The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-01

ment.. from the latitude that tnie 1I1. .cusstUh here has taken. It whs mo19 forcibly impressed upon me when the question was put to the sentienaAn, Mir. aPillans from Mobile, by the gem tiefnan from Jefferson. Mr. Wsatheriy. when he offered it. thougnt Mr. Pifians's proposition covered the Wno0 subject and was correct, and stt ioid look like 1t, but when the learned 9eutie> man from Jefferson shot that question at him, it. demonstrated to my mind that MT. Pillans's proposition w&s worse than the proposition of the genr tleman from Jefferson; that tt is worsa as he, MT. Pillans. pfoposes to anend it than 1t is even now as reported by the committee. I say from tEe i4tttudo of this question. the various propoei- tions presented to the Conventiop. an more deeply impressed with the fnct that the amendment offered by the gentleman from Jefferson ,Mrs BeddoW, is correct. Now. why Is 1t 3correCf1 It has been admitted to be correct e. demonstrated by him from the stand- point of the mining clement among the voters. but what are you going to do with a large class of voters who gre engaged in turpentine business who engage in business that employ from
  the year like cotton raising. what are you goiBg to do with all those other fellows. the cotton fellows ana the corn fellows and the miners when they hAvo not stuck to that business all that year around? Now. these stoiern-I believe you call them. men who ehip cotton--stevedores or something of that kind. what are you going to do with those fellows The gentleman hero says that they are after these fellows. I know just as good stexedores and stokers that line the wharves of uur ports as any class of men who have . right and who do vote under the pre- ent suffrage law
 yield for a moment7
 The President-Does the gentleman yield7
 Mir. williams-Yes, sir.
 MT. weatherly-If the man . . stok- CT, is not that his businessf
 MT. Williams-Ah, yes. I started tn say when I got up here that this wHa a dangerous proposition. but did not say dangerous because the old word has been narrowed and furrowed over here until We gre tired of v say t Is worrisome proposition. 1t is var rying.u now. and will worry us after the ratification of the Constitution, but the worst worry 1t will give us will be when we are out on the hustings trying to ratify the Constitution. Do you un- derstand it? Does the gentleman from Jefferson understand it ex- cept as a lawyer? Can he go down in his mind and say that a man who has an occupation for one half of the year, only six months ef the year. Is going to understand when this thin Els presented to him that while the law says twelve, yet if he works six or nine months only that he is not go- ing to be debarred from voting? shall admit the legal proposition. ans he is correct in my opinion on the legal proposition, but just as good lawyers on the other side are going to object and will say the other way. and the man who Is likely to be debarred will vote against this Constitution, because he will not understand that nine means twelve. I say 1t Is a worrying thing. and there Is no use to have it in there. Some of the gentlemen have suggested that we need it in the black belt coun- try We do not need 1t. To use the
 expression of the gentleman from Walker, you have seine sweeping every one of them, even the little rnin- nows cannot get through 1t. The good character clause as a temporary catch and the understanding clause as the same and Section 6 as a permanent clause in the Constitution is going to catch, in my opinion. all of them. ~., The President Does the sentieman yield to the gentleman from Mobile.
 Mir. Williams-Yes. sir.
 MT. Pillans-Does the gentleman mean to say that there is any class of aix fYa 1o hor rhn without such thrift az will accumulate $500 worth of taxable property, in other words, who have no homes. There is no such available class of citizens in Alabama as that working six months in the year and the other six months are idle and do nothing. will ask him If he does say so. not to apply 1t to the laborersT-
 Mir. Williams-And the one we hope to have later on. too. Now, MT. Presi- dent and gentlemen of the Conven- ton, am in perfect accord with the committee We understand the propo- sition, and it ia not worrying them nor me now as to who shall be allowed to vote under this proposition and fa- vor 1t, but say 1t will worry the fel- lows down there in the turpentfne country, and 1t will worry us all along the .wharves of our port. andNt will worry us in the mining regions. and it will worry us everywhere, when we come up for the ratification of this Constitution. The people are not going to understand 1t and the advocates against the ratification will use this clause freely to defeat the ratifice- ton. and say, to get back on my line of argument, what is the use of put ting a worrying thing In there. that will not do any practical good?
 MT. Ashcraft-The gentleman says when we go before the people that 1t will be very hard to enlist the support of the man who has not had this em- ployment for a year. Will any man who Is to vote for the ratification of thfs Constitution be affected in the slightest degree by this proposition? Will he not be protected by the tenn porary plan which makes him a life elector7
 MT. williams-In voting for this par ticular Constitution7
 MT. Ashcraft-In voting for this Con- stitution.
 MT. Williams-Of course every citi-g zen votes for this. but every citizen who Is entitled to vote for or against the ratification of this Constitution will have the privilege of registering under the temporary plan for life. Can he be affected by this provision. which is to come into operation at a future date?
 Mir. Ashcraft-But suppose he did not register under the temporary plan.
 MT. Williams-IVery well, let's sup DrSo far anroa raaSop ha Aoas Vnk