The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-27
MIR. BOWIE ONSUFFRAGE
HE COMES TO THE AID OF THE
 BLACK BELT.
He Defends That Section and Ex- plains the Workings of the Plan Proposed in the Majority Re-
 port of the Committee.
The following appeared in Thursdays

The following appeared in Thursdays Birmingham Age Her aid:
 I beg pardon for again intruding up- on your valuable space. l had intend ed to stop with my last article on the subject of the suffrage question, but since The Age Herald has editorially done me and the Convention the intus- tice to call me the Conventions press agent and has done the committee the great injustice to speak of it's report as the Bowie-Coleman plan, crave your indulgence for just one more time. Replying to your figures that 20 per cent of the white voters would be com pelled to come under the good charac- ter clause, submit you the following from the, census: Eighty-seven per cent of the white voters of Alabama can read and write. While there are no exact figures, it is safe to say that fully per cent more who cannot read and write can pay the required prop erty tax. Thus we have 90 per cent registered wholly independent and re- gardless of the soldier clause, the de- scendants clause and the good charac- ter clause. These figures can be as- ascertained from the tax books and the census returns. As to S7 per cent, 1t is certain. Now, as to the other 10 | per cent, all of whom are illiterate and | non- taxpayers, a safe estimate Is that | fully one-half of these are old soldiers Nobody, not even The Age Herald, has objected to allowing these old soldiers the privilege of voting the remainder of their days. Then we have only , per cent left. Virtually every one or these can register under the descend ants clause. Those who would have to @o nf character would doubtless constitute very small fraction of 1 per cent.
 Does The Age-H Herald mean to say that any son of a Confederate soldier of Alabama would be Nashamed to &C., knowledge the fact? And if his pride is so great as that-and a false pride lit certainly would be-would such a man be ashamed to say that he had good character in, his community! Where, then, Is the power of the regis trars? Where is the possibility of fraud? It exists alone in the imagin- ation of those who said the horse was sixteen feet high and now feel that they have to swear to it. | The descendants clause was inserted in the Louisiana plan, in the North Carolina plan and in the Alabama plan for the sole purpose of guaranteeing | to every white man his right to vote in accordance with the party plat | forms of each of those States. It was put in there to take away any power and discretion in reference thereto from the registrars. It removed power and therefore temptation from the path of the registrars. and that was the req son that the plan was accepted after
 months of discussion. by the largest majority ever cast on a popular vote in the State of North Carolina. Be it
 remembered that both Senators fought it in Louisiana. many Congressman
 and many newspapers but it was ap-
 proved because under it the white peo-
 pie saw where they could vote. Both
 Senators, many Congressmen and
 many newspapers fought 1t in North
 Carolina. but on a fair and full discus
 sion it was overwhelmingly sustained
 Such a result could not have been
 achieved under such circumstances if
 the plan had not had in it the germ sl of intrinsic merit.
 The Age-Herald says that many will
 prefer to register under the good char
 acter clause. rather than to confess
 themselves illiterate. by registering un-
 der the grandfather clause. What diff
 ference does it make finally. under
 what clause man registers? All that
 is wanted is to give every white man
 the chance to register and he can take
 his choice about the clause under
 which he does so. It is personal to
 him alone. As to all the balance of
 the State. it is wholly immaterial.
 The Age Herald seems to think that
 am defending this matter because il
 is Black Belt scheme and l represent
 one Black Belt County. In both its
 conclusions The Age Herald is wrong
 The scheme was devised by the great | Iou of
 has been debated and understood it hai
 met with approval, notwithstanding
 the fact that great men. when it was first proposed, objected to it. The
 committee which had this matter ir charge is composed of more than two
 thirds of representatives from white counties. Out of four men who op-
 posed it, three are from Black Belt counties and the only other one. Cap l tain White is Black Belt Democrat from Mississippi I do not live in g Black Belt county, nor did l get g
 Black Belt vote in my race for the , nomination. I do know something however. of the difficulties of those people. I lived the major part of my life in a Black Belt beat in almost { Black Belt county. I know what 1t i: to go up against a mass of ignoran
 negro votes; I know it from dear eX perlence. The men who Stlll have I
 to do. have my deepest sympathy il
 this great crisis. I have been opposed and am opposed to any change in ou 5 basis of representation. I regard 1t a! unnecessary and the agitation of it al unwise. We are asking for represen tation in Congress based upon ou black population. and I fail to see why Dallas County is not equally entitled ; to representation in the legislature O { this State on the same basis. "I
 sauce is good for the goose, it ought t be for the gander."
 But moreover. if The Age -Heralt ! succeeds in arousing such prejudic Z against the Convention as to defea ' the ratification of the Constitution, an, I which do not believe it can do, hoy } much better off would We then be
 Would not the black belt then hay the same representation which it nov
 has? Under the report of the Commit
 tee on Representation, which has bee
 adopted by the Convention, the whit
 counties have gained five members o
 the Legislature and two Senators, an,