The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-13
WORK OF CONVENTION
JUDGE PRUErT OF BARBOUR 4 COUNTY INTERVIEWED.
Has Been to Hot Springs, Ark, and Says Northern Men With
 Whom He Talked Favor
 Disfranchising Negroes.

Judge W. H. Pruett of Clayton. Pro- bate Judge of Barbour County, reached Montgomery last night on his way home from Hot Springs. Ark. where he has spent three weeks. He went there with his son. Mir. Garnett Pruett. who has been suffering with rheuma- tism, MT. Garnett Pruett will remain in Hot Springs some time. sg
 Being a practical farmer, Judge Pru- cit naturally took an interest in the growing crops in the section of the country through which he passed. He sayssthat crops of cotton and corn be- tween Memphis and Hot Springs are burned up almost completely. This condition also applies to Q large sec ton of the country between Memphis and Birmingham. There was local shower In Hot Springs during the stay there of Judge Pruett, but it did not give much relief.
 AS you doubtless know" said Judge Pruett in discussing his trip with representative of The Advertiser. there are visitors to Hot Springs from all parts of the world. Many of the visitors there during my stay were from the North and I had an oppor- tunity to get thei. opinions upon the work of our Constitutional Convention. It surprised me that the thinking men of those sections are reading the pro- ceedings of the Convention with the greatest avidity. Copies of The Ad- vertiser were in demand and when the paper published the report of the Com mittee on Suffrage and Elections, ev- cry man in the place wanted to read it."
 'swhat do the Northern men with whom you discussed the question think of disfranchising the negro?" Judge Pruett was asked.
 Every man with whom I talked, with one exception. expressed the idea that the negro should be disfranchised; that the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution was a mistake. The con- census of their opinion was that the privilege of the ballot should not have been extended the negro, and it should neither be extended to the ignorant class and foreign element which is un- worthy of exercising the right of cit- izenship.'
 Judge Pruett says he indicated to some of the Northern men with whom he discussed the matter that there were a large number of good men in Ala bama who by reason of unfortunate circumstances were not educated: that they were capable of exercising the right of franchise and that for this reason the work of the Alabama Con- vention upon the Suffrage plank was more complex. He says some of his Northern friends agreed with him that If these white citizens were reasona ble men and were acknowledged to be good citizens they should be permitted to vote, but as a general proposition the Northerners expressed themselves as opposed to extending the right of suf. frage to the uneducated classes,
 Il agree with some of these opinions myself" said Judge Pruett. "As an abstract proposition favor an educa- tional qualification for voters but we must always bear in mind that the Con- stitution framed by this Convention is to be ratified by che voters of Ala bama."
 Judge Prue:t win remain in Mont. gomery toSay and will go to his home Tn Clayton this evening.