The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-08

tions nor white supremacy; that its suf- frage plan was bad; that it endangered the public credit and he objected to the reduction of the State tax rate as made by the new instrument
 ''On this point he said:
 The limit of State taxation has been reduced 1 0cents on the hundred doilars If values decline-and they nave been advanced in prosperous times only by the most strenuous measures-it VIII threaten the credit of the State. or reduce our appropriation to the public schools or to Confederate pensioners. If the mar gin of receipts and disbursements be so narrow as to alarm capital. the decline of our credit would compel us to fix higher rae of interest on our bonds, and in the end we would lose largely more than we would save by this small appar- ent reduction
 "IIe concluded this article with the dec- laration: f will stand for the old Con- stitution and vote against the new
 "He is still unfriendly to the new Con- stitution In a card published in The B'r- mingham Evening Ledger. of date July 2S, 1902. he said that the new Constitu- ton had dlsfranchised 10000 white men in the county of Jefferson alone. The only meaning this can have Is that 100OO white men have either failed to register or have failed to pay their poll tax. and if this be true, their disfranchisement is due to their own failure to register or to pay poll tax. and not to the new Con- stitution. The poll tax provision Cover nor Johnston Is m no position to criticise or condemn.
 Johnston on Poll Tax.
 "In his message to the Legislature in 1896, hereinbefore quoted, he said:
 "A provision requiring substantial poll tax to he paid by all who vote would probably give all the security needed and at the same time largely increase our school fund
 His record may be searched in vain for any other specific recommendation than this upon the subject of suffrage reform.
 "In his speech at the Birmingham Audi torium. opening his campaign, Governor Johnston said. in substance. that while he accepted the new Constitution as hav- ing been adopted by the forms of law, he would. if elected Governor. 'whittle 1t down and 'gouge 1t out where there were bumps on it, so as to make it bear as lightly as possible on the people.
 'In view of the record herein care fully set forth. can 1t be doubted that Governor Johnston would be glad to see the new Constitution fail; that he is ex- erting all of his efforts to make 1t un- popular; that to elect him Governor would be treated as a vote of censure against the Democratic Party, and those who have brought about the great change in our political situation? His success would not only be an invitation but demand for further agitation in reference to our organic law. which. from it's very nature. should be stable.
 Upon this great question Governor Jelks has consistent record He favored the call of a convention, voted for rati- fication and believes that the Constitution of 1901 has worked and will work a vast improvement in the political condition in this State.
 Shall this instrument be now kept In the hands of Its friends or Vurned over to its enemies?
 .'Jelks State Campaign Committee
 Samuel D. Weakley, Chairman"