Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-07-03

PaSSAcco uhc zee
made in the work that is to be done.
The convention is fully Organized;
all the officers necessary have been
chosen, and the committees have
been selected to deal with every sub
lect that may come up.
There have been about one hun
dred and fifty resolutions bearing
upon the organic law presented and
referred to the committees,
The convention is now ready for
the real work it will have to do.
There were certain preliminary ques-
tons had to be brushed away at the
start. Not q single member had ev-
er served in Constitutional Conven-
ton before. 1t was new work to all
of them Whether or not they were
officers Of the State government was
debatable question, and it was
thoroughly discussed. The snti-oath
people won.
Everybody knows, or ought to
know, that one of the reasons for the
calling of the convention was to have
some sort of provision adopted BY
which negro suffrage could be re-
stricted. This will unquestionablv
be done, but just how is the prob
lem. There have been more than q
score of propositions submitted bear
ing upon the franchise clause. Dele
gates have widely different views as
what to adopt. Some want the property
holding provision, and others an ed
ucational qualification. As far as
can be learned at this stage the prop
erty qualification seems the most
popular, but it must be admitted
that most of the delegates on the
committee that will have to deal
with this question are, as vet, "open
TO argument" and have not made up
their minds.
There is no secret made of the
fact by the average Democratic dele
gate that he wants to disfranchise
every colOred voter possible, but, st
the same time, he wants whatever
clause may be adopted to come strict
ly within the provisions of the Fed
eral Constitution, so that there will
be no long proceedings in court,
which might eventually result in the
upsetting of the whole work.
This matter of settling the ques-
ton of who ehall be entitled TO vote
is going to be no easy task.
The delegates, or nearly all of
them, concede to themselves the right
to proclaim the Constitution as soon
as they shall have framed it; that is
TO declare it to 10 be the organic
law of the Common wealth without
submitting it to the people for their
approval or their rejection. At the
same time nearly every Democratic
delegate feels in honor bound to give
the voters the opportunity of passing
upon the Constitution that is to be
framed The great, and it might be
said, the all-absorbing question is
as to who shall have the right to vote
upon the question of accepting or re-
jecting the proposed organic lsw.
There is unquestionably q growing
sentiment in favor of submitting il
to the electorate that is recognized
by the new instrument. 1t seems to
be generally conceded, as a legal
proposition, that the convention will
have right to do this. In other
words, and in plain English, the pur-
pose of the element referred to is not
to allow those it is designed to dis
franchise to vote upon the question
of their Acknowledgement, but to
have the people whose right to exer-
else the right of suffrage is unchal-
lenged to pass upon the matter of
the unquestionable vote.
The delegates seem perfectly at
sea as to how best to reduce the ex.
penses of government. They wish to
carry out the promise they made
their constituents as to retrenching
and reforming But there are knot
ty problems to be dealt with. AS
far as one can Judge, it looks as if
there might be a radical change in
the county court system. The plan
most favored is to make some sort of
a provision that will serve to dispense
with the service of county Judges
and ar the same time will preserve
comfy courts by having board of
or supervisors, to meet