The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-26

any man on the floor. General oates stated that we were not treating the negro people as fairly as we ought. Haven't we treated them fairlyy Didn't we feel kindly to them in the position in which they are? Are we to to show that we feel kindly towards them! To show how the coiored peo- pie felt towards us and we towards them will tell an incident that spoke of in the Committee. At the battle of Sharpsburg. had boy about my own age v ho was given to me by my father when we were about 10 years of age. When we crossed the Potomac and were going into battle to reinforce some of our troops that were driven back. told this boy to i'll hts canteen with water and to stay by an oak tree that had been left by some planter as a shade tree in his plantation, and not to leave, because if my brother, who was with me should be wounded, we were coming back to him. MT. Presi- dent he stayed there. The line in front was driven back and one of our batteries of artillery came up near the tree and the captain ordered him to leave. thinking he was trying to de- sert. He would not go. He said: "My yount: master left me here. and in- tend to stay if lose my life." Horses and men were killed within fifty steps of where he stood. Could I forget him I never think of this occurrences with out thrill of emotion, and yet. Mir. President, I declare to you now If he were living and in Alabama, would say deprive him of the right of suf- fraEe. He would not know what to do with 1t If he had it. I would just as soon give toddling child a razor in his hand expecting him not to hurt himself. as to expect the negro to use the ballot and not use it to his injury and to ours.
 Now. Mr. President, we might give them all the rights which we please make no discrimination, have a poll tax of 50 cents--put them all in. You could not make them good citizens by that. God Almighty has made them differ ent from the white man. You had just as well try to legislate a donkey into an Arabian courser. as to legislate a negro into white man. You cannot do 1t. It Is impossible to do 1t. The distinguished gentleman whe spoke yesterday afternoon, the Chairman of the State Executive Committee. stated that we were sent here to have fair elections. That we were sent here for that purpose. and not to discriminate against anybody. In the name of God how can you have fair elections and put the negroes of Alabama in control or the ballot box. I ask that question. You cannot do 1t. Are we discrimi- hating against them. and are we vio- iating the Fifteenth Amendment? Not at all. Is 1t against the negro as 8 class? My friend, Captain White, spoke about the per centage, the large per centage or them who would be disfranchised, and said that 1t would be unjust. that it would be discrimi- mating against them In that way. MT. President, 1t Is not the per centage. 1t is where you discriminate against the negroes as class, as a race, and not as a per centage of any kind That is not the meaning of the Eff teenth Amendment, and In adopting this subdivision we do not violate the Constitution. Some of the gentlemen say General Pettus is opposed to the Louisiana plan, that they asked him to give his opinion, and that it was against 1t. Does that make him op- posed to this sub- division? Does 1t make him say that this subdivision is unconstitutional Not at all. Read that suffrage plank of the Louisiana Constitution and you will see that 1t says that any man who could vote in 1867 and the descendants of any man who could vote in 1867 should be permitted to vote con tinuously in that State, and at that 1 date-1S67-no negro in Louisiana was entitled to vote. It was a discrimina- ton. perhaps, against the class, all though some of the ablest lawyers ir the South differ with our distinguished friend, General Pettus on that, notably Mir. Semmes of New Orleans, who framed the suffrage Article of the Louisiana Convention, an honored R.ns- man of Judge Semmes of this State.
 John W. Daniel, one of the foremost orators statesmen and lawyers in the South, and Chairman of the Suffrage l Committee of the Virginia Convention
 has incorporated an exact copy of ouI
 majority report in the report on suf-
 frage in Virginia. l bring his name tc
 your attention to show you how the
 action of the majority is regarded by
 the Chairman who has charge of that
 Article in the Virginia Convention.
 Now. MT. President, on one occasion
 when I was quite a young man in Vir. ginia General Buckner's Inspector.
 General was called home. was ap. pointed temporarily to fill his place.
 inspected amongst others some of tht
 soldiers from Alabama in his com.
 mand. I was astonished to see how many of those soldiers could not read
 and could not write, or at least coult not sign their names, and yet l de clare to you there were no better sol
 diers in the Army of Northern Virginis than those Alabamians who had patri' otically gone out to defend the princi ples of the South on the battlefields oi Virginia. And, Mir. President, they
 came home after the war. They hac the same ambition that others of us have who were more fortunate and had more of this worlds goods. They
 wanted to educate their children. They could not do 1t. I have heard some o
 them says, "If I had just had the means to send my children to schoo and give them the advantages of al education. 1t would have been the very joy of my life, but didn't have tho means to do it, and had to put then to work" These children are of tht same stock of the soldiers of whom have spoken. and my right arm should be palsied before I would do anything to prevent them taking part In the gov ernment of Alabama.
 Captain White went on to draw pic ture of what will become of us wheI this matter shall so before the Supreme
 Court of the United States. He hat one of the Judges burying' it. and h'
 was thanking God that he had nothing
 to do with it. He was making a pre- diction then; I make the prediction now that there will never be a cas-
 from Alabama before the Suprem Court of the United States before thi temporary plan goes out, and should {
 an.a ba corriad to inc Sunreme COur