The age-herald., 1901-08-28

VI 0iadoCs
 T have met several persons lately" said lawyer who has been keeping up with the constitutional convention, "who do not favor the new constitution. When asked why they would reply in a vague way they did not like the grandfather clause. When asked what they understood by the grandfather clause, it was found out that they had the Idea that 1t would last forever-that is as long as the con stitution lasted-and would create hereditary voting class, who could al- ways vote simply because their grand fathers voted.
 There is very little excuse for such impressions having been formed, especial ly as the Age-Herald has explained the matter so fully. Still, as there may be other persons who have this idea, and as it Is entirely different from the facts, it might not be am.ss to explain what the grandfather clause really Is.
 ITO begin, there is no grandfather" clause strictly speaking, in the consti- tuition. There Is a soldier" clause which Is quite different. The grandfather clause or what is usually so called, exists in the Louisiana constitution. This provides that all persons who could vote on January l, 1867. and the descendants of such persons can vote without regard to any other qualification. When the laws of 1867 are examined, it is found that practically only white men could vote, and construing these laws with such constitutional provision, it looks very much as if it vio- lates the fifteenth amendment.
 The Soldier Clause.
 ''The framers of the Alabama constitu- tion have been very careful not to insert any provision in 1t which would come in conflict with this amendment. They have adopted soldier clause, which says that all soldiers of any war (except the Span ish-American) and their descendants can vote If registered before 1903. This Is not to be construed in connection with any suffrage laws existing prior to the civil war. In fact it allows soldiers on the federal side of the civil war, including negroes. to vote, and it Is estimated that there will be about 10000 negro voters in Alabama under this clause alone.
 ''The important part of this, however, and the one whichc most people lose sight of. is that it is only temporary, expiring in January, 1903. After that date the per- manent plan goes into effect, which ap- plies to everybody alike.
 Those who register under this tempo rary plan. 1t Is true, remain voters for life, provided they do not disqualify themselves by failure to pay poll taxes. fod of carrying out the Democratic pledge that no white man should be deprived of his vote. The convention did not have q free hand at making a suffrage plan. Whatever 1t did, 1t was under pledge to submit to the voters of the State for their ratification. Of course they were not going to ratify constitution which would disfranchse them when they could vote under the present one
 Devil and Deep Sea.
 ''The convention between this pledge and the fifteenth amendment to the fed- eral constitution was between the devil and the deep sea. The fifteenth amend ment, which provides that no one shall be deprived of his vote on account of race, color or previous condition of servi- tude. is the very devil to get around. and the Democratic pledge was deep sea. They squirmed around and got between them the best way they could. No one offered any better suggestion than the one adopteds
 1T hope have made it plain that there is really no grandfather clause; that the soldier clause will let the present genera tion of voters register, provided they do so before January i, 1903. After that time the permanent plan goes into effect, under which a man must be able to read and write any part of the federal constitution or else have $3O0 of property, either in his name or his wifes, before he can regis