The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-02
AIMED AT The SOUTH
REPUBLICANS PREPARING TO At
TACK CONSTITUTIONS.
VIRGINIA COMES THE FIRST.
1T IS CLAIMED THE NEGROES ARE
DISFRANCHISED.

John $. Wise, Failing to Be Admit
ted to the Federal Courts with His
Virginia Case, Goes to washing
ton, Where He Invokes the Aid of
Crumpacker and other Republic
cans-COntest Over Carter Glass.
Taylor Calls for Congregational In
vestigatfOn of the Election of
Glass.
Washington, Dec. 1.-Representativ
Crumpacker and his squad of Republi-
can agitators in the House are prepar-
ing for a general attack on the state
constitutions in the South, in behalf of
their colored brethren, whom they
claim are disfranchised. To-day's ses-
sion opened with a move intended to
force congressional investigation into
the recent elections in Virginia, as a
result of the new constitution in that
state.
The first member of Congress elect
ed in the elections provided for by the
new constitution is Carter Glass, who
succeeded Maj. Otey from the Lynch
burg district. 1t is a singular coin
cidence that as a member of the Con-
stitutional Convention, Mr.. Glass play
ed the most important part in framing
the suffrage provisions of that consti-
tuition. The suffrage planks are prac-
tically his own. Subsequent to the
adoption of the new constitution, Maj.
Otey died and largely because of his
prominence in the Constitutional Con-
vention, Glass was chosen to fill the
vacancy. 1t Is something like the
irony of fate that his title to a seat in
Congress should be the. first to be
contested.
Wise Doing the Engineering.
This movement on the part of the
Republicans was engineered by John S.
Wise, the New York attorney. who
was formerly member of Congress
from Virginia. Failing in his efforts
to get the Virginian constitution into
the federal courts, Wise came on from
Richmond to Washington. This morn
ing he had conference with Presi-
dent Roosevelt, going to the White
House with Representative Crumpack-
er of Indiana, who is recognized as
the leader in Congress of the cam
paign against the South.
Later the plan of those who are on
posing Mr.. Glass as the representative
OF the Virginia constitution developed
it had been announced that Wise
would have some Republican member
object to the swearing in of Glass,
but no such objection was made. I'm
mediately after he had been sworn In.
however, Representative Tayler OF
Ohio. who is chairman of one of the
Elections Committees, introduced a
resolution, calling for congressional in
vestigation into the election of Mr.
Glass, cited the circumstances of the
adoption of the Virginia constitution
and the allegations that its provisions
clashed with certain provisions of the
FEDERAL constitution. and called for an
investigation by Elections COMMITTEES
No. /.
: Democrats Got Excited.
Immediately there was a furry NJ
excitement in the Democratic side
Representative Richardson of Tennes-
see, the minority leader, jumped to his
feet and entered protest against the
consideration Of the resolution. He
raised point of order against it. but
later withdrew this, as Mr.. Tayler ex-
planned he was not asking its imme-
date consideration, but wanted II re-
ferred to the Elections Committee IN
the usual course. There was some dis
cussion on the Democratic side as to
whether it should not go to the EIec-
tons Committee No. 3, which had con-
sidered other Virginia contests rather
than to Committee No 1, but finally
all objections to it's going to that COM
mittee were withdrawn, and the reso-
luton takes that course.
1t has not developed that the Repuo-
lican leaders intend to force action
upon the resolution, but the probable
ity is that they will do so, and a con-
gressional investigation of the election
OF that district and into the provisions
of the Virginia Constitution will be
had. However loath the Republicans
have been towards stirring up the sec
tional issues, ii is practically certain
now that the matter has been brought
to the attention of Congress in a for
NAL way, they will consider II a DO
litical necessity to put through resolu>
tions calling for congressional legis-
lati0n