The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-07

back home and let the people attend to this matter. We heard a good deal the other day about heredity in the right and privilege of suffrage. l want to say that the solicitorships in this State are not hereditary on that line. but they are hereditary on the line that if men whose fathers or brothers or friends are men of political influence in the State. and they happen to say that a certain man shall be put upon the slate for a solicitorship, he goes upon 1t without reference to quaiinca- lions or whether the people want him or not. I call upon this Convention to halt, and consider the matter seriously. and say whether the people who select the judges may not also select the SOIL citors. They say there will be trading in the circuit. Well, it will De trao- ing at home, and be limited to that particular circuit and not involve the thirteen circuits of the State. They say there may be corrupt and evil innu- ences used. say to the solicitors wno are here lobbying in this matter, are you afraid of the corrupt and evil Tn. fiuences upon yourselves? If not, get out of this Convention. and let the delegates vote upon it as they think IS right, unbiased by your influence. My observation has been that the morai influence and conscience of the peopie will direct matters right In the end, pe- cause the majority rules. and l do not believe 1t is a violent presumption to say that the moral sentiment ana power of the people is always in the majority, If you are afraid ot that majority then show your hand and say 1t in the Convention. and do not pio for a perpetuation of trades and doubt ful practices in the selection or these officers. upon the people Of this state.
 III have seemed over zealous In the discussion of this question, I want 70 say 1t has been provoked by the appar- ent desire of friends of this minority report to precipitate 1t ana force t upon this Convention before a discus, sion has been had. I hope you VII come out in the open and meet us Iace to face in the discussion Of this mat ter. Do not suddenly become economi- cal along the line of time when your supporters have been perpetual ana nerennial speakers in the past history of this Convention. Come out ahS sneak some more. Now. gentlemen, Nave managed to get in few remarks nr this proposifion, and l hope the sentiemen of the minority report VIII answer and give us an opportunity lof Q general discussion of this supJec. and that no more motions Will pc niaue to table. I will not make It oh you' if YOU will not make 1t on me.
 Eivs 1T. time to discuss it. and then
 after A fair discussion of 1t. if the
 .oher judgment of the Convention IS
 with vou will do as I always nave
 done. yield to the majority, ana go to
 the neople to ratify what you nave done. ..,o-
 MT. Henjn (Chambers)-The gentle
 man from Talladega has displayed
 great deal of earnestness here m tnis discussion. He squirms here tnis morning. MT. President and groans as if his toes had been pinched, and the gentleman was suffering from severe blow tust made upon him by this Con vention. not upon him personally De- cause we all like him personally. we all like the handsome distinguished ana
 eloquent gentleman from TalladeSa' but we do not like, MT. President display of that spirit that the gentie- man has just exhibited to this Con- vertion, because forsoothe, this Con- yention did as 1t had a right to do .suo- stituted the minority report for the re- mort of the majority. If delegates. MT. president. have gone into any schemes | ar trickery to bring tkis about. l chal- lenge the gentleman to name those men and tell where and when it was done.
 Mir. Graham-I did not complain that | the minority report had been substi- tuted for the majority report at all. l | was complaining that 1t had been done
 without any opportunity for discus sion. That was the sole complaint and | I have made no charge of any fraud
 or anything that kind. | MT. Heflin (Chambers)-AFhe gentle
 man used the word fraud in his speech.
 I am sorry he made that charge, or | that he did not remember just exact- | ly what he was saying at the time,
 but the word fraud was used and l
 put it down when 1t fell from the gen. | tIeman's lips. This Convention has a
 right from day to day to come into this 1 hall to respond to roll call, and to re- spond when they are called upon to | vote on any question, and when the
 President deliberately asked this de- | Lucrative body If they were ready for | the question, and nobody responded to
 speak the Convention ordered the ques- | ton. and the Convention passed upon Il the question, and the majority voted | for the minority report. The gentle
 man favored, 1t is true, the election of
 solicitors by the people. There are | those or uS WHO uo HOl pCliCNo tho HUI IT
 who goes with the grand jury into the | various precincts of this State, and
 hunts out the criminal and brings up
 the violator of the law, indicts him.
 and prosecutes him before the petit
 jury, ought to have to go back to that 1 same people and beg them for re-elec-
 tion to office. We believe 1t ought to
 be removed as far as possible from
 them. Put 1t in your legislative body. | Let the members of the legislature who
 come up here from the various coun- 1 ties in the State, select the solicitor for | that circuit away over wonder. Then
 he Is independent. He does not feel | that he must rely upon the people | whom he has prosecuted. It differs
 from the case of the Circuit Judge, he has nothing to do with the criminal until he is indicted. and brought be-
 fore the court, and he has to. pass upon | the questions of law; but the solicitor
 goes with the grand jury into every
 nook and corner of Alabama, and he
 hunts the man who openly violates the
 law and brings him up and says you
 must face the law that you have ,Yio-
 lated, and he sits with the grand jury
 and says. this man ought to be in l dicted; he prosecutes him vigorously
 and when he goes back 10 those people,
 possibly some prominent man who has | relatives all over the county and who
 has been prosecuted will say: "You
 prosecuted me vigorously and I am
 going to try to attend to you when the
 election comes off" On the other
 hand. frequently a great pressure Is