The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-29

ton. N.sY., on every bottle.
 of a sectional majority. determined to | use them for the destruction of the | rights of the people of the South. This | mighty flood tide has been flowing from ] the popular heart for years. You, gentle | men of the minority, have not been able been able to add particle to its mo- mentum. Wc are each and all driven | forward upon this irresistible tide. The l rod that has snaitten the rock from which | this flood flows. has not been in Southern l hands. The rod has been Northern and sectional aggression and wrong. and that l flood tide has grown stronger and strong CT as days and years have passed away, in proportion as the people have lost all hope of a constitutional and satisfactory solution of these vexed questions In this connection would say a few words upon the proposition to submit the ordi- nance of dissolution to popular vote. This proposition IS based upon the idea that thera Is difference between the people and the delegate. It seems to me that this is an error There is a differ ence between the representatives of the people in the law making body and the people themselves, because there are pow CTS reserved to the people by the Conven- ton Of Alabama. and which the General
 Assembly can not exercise. But in this body Is all power--no powers are re- served from it. The people are, here in
 the persons of their deputies. Life, Lib erty and Property are in our hands. Look
 to the ordinances adopting the Constitu- ton of Alabama. 1t states we. the people of Alabama, etc, etc. All our acts are
 supreme. without ratification, because they are the acts of the people acting in their sovereign capacity. AS a policy. submission of this. ordinance to popular vote i3 wrong. In the first place, we have gone too far to recede with dignity and self-respect. It could not well be effected before the 4th of March. The policy is
 at war with our system of government.
 Ours is not a pure Democracy-that is. a
 government by the people; though 1t is a government of the people. Ours Is a rep
 resentative government, and whatever is
 done by the representative in accordance
 with the Constitution is law; and what
 ever is done by the deputy in organizing government, is the peoples will The policy, too. is one of recent suggestion: if am not mistaken. it was never pro
 posed and acted upon previous to 1887.
 Certainly tho Fathers did not approve it.
 The Constitution of the original Thirteen
 States were adopted by Conventions, and
 were never referred to the people. The
 Constitution of the United States was
 adopted by the several State Conventions.
 and in no instance was it submitted to
 the people for ratification. Coming down
 to a later day. and coming home to the
 action of our State sires. we find another
 example against such submission. The
 Constitution of the State of Alabama was
 never submitted for popular ratification.
 Ono other and most important consdera-
 ton is. that looking to the condition of
 the popular mind of the minority of the
 people on this question, such a course will
 but tend to keep up strife and conten-
 ton among ourselves. Such a submission 1t is clear to my mind will but result in a triumph of the friends of secession-and an additional amount of irritation and
 prejudice be thus engendered in the minds of the defeated party. Some gem tlemen seem to think that in dissolving
 &1.a ITwxtn ar1 he tnh fYNh hnFft ance bequeathed to us. For one, make a distinction between our liberties and the powers which have been delegated to secure them.
 Those liberties have never been allen ated-are inallenable. The State govern ments were formed to secure and protect them. The Federal Government was made the common agent of the States for tho purpose of securing them in our in- tercourse with each other and the for eign powers. The course we are about to adopt makes no war on our liberties nor, indeed, upon our institutions-nor upon the Federal Constitution. It Is but q dismissal Of the agent that hrSt abuses our institutions with view to destroy our rights and then turns the very pow CTS we delegated to him for our prot2c- tion against us for OFT injury. These powers were originally possessed by the people of the sovereign States, and when the con mon agent abuses them, It seems to me but the dictate of common sense, as well as an act of self preservation. that tho States should withdraw and resume them. The Crdinancs withdraws those once delegated by Alabama, and the resolutions accompanying 1t propose to meet our sister States in Convention and to confederate with them on the basis Of the very Constitution which was the bond of compact and union between Ala bama and tho other States of the Union. 1 We propose to do as the lsraeltes did O. old, under Divine direction. to withdraw our people from under the power that expresses them. and, in doing 90. like them, to take with us the Ark or the | Covenant of our liberties
 Signing the Ordinance.
 "rhere is but ore point more upon | which I desire to say few words. My | friend from Lauderdale asked us to forbear pressing the minority 10 sign the ordinance. In my opinion 1t is not | 2 necessity that 1t be signed by members, It's signature does not necessarily express approval of the act. Signing .t is but an act Of attestation, in one sense, as when tha President of the Senate signs an Act of the General AsseT ply, which he has voted against. 1 am willing to vote for all reasonable delay to enable mem DerG to consult their constituents. But l oeseech gentlemen 10 bear in mind that when the ordinance is signed, the ab- sence of the signature or any members will be d notice to our enemies that we, ire divided ag a people, and that there ire those in our midst who will not sup port the State in its hour Of peril The signature of the ordinance. while waiving 10 vote given against It, while giving ID no opinion, is an evidence of the high st character that the signer will support lis country It will give signity, strength Inity to the State in which we live. and y which each of it's citizens should be willing to die if it's eXgencies demand 1t.
 now ask that the vote may be taken"
 The Last Scenes.
 The question being upon the adoption of he ordinance the vote was taken by ives and noes. and resulted, ayes 61, noes Q. Sevel of the minority party had gone ,ver to the majority under the lead of fir. Clemens.
 MT. President Brooks announced the esult of the vote. and declared that Ala ,ama was a free. sovereign and independ- mt State. The obligation of secrecy was emoved at once from the proceedings f the Convention and the doors thrown 'pCn.
 The scenes of the signing were similar to hose in the last Convention. all who were ,re sent remembering how solemn and i'm ,re ssive they were, but the issue was auch greater and much more was al stake {,, h1tf each art involved |