The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-10
ADVERTISING THE ADVERTISER.

ADVERTISING THE ADvETIsER.
 Yesterday Mir. Carmichael of Coffee
 presented to the Constitutional Con- | vention a petition, for a strong anti pass provision in the new Constitution from a considerable number of promi- l nent citizens in his County.
 l In sending forward this petition to the Secretary of the Convention, it
 seems that he unintentionally sent with | it a letter that was not a part of it. | He afterwards tried to withdraw this letter, and the attempt stirred up
 quite a wrang!e in the Convention. Consent was finally given him to with draw the letter. but the question of let ting it remain as a part of the steno- graphic proceedings was left with Chairman Knox. The letter appears in the official proceedings. 1t is IS fol- lows, on a regular letterhead of The Advertiser:
 Montgomery Ala Aug 3, 1901. Dear Sir-I find that it will be most ef- fective to have this petition presented to the Constitutional Convention through a
 
 district. Please be so kind, therefore. as to forward it directly to the member your judgment determines most suitable.
 Please inform me to whom you have sent it. Respectfully yours. (SigneO F. P. GLASS. Secretary. The Advertiser, so far as it is con- cerned, is sorry that such a tempest-in- a-teapot was raised in the Convention about the publication of this letter. It did not ask any member, in any way, to try to have 1t withdrawn or left out of the proceedings If the Editor had been present, he would have done what he could to have pre- vented the discussion by telling Mir. Carmichael or some other delegate to state that The Advertiser had no de- sire to prevent any use of it any mem- Der of the Convention desired to make. This paper has nothing to be ashamed of in the matter. Quite the contrary. We are proud of it, and are obliged for the excellent advertising that has been given this paper in this matter.
 The facts are these: About two weeks ago. when 1t was doubtful whether the Convention was going to do anything with the pass evil. this paper sent out blank petitions On the subject to it's regular correspondents in most of the county sites in the State. These cor respondents were requested to circuA late these petitions among we'll known citizens for signatures. This was will lingly, effectively and promptly done wrote that they could get the ma jority of white voters in their counties to sign, if they could take the time.
 These petitions to the Convention to the number of about fifty were sent first to The Advertiser, and the orig inal aim was to present them in bulk to the Convention, but on the advice of members of the Convention in sym pathy with the movement, it was de- cided that it was best to have the petitions sent to delegates directly from their own counties. Accordingly each petition was returned to the cor respondent who got it up, accompanied by the letteralready quoted. Many of the petitions have been sent to dele gates, as requested, and as they come from reputable persons and are signed by large numbers of representative constituents. these members have pre- sented them to the Convention, as was their privilege and duty.
 Some of the members of the Con- vention who are probably opposed to any anti-pass legislation, may try to make some argument out of the uni form wording of these petitions and their inspiration from The Advertiser office. There is nothing in any such appeals to prejudice. The petitions were circulated by we'll known men openly and abov board, and they are signed by the highest class of citizens as rule. These petitions simply con- firfim the status of public opinion on this matter revealed in these columns some weeks ago by the same corre- spondents through interviews with of prominent citizens. They reflect the honest viewis of the mass of good citizens of the State, and the Convention will err if it underesti- mates their fo6rce.
 The Advertiser repeats It's acknowl- edgment of obligations to the members of the Convention who unwittingly gave it such a valuable advertisement | yesterday.