qualification would be that his con-
dition In youth required him to engage in
seine gainful occupation instead Of taking
advantage Of the school privileges. which
have been so abundant during the last
thirty years. Having been so employed he
should now be In d position where, If he
wishes to exercise the elective privileges,
ne could afford to make a small contribu-
ton toward the education of his offspring
and his neighbors' children
This is moral as well as legal ques-
ton, and we must justify our consciences
as well as our judgments in whatever we
do. Having so many advantages of the
negroes we can at least afford to treat
them justly. keeping in view their highest
interest as best guaranteed by permanent
Caucasian civilization in the southern
states. But no popular government can
live unless it commends itself to the moral
sense of its best citizens and as the cleo
tive franchise is at the foundation of our
system, we must be scrupulous that the
laws governing and limiting it are not only
fair and just, but that they are administer
ed absolutely without trickery and in such
a manner that every man entitled to the
right OF suffrage may exercise the privilege
without let or hindrance. Humanity de-
mands this much of US. Public sentiment
of the country will not be satisfied with
less, and as true men of the south, sons Of
as chivalrous race as ever fought for
freedom, let US fairly, squarely and with
out reservation or any semblance Of con-
nivance do our duty and do it fearlessly
toward a race for whose presence in our
midst We are responsible and for whose
future status we are more than any others
to be held accountable"
No NulliacatfOn9 Of 18th Amendment.
There Is no efeEt in this plan." said Mr..
Chambers To-Day. ITO nullify the fifteenth
and therefore there would be
no change FER the Supreme Court of the
United states, IN case such a law should
reach that court, tos hold it to be unconsti-
tutional." tfg
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CAUSED BY STEAM