The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-08
Mr.. lass ON
SUI FRAGE PLANS.
Makes . Strong Speech in the
Conference.
FOLLOWED BY Mr.. GORDON
The Delegate from Louisa Advocates the
Report Of the Maiority-tiis lime
is Extended Halt an
Hour.

The suffrage conference has reached the
aneal,,ne stage again, and the session
had 10 he extended half hour yester-
day afternoon for one of the TWO spe pear
ers to conclude his argument Mr. I.ass
concluded his speech begun THURSDAY
and Mr. r. L. Gordon replied to him. NO
vote was reached, and Mr.. Thorn an
nounced that several other gentlemen de-
sired to speak at future sessions, and ne
syo,iId also wish to answer the NUMBER
less attacks on the majority plan.
Mr.. Glass made a strong defense Tor
the temporary understanding clause 1e
discussed the various other plans, oe-
ciaring that the grandfather clause was
no clearly unconstitutional he Qua MOI
believe for moment it would be ADOPT
I'd Directing to the property qualinca-
hon he said 1t would disqualify a large
majority of the ycunS white men IN the
ktate. and II such a clause was anopted
there would not be enough votes II, taiS :,
whole Of the other eight congresslolat
3;strfcts for the Constitution TO over
g.me the vote against i. In the Nlntn
district alone He called attention to the
many struggles had in the past for strlk-
S sls a property qualification out OF the
Constitution, and stated that not SIN
lie State in all the South had such re-
illirement in all their suffrage clauses
yllich had been framed to eliminate lhe
Negro vote.
Mr.. Glass read statistics to show that
! property qualification of one hundred
Z tcliars. which had been introduced py
Mr.. Moncure. would disfranchiset every
white voter In Stafford county. except
about three hundred.
THE POLL Tx.
Mr.. Glass then defended the poll-ta1
prerequisite and said 1t would eliminate
the negro vote. Experience in South Caro-
lima. and Mississippi lad proven this. He
showed that under q compulsory poll-taS
collection law, negroes in Virginia had
failed to pay full taxes and asked IL I'M
der a voluntary payment law. SIX mohths
before election when no candidates were
nominated and no political eXcitemet e&-
listed, ii could be supposed that negroes
would pay their taxes better IMAM no"
He stated that the negro voting popula-
tion had increased but $1,000 In Virginia
in twenty wears while the white voting
r,o,.n.aton had increased 100000. HOW
long. he asked, would it take for ne
rroes at that rate to outvote the white
people.
Air. Glass next discussed the under
standing feature Of his plan and declared
that he proposed it entirely In respect TO
The claim that the Norfolk convention
had ple5geti the party not to disfranchise
q single white man. He spoke at length IN
clause, claiming that it could be SO ad-
miyistered that in strong factonal lights
WITHIN the party. negroes who would
vote for the faction Of the board OF reg
tstration could be admitted on the DOCKS
while as intelligent man as secretary
OF the Commonwealth EEgleston couia
be disfranchised because he could not
explain the duties of lis office he oid
not believe anybody else could explain
those duties by the time the convention
got through with it,
MIR. GoRDON'S ADDRESS.
Mr. Glass was followed by Mr.. K
LINDSAY Gordon. one of the signers Of the
majority report He declared that he and
others ssare from the sblack belt Wou1o
Infinitely prefer the present system under
the Walton law, infamous as it was, TO
have to be put off with such makeshif'
as a noll tax prerequisite. which was the
principal feature Of the Glass plan alter
one single election He said no 1nattef
what law was adopted 1t woulo' pc opei,
to fraud Mankind, since the dawn OF
representative government, had vain1y
sttempted to devise an election law tha'
,,ould not be dishonesty administered.
Mr.. Gordon declared the permanent un-
Outstanding clause would be administered
honestly, just as any other law In nine-
fenths OF the State where fraud was not
<,ountena need, It would be honest; In one
tenth, where fraud was upheld by puoiic
opinion, 1t might be fraudulent he asked
II men who were SO afraid OF fraud mao
ever noticed the possibilities IN that oirec-
tion in the Walton law.
Mr.. Gordon made very strong and ear
nest argument, and the time was extended
Coz half an hour for him to conclude.
The conference adjourned at $3.50 CLOCK
srnul next Tuesday afternoon.
Talk Of Ano'h her Recess
In view Of the evident protracted dis
cussion OF the article on corporations,
members have again begun to speculate
on what will be done when the LeSis-