The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-24

uTe, WHY nut ED UdCk anu e-1ORs - ropean laws as well as the laws of the United States. Why should we say that foreigners are required to reside in the State of Alabama for i've long years, when a simple fellow or some thing of the kind of 8 Confederate sot- dier, has not the same restriction placed around him? I appeal in justice and for humanitys sake, to this Convention not to ignore the right of any white man in my country to vote, who has worked way down beneath the soil with lantern on his head guiding his way, and disfranchise him under this first Section of the report of the Committee on Suffrage. If we want to do justice to the white man. let Us put in the word "white" right In front Of the word male" between the word 'maie' and "citizen" in the first section of this Article. I for one, am in favor of. and strictly in favor of, and will vote for, any amendment to that end, and will take my medicine like man. We should say every white male citi- gen of the United States, or white person who has declared his intention of becoing a citizen shall have the right to vote, and no one else. I am in favor of putting that in. and of meeting the issue like men. There has never yet been a man in the halls of Congress that has dared to deny the right of a State to limit the right of suffrage. They have put restrictions around it, and provided for punishment for those States that violate it. What would be the effect if we snould put in there ''every white male citizen of this State, and every white male citizen of the United Statesy. What would be the effect? We would simply go up and plead guilty to violating the Four teenth and undoubtedly the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution, like man before the bar of justice that comes Hp and pleads guilty to carrying conceded weapons. What is the pen- atty? Why the penalty in this case would be to reduce our representation in the Electoral College, and in the Congress of the United States. l would rather have one white man to repre- sent Alabama then than to have nine now, if we had the words "white male citizens" in our Constitution. l am will | ling to vote for it. l despise make shift. I detest it. 1 am willing to | come up to the rack and take my fed 1 def or no fodder, as the case may be. I do not like a makeshift. and 1 don't like this makeshift which disfranchises any of the white people of Alabama. Put the word "white" in there and I will support it. Let us take our med icine like men. Let us go to the Con- gress of the United States and say that Alabama, the first State upon the roll of the United States, recognizes only the white people to vote. Let us do that like men and take the penalty. I cannot see any objection thereto. MT. Grant-Why don't you invite MT. Pettus to offer his amendment for this thing and vote for it?
 MT. Long-How is that?
 MT. Grant-Why don't you ask MT. Pettus to offer his ordinance intro duced some days ago and you can vote for it.
 MT. Long-Mr. President, have not, the honor of knowing to what the gen. | tleman refers. I know nothing about MT. Pettuss ordinance, but if MT. Pet tuss ordinance stated my proposition, l stand here today as one of 155 men in l this Constitutional Convention who is ready, willing and anxious to vote for | it.
 MT. Grant-Why don't you ask him | to introduce it now?
 Mir. Long-Now, MT. President, what do object to is the action of the white people here assembled, that will dis | franchise many men in my county sim ply because they have not been resi- dents of the United States for five years. I believe in justice to those who are entitled to it. I believe when the Ark landed long centuries ago and the descendants of Noah started out, that
 Ham was cursed. and I believe that
 this is 8 white mans country, and that not single white man should be dis franchised, and 1 am opposed to the enfranchisement of any negro in the State of Alabama. Let It be Booker
 Washington or any one else. I yester- day liked to have been mobbed here, | because I wanted to maintain the puri- ty of the Caucasian blood. I wanted | then and there to put the words Tn dian and Chinese in a law prohibitory | of marriage, and heard men upon this floor get up and boast that the proud est blood in Alabama was the blood of
 the Indian. I want to state if that
 blood is proud, 1t was made so by Cau- casian blood and 1 want to state fur
 ther that ours is the blood that God in-
 tended to rule the world. and it is only
 that blood which I recognize that flows
 in my veins and I believe flows in the
 veins of the majority of the delegates
 to this Convention.
 Now, MT. President, I do sincerely hope that the amendment offered by the
 gentleman from Jefferson will be adop- ted. It does not mean the enfranchise-
 ment of a single negro, but it means
 the enfranchisement of many honest
 white laborers in the State of Alabama,
 and why should we, the sovereign peo-
 pie of Alabama, violate our pledges
 here in the first section of this ordi-
 nance upon suffrage, and ignore 8
 right that has existed ever since Ala | bama has been a State in the Ameri-
 can Union. and disfranchise some ot
 our best citizens. As far, as I am able
 to. l will always respect the old home
 stead. I will always respect that home
 across the seas from which my fore fathers came. I do not think the peo-
 pie that cross the ocean now are any
 worse than the people that crossed il long centuries ago. l do not believe that we are called here to disfranchise
 any man simply because he comes from a European country. I do not believe that we are asked to do that, or that
 the sovereign white people in the State of Alabama will endorse their disfran- | chisement by the first section of this
 ordinance on suffrage. As I stated be- fore, l am willing to allow none but | white men to vote, and l shall offel
 that proposition if no one else does
 before this suffrage clause is complet
 ed. I am willing to take my medicine
 like a man.
 I am willing to go before the Fedora
 Congress of the United States, before
 partisans from Ohio and other States
 in which the negro holds the balance
 of power and say we plead guilty tC
 fhe charge I am willing tO saV W.