The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-25

selection of this body of men was not ' selection made in reference to their recognized capacity to continue in the exercise of the suffrage. Gentlemen. [. have consumed as much of your time as l feel should take up. and I thank you.
 Mr. White-I move that the gentle mans time be extended indefinitely.
 MT. Walker-I thank you, but I will not avail myself of any further time.
 MT. Freeman-Mr. President and gentlemen of the Convention, I am somewhat in a different attitude from many of the delegates to this Conven- tion. inasmuch as was opposed to the calling of this Convention, because I saw no good reason for calling it to amend the Constitution of the State, when. in my opinion. the amendments, If desired by the people of Alabama, could have been made by the legisia- ture and saved the State from s150. 900 to $200,000 for which the common peo- pie of Alabama will have to pay. MT. President. I do not desire to say any thing in reference to the grey or the blue. for I do think those partisan questions should not come up in this Convention. for I feel that we have one of the greatest countries on the globe. and we should know no North no South. East or West, but should stand together as one people. And I do not desire to violate the Constitu- tion e the United States If know it,
 do not desire to take up your valu- able time in this Convention in . lengthy speech; but, Mir. President, I feel that l may say something in be- half of my constituents of Alabama in reference to the right of franchise pro- posed by the Committee on Suffrage and Elections. Mir. President, do not agree with the committee on their re- port, for it does seem to me that if enacted it would be a failure.
 It is so arranged thet the plan could be so abused by politicians that. in my opinion, would be disgrace to the State. YoI can take the words "all persons of good character" in Section of the majority report, and qualify whoever you desire and also disqusl- ify whoever you desire; so, in my opin- ion. that part is total failure, If you desire to disfranchise the negro as you claim you do by the calling of this Convention.
 MT. President, desire to notice Sec ticn also on the majority report as follows: Those wEo unless prevented by physical disa ability, can read and write any Article of the Constitution of the United States in the English language etc. Twelve months preced- ing the time they offer to register, or own in good faith in his own or the husband of the woman who is the own CT of forty acres of land situated in this State, or the owner of $500 worth of pei lsonal property in his or his wife's own name, for year preceding which he offers to register.
 Now. Mir. President, this section Is moi nrAIN I al .f.,a At,,-- ing to the white man of Alabama, and an enactment of this section will dis franchise thousands of white men of the State.
 For the fact that they will feel the Humiliation that this section refers to, and they will bow their heads with shame and shirk back from exposure of the numiliating effect this will have on them, and turn loose the State in a political life to gasp and die for the want of nourishment in the sense of illustration. So, MT. President. in my opinion, this would be our situation in Alabama if this section is adopted.
 MT. President and Gentlemen of the Convention, l will never register my vote in this Convention for anything that will have tendency to disfran- chise any white man in Alabama. Yet, l realize the corruptness in this State in the ballot system, and 1 would be glad to see remedy, but I can't de- wise any remedy only honesty, and I realize that honesty is the only remedy for fair election by which the will of the people can be expressed. Now, the plan of new Constitution has been tried by other States-Mississipp Louisiana, North Carolina. Maryland and others-and the right of franchise so enacted by those States are a fail ure. especially the registration and the grandfather clause, for the fact that the grandfather clause is too humiliat- ing in the Declaration of Rights for the white man to come up and acknowl- edge his illiteracy under this clause to register to vote.
 So now, MT. President, you see what Louisiana and Mississippi think of this plan. The Mississippi scheme has been worked over by the able hands of Sen ator Morgan. It has some brilliant ad- vocates, but there is one point that sticks out that nothing can hide; noth- ing can change; nothing can justify 1t. It cannot guarantee the very reform which our conditions demand. Election under it would turn not primarily upon the will of the people but upon the partisan or factional allegiance of the registrars. Are the registrars for you. then you are elected; are they against you-if so. you can stand aside and wait for a new century, or go off and groan your life away for not be- ing on the partisan side of the question, and ask that what time you do live, that God will direct the ravens to feed you as he did Elijah in the wilderness, as fate is against you and you must die.
 For when this partisan Board of Reg let, l. H,r party or composed of a partisan party. the common people of Alabama has just as we'll say, "Oh. King. where is thou crown?" for it will be equal to monarchical government. and we will be subjects at their hands for disposal
 MT. President and Gentleman of the Convention, I desire further to show you that the Mississippi plan of suf- frage is a failure, for this reason; In 1883 the Democratic vote for President was S5,471, this being before the enact ment of their new Constitution. Now what do we notice therein 1S96. being one of the most exciting campaigns ever known in the South and yet in Mississippi there was only 63,s59 votes cast for the President. loss of 2l,0l2 votes for the Democratic party only' and still there are negro voters in Mis- sissippi since the enactment Of thelr new Constitution, while they claim this new Constitution was to pronlpit the negro from voting exclusively, 90 you see it is a failure.
 So MT. President, we will now notice Louisiana's plan: They have the grandfather clause and many other nrovisions in their Constitution, and