The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-14

| the House is the amendment offered | by the gentleman from Hale to Section as reported by the Committee. Does | the gentleman desire to amend the amendment of the gentleman from Hale?
 MT. Greer-Yes. It seems to me it | would be unwise for this Convention | to say that the people of Alabama | should or should pot choose their of- | ficers from any sphere in life. re- peat, the object of my substitute or amendment Is solely to allow any man | in the State of Alabama to aspire to any office within the gift of the people at any time and to allow the people l of Alabama to pass upon his qualified | tions to said office. I do not remem- Der within my brief knowledge of the history of the State of Alabama where any gentleman has prostitued the of | flee in trying to get to the united l States Senate. But if he has. the peo- | ple themselves have passed upon that matter and doubtless have passed on 1t wisely. If they have been wise enough in the past to pass upon the | qualificafs&ps of one in the Governor chair seeking the position of United States Senator, they will continue to | be as wise in the future. The adoption of this section reported by the Com | mittee may prevent at some time In | the future the people of Alabama rom | getting the very best man that resides ! within her borders as a representative | in the United States Senate. It may prevent them from getting the pest | they have in the State as officers o succeed themselves and for these req sons. briefly stated, I am in favor or striking out all of that part of the section which says 8 man shall or shall not be eligible to reelection or shall | or shall not be a candidate for ofnce within a certain time after he holds a certain office. He seems to me mere child's play. And for that reason l think the Convention should allow the | people of Alabama to pass upon the question.
 MT. White-I do not suppose any of us feel that a Governor will ever be elected to the United States Senate. That has been tried. But the trouble Is in convincing gentlemen that they can't be elected. We are told that this provision Is not enforcible because the l Senate of the United States can disre- gard this provision and can seat member notwithstanding this proVls- ion in our Constitution. We might with equal force say that the Senate of the United States can seat man who has been elected by bribery, and therefore you need not pass any laws against bribery. You might as well say because the Senate of the United | States in the exercise of it's power can seat a man receiving minority of the votes of the legislature. that we neeo
 not insist upon majority vote TOT 1 him. However. this may act or Wnat- ever influence it may have upon the | Senate of the United States what we l 4o of iG the influence 1T VIII have upon the Governor in determin- ing whether he will be a candidate in | violation of his oath when he takes an oath to support the Constitution or the | State with this pledge in 1t. some | man might desire a seat bad enough Tn the Senate to attempt 1t, but no man who would do that would command enough respect by the people or Ala
 bamn to even be consideret for the nlace. Therefore, I am in fav6r of the
 provision as contained in the Commit | tees report. I am opposed to the l amendment offered by the delegate | from Calhoun and also the amend
 ment offered bv the delegate rom
 Hale. I need not appeal to you ana | point you to our experlence III the
 past. You know what that Is as well as I do, and I say, MT. President ana l gentlemen of the Convention, If we
 
 ed by this provision we will have ac-
 compTished a great deal for the people of Alabama. They tell Us that we are | not concerned about mans ahpl- | ton. That is true possibly when ne IS
 not our servant, but when we install
 ed him in the gubernatorial once ana
 entrust to him the welfare or the
 State. we do have an interest III HIS
 ambition. .,. | Nil Sanford-May ask Ihe seh'i0
 man a question?
 MT. White-Certainly.
 Mr. Sanford-Is it not a fact that
 this is a limitation upon the rights Of
 the people to vote for any man they
 please for any office, and, therefore, | 1t is not disfranchisement of the peo-
 pie so far as that is concerned?
 MT. White-Uo, sir. If I understand
 it. it is a bridle to the ambitions Of
 man who wants to make the guberna-
 to.ial chair stepping stone to the | Senate. that and nothing else, and we
 should not place in the hands of the
 Chief Executive of the State a won
 derful political influence that he could
 not wield but for the position he
 holds. I hope both of these amend
 ments will be voted down.
 MT, Oates-I am fortunately and un-
 fortunately in the category alluded to
 by my distinguished friend. the dele
 gate from Jefferson. I am one of the | ex-Governors who tried to be United
 States Senator and failed to get there.
 and I believe any other Governor who
 has a thousand appointments to make
 a year will fail to get there. Naugh- | ter.)
 MT. White-Will the delegate from
 Montgomery allow me question?
 Mir. Oates-Certainly.
 Mr White-Will he fail to try to get
 there?
 MT. Oates-I don't know. As to my
 self. I never expect to be in that cate
 gory, and when l got knocked out
 Lever cried about it. I wanted to go
 but the Legislature didn't agree with
 me and I remained at home and con soled myself with the fact that I was
 beaten by a very good and meritorious
 man. Now the amendments which are
 pending I quite agree with my friend
 from Jefferson in opposing. I oppose
 the striking out of the disqualified
 ton of the Governor and other off,
 cers to succeed themselves. I differ
 with him decidedly on that. but I do
 agree with the delegate from Hale, if
 I understand his motion. did not hear
 it distinctly. I understand it to be to
 strike out beginning in the seventh
 line the words and his acceptance of
 the office of Governor shall be a pledge
 to the people not to accept an election
 or appointment to the Senate of the
 United States at any time during his
 term or within one year thereafter.
 I am in favor of the motion to strike | that out hRcausa these words are Sinp-