The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-04

merely hearsay, will make 1t hard upon him and he might not be able to qual- ify under that provision. This amend ment. if adopted. will allow him to qualify upon information and belief Mir. Mulcay-Under the law there Is an exception as to that. Mir. Beddow-I do not understand 1t %. That is all l care to say. That is my object in offering the amend ment. MT. Hood-I do not think there is any uneasiness in the minds of the delegates to this Convention that there will be any trouble in the regis tration of the soldiers and their de- scendants under the scheme that has been adopted by this Convention. That being true, sir, I move to lay the amendment of the gentleman from Jefferson on the table.
 MT. Beddow-On that I call for the ayes and noes.
 A reading of the amendment was called for and the amnedment was read.
 The call for the ayes and noes was not sustained.
 Upon vote being taken, the motion to table prevailed.
 MT. kirk-I have an amendment to offer.
 The amendment was read as follows: Amend Article on Suffrage and Elections by adding the following as Section 20:
 Section 20. After the 1st day of Jan- nary, 1903, the following persons hav- Ing the qualifications prescribed in Section of this Article. shall be quail lied to register as electors, provided they shall not be disqualified to regis ter under Section of this Article, to wit: All male persons who were. on the 1st of January. 1867. or at any date prior thereto. entitled to vote under the Constitution and laws of any state of the United States. wherein he then resided, and the lawful male descend- ants of such persons on arriving at the age of 21 years and not disqualified under Sections 2 and of this Article.
 Mir. kirk-Mr. President and Gentle men of the Convention: It Is only from a sense of duty to the people that represent that I ask you to consider the question presented in the resolu- ton or amendment just read by the clerk. Now, gentlemen. I pursume that no man will disagree with me on this proposition-
 MT. Sanders-Quite a number of us would like to hear that amendment read again.
 The amendment was read as re- quested.
 MT. Kirk-Now, gentlemen, presume that no one will disagree with me on the proposition that in order to main tain this republican form of govern ment in its original purity, it is neces- sary to place the ballot in the hands of all good and pure citizens. l plant myself squarely upon that proposition that, in a republican form of govern ment, the ballot-the right to select their rulers, should be accorded to every citizen who is a true and up- right man. The plan which I suggest 1~xx mt TnPnPniZn is not original with me. but is the Louisiana plan, pure and simple. It extends the ballot to class of men, Mir. President, beyond that which is provided in the plan or the scheme that has been adopted by this Convention. It will embrace more people; it will give more men the right to vote than will have it without this amendment. They will be qualified electors, MT. President because this amendment provides that they shall not be dis qualified by Section ? and Section of this Article. That is higher test than we have ever before had in the State of Alabama. Our people have been taught that in order to maintain a republican form of government, man. hood suffrage was right and proper. We have always had manhood suffrage in this State, but the condition that confronts us today demonstrates to us that IL Is necessary LO CuTldlI luSbL tO some extent, in order to get rid of the ignorant and vicious-the ignorant and the vicious, as We all understand the term, to apply to the colored race.
 MT. President, I say that this Con- vention is under obligation to the peo- ple of the State of Alabama to adopt this amendment or something similar therto When this Convention was call ed. 1t was shown that the people of the mountainous portion of the State was opposed to 1t, because they believed that large number of them would be disfranchised. The Democratic party met in Convention and adopted plat form which pledged itself that no white man should be disfranchised. When I canvassed the mountainous part of my county, gentlemen, those white men that gathered around me to hear what I had to say upon the subject, were extremely cautious. They asked me time and time again, how We were to disfranchise the negro and at the same time not disfranchise any white man. I told them, gentlemen, that Louisiana had done it. Yes, but" thev said, twill Alabama do it!' My only response to that was that we have here before us today. and had it in my hand, the platform of the Democratic party which pledged every member of the Democratic party to that promise, and said to them. Gan you believe that or the Democratic party of Alabama would be willing to aisfranchise the noble white men of this section of this State?"
 MT. Cunningham-Will the gentle man from Colbert please point out in what particular the present suffrage plan, as it has been passed, will dis franchise a single white man in Ala bama, unless he is disqualified under section 6.
 MT. Kirk-He might fail to register for some cause. during the period that he was .-
 MT. Cunningham-Then whose fault would that be? .:
 MT. Kirk-It may be that of Provi- dence You cannot tell who might be providentially hindered from registra- tion. Then, again, there are boys growing up today throughout the hill counties of Alabama. who will not be able to register under the permanent plan-scores of them-and for this Con- yention to say to the people of Ala bama that only men who are 2l years of age at the adoption of this Consti- tuition, will be practicing deception upon those people.
 MT Rogers (Surter)-I want to know ono VaaTS Of age is