The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-07
Conference Against the Grand
father Clause.
THE. RESULT WAS VERY CLOSE
onIy 0ne Vote to Spare When the
Proposition Was Acted upon.
lir. Glass Advocates His
Plan.

was loL oluS HlSniy entertained With d
speech from Judge Green in support
OF the majority suffrage plan, but was
treated TO a genuine surprise as re-
suit Of the first vote get taken on any
| suffrage plan.
! at the conclusion Of Judge Green's
speech :, there was a vote on the Bar
bour plan, which contained the grand
father. military. and militia exemption
feature, and lit failed of adoption by
only. one vote;s the result being 80 TO 81. .
There was a large attendance and when
the caucus convened Judge Green began
his most able and Interesting argument
He dissected the grandfather cause, the
property, poll-tax and educational fea-
lures Of other plans. He said there was
no question in his mind Of the uncon-
stitutionality Of the Barbour or BraA-
ton grandfather clauses, and he did not
believe any competent authority from
Justice John to the Supreme Court OF
the United States would hesitate two
| minutes to knock 1t out. He saw moth
ing immoral in the plan, and visited lie
could believe that it WIS constitutional. TOR
he would gladly accept it and abandon
other. features.
The soldier exemption feature was all
right, but it could be in force but a few
years at best, and standing alone 1t
would be no relief to the generation just
coming on the stage of action for soon
the last one Of the old soldiers would pc
gone. I"
1t would also let In great many ne
groes.
"A PROPERTY QUALIFICATION.
Judge Green stated that he came to
the convention an odd mcn, ana IL ne
had any one thing fixed i'll his mind. It
was the conviction that a property quail
lcation was the only constitutional aild
effective solution of the negro trouble
He declared that on that question he
was as stubborn as Dr.. Mcllwaine. and
as cantankerous as Mr.. D1eredi> h, y but
in the conferences of the committee he
had been rs strongly, convinced that
the property qualification would dis
franchise white men by the thousands
and could never be adopted The edu-
cational clause was a snare and de-
lusion It, like the soldier and property
clauses included class, but did not ex-
cIude q class. Statistics showed that at
present it would disqusIifY any quantity
OF white people and in the future under
the present system of education would
exclude but few negroes Under the
educational clause, mules and pigs could
vote. He had recently been to "a show
and Witnessed these animals tricks and
they could add, subtract, divide and
read. and Just as they were taught
tricks, the negro got his education, en-
tirely by limit ton. -t-
THE POLL-TAN-
The Judge asserted that any depend
ence on d poll-tax prerequisite would
prove a disappointment and boomerang.
He gave his experience as Chairman OF
the party when the polI-taX was formerly
a prerequisite, and declared that no man
who had never had experience could be-
gin to appreciate the difficulty OF getting
young white men to pay poli-tax Tor the
privilege of voting, while the negroes
would hold church meetings and raise
funds sufficient to pay theirs. There was
then only one alternative, and that was
the understanding clause He showed
Why the permanent was preferable IN
many ways to the temporary understand
ing principle, because it would eliminate
tho dangers of the poll-taN and educa-
tionaI features which within year would
constitute the only barrier to the negro
vote.
Judge Green, in this connection, said
that he was an old man, and would soon
be called hence and away forever from
negroes (great laughter), and so far as
he was individually concerned the tenn
porary clause would grant him relief
while he lived, but he owed duty to Ills
children and grandchildren, as did every
member and it could only be performed
by the adoption of the permanent under
standing principle.
THE VOTE. WAS CLOSE.
At the conclusion Of Judge Green's ar.
sument a vote was taken on the Barbour
plan, and on division it was a tie vote of
% to &c. The roIl-call was demanded ana
the result was-yeas. 80; nays, 81.
Messrs. Meredith, James w. Gordon.
Gregory and Thornton, who would have
voted yea. announced a. pair with Messrs.
WISE, Cameron, Flood and w. A. Ander-,
son, who would have voted no.
Following is the vote:
Yoas-Messrs. Barbour, Boaz, Braxton.
Brown, p. ". Campbell. Chapman. Eg-
sleston, Fletcher B. I. Gordon, GWyn.
Hardy, Hooker, G. W. Jones, KeeZell,
Lowell, McIwaine, Moncure, Orr. Parks.
Pollard. Portlock, Richmond. Rives. STU
art, larry, Turnbull, Walker, Wescott
| Withers Wysor-Sn.
Nays-Messrs. Allen, Ayers, Barham,
| Thomas II. Barnes. Bouldin, Brooke: Car
| ter. Crismond. Dunaway. Fairfax. Car
! nett, Glass, r. L. Gordon, Green, Hanll-
ton, Hancock, Hatton, Hutard, Hunton,
Ingram, Lindsay. Marshall. Miller. K.
Walton Moore. Quarles, Robertson, Thorn,
/! Wad0ill Watson. Willis, Woodhouse-a.
| Quite a number of members who voted
yea announced that they did 50
| for the purpose OF defeating the under
/ standing feature, and not meaning 20
| permanently commit themselves to the
! grandfather principle. Among these were
| Nessrs. Meredith. AIcI!waine and keeze!l.