The age-herald., 1901-07-24

have tried to do the best we could, but if any man has anything better, no one will join in supporting it quicker than myself What we are striving for is to prevent what may happen twenty-five years hence when the present old gen. eration is gone. We believe the Confed- crate soldier should be honored (Ap- plause.) Is 1t a dishonor to say to the uneducated son of Confederate soldier that he shall vote in preference to negro who can read and write? (Applause.) would rather my hand should become palsied than raise 1t to prevent him or his sons from voting. (Applause.) I believe this plan is perfectly constitutional. (Ap- plause.)
 Here the chair checked the applause. Judge Coleman said he thought he had said enough There were loud cries of Ego on," "go on,'' and he continued by explaining the provision in the article re- iating to persons being engaged in bus- ness for a year as a requisite to vote. He said the word engaged had been judiciously construed and that a lawyer was engaged in the practice of the law, whether he ever had a client or not. A man did not have to be continually em- polyed. The section was aimed at tramps and idlers.
 Section i.
 Section 1 of the article was then read, as follows:
 Section 1. Every male citizen of sthis State who is a citizen of the United States, 21 years old or upwards, not la boring under any disabilities named in this article, and possessing the qualifica- tions required by It., shall be an elector, and shall be entitled to vote at any elec- tion by the people.
 MT Beddow of Jefferson moved to amend by including persons of foreign birth who have declared their intention of becoming citizens. He said if the arti- cie as submitted by the committee was adopted thousands of good citizens in the State would be deprived of the right of voting. In Jefferson County alone there were 15,000 white people who had de clared their intention of becoming citi- zens, but by reason of the five years res- idence required by the statute, had not yet perfected their citizenship.
 MT. Lowe of Jefferson supported Mr. Beddow's amendment. He said that as She report of the committee Is read it will be seen how far apart and incon- sistent is It's language from that of It's chairman in his opening remarks. where he said no white man should be deprived of his vote.
 Dr. Cunningham of Jefferson also sup ported the amendment He said MT. Bed dow's amendment applied only to those foreign citizens who are here now and not to those who came hereafter. He paid tribute to the majority of for eigners in Jefferson County and to their enterprise and honesty.
 MT. Long of Walker favored MT. Bed dow's amendment. He said he could see no reason why these people toiling in the hills and amid the rocks of Jefferson and Walker Counties should not be allowed to vote, when the simple hobo of descend- ant of Confederate soldier was allowed to vote. He favored the simple provision of allowing only white male citizens to vote and taking the consequence The penalty would only be the reduction of our representation in Congress He de- spised a makeshift like this. He would come up to the rack and take his fodder or not take 1t and be honest. He opposed prohibiting white men from voting simply because they had not been here five years. For one he was opposed to allowing any negro voting, be 1t Booker Washington or not. He believed in the white race and in his veins flowed the Concession blood which he believed was in that of ma jority of the eys delegates on the floor Qaughter). He would always respect the old homestead and did not believe these men who came across the seas today were worse than those who came over a cen tury or two ago. He was willing to say that none but white people should be all lowed to vote He had no respect for one of these sorry granddaddy clauses.
 At this point the convention adjourned until S:30 p. m.
 Afternoon Session.
 The convention neassembled at 3:SO with 105 members present.
 MT. Smith of Mobile, member of the suffrage committee, spoke on MT. Bed dow's amendment He said these for eigners as a rule were not good citizens. That they came to this country solely for mercantile gain and that the experience of the United States had convinced the government that five years was necessary to decide whether he should be made a citizen or not. He cited instances of for eigners of good character in Mobile who had lived there for twenty-five years with out becoming citizens
 MT. Sanford of Pike said we had no right to extend the privilege of voting to any who were not citizens of the State There was no reason why a man who owed an allegiance to the State should be allowed to vote. The tide of immigration in setting in towards the south, and rath- CT than have few thousand such voters as control the elections in Chicago, he would prefer to have the negroes con tinue to vote as heretofore.
 General Sanford of Montgomery spoke In favor of the committees report He saw no necessity for allowing foreigners to vote, however wise or wealthy they may be. A foreigner who cannot be com pelled to support the government ought r,n n ha a1lorvad f0 A ration of intention to become a citizen does not authorize the State to compel them to bear arms or assume the burden of citizenship.
 President Knox Speaks.
 President Knox spoke in favor of the section as reported by the committee. He said that South Carolina, North Caro- lima, Louisiana and Mississippi, which had dealt with this matter, had taken the same view of this matter. The section simply says that mere declaration Of intention cannot give the right to vote After they become citizens they can vote. They are not disfranchised by this pro- vision. They can, by their conduct and character, go on and qualify themselves as citizens, in which event they can vote.
 MT. DeGraffenreid of Hale said that no election under this constitution would oc- cur until 1906, and that foreigners who had now declared their intention to be- come citizens could by that time have ob- tained their citizenship and could vote.
 MT. Kirk supported the Beddow amend ment, saying the declarations of the Dem- ocratic platform required that he should.
 MT. Ferguson supported the amend ments of MT. Beddow and MT. Smith. We have a clause in our bill of rights which says that immigration should be encouraged and these amendments would have that effect. He spoke in praise of the foreign born citizens of Jefferson