Richmond planet., 1902-12-06


| conduct ON the high seas than that
they gave IL. They were bound under
the old Constitution and by the plight
ed faith of Virginia 10 resuming her
place IN the Union to submit the new
Constitution to the electorate created
and recognized by the old, and they
had betrayed, that obligation.
THANKED GOD.
He thanked God that there were no
Lees and Wises in that convention who
could be charged with betraying the
hand that had patted them. They were
different breed of men and made no
pledges that they did not keep. They
were not of those who had crowded TO
Washington and begged TO be permit
ed TO come back into the Union on any
conditions Congre IS might stipulate,
and they were not the men to break the
Constitution which some who claimed
the people OF Virginia were crazy 20
adopt 1t at that time were willing to do.
The speaker then rehearsed the cOnsti-
tutional history of Virginia from the
ordinance of Secs SION. through the
heconsTuctlon acts 70 the Constitution
OF 1869
lRoN-CLAD REQUIREMENT.
Every one of the States that had been
out of the Union We're required. as a
prerequisite TO their return, to subscribe
20 the provisions of those acts, and bv
their adoption OF them they were bound
never 20 oisiranchise any citizen orcl SIS
ot citizens ON account of race. color,
or previous condition OF servitu.e Thus.
the right of the people of Virginia TO
hold a constitutional Convention was
cucumscribed az the outset by the con-
ditlon that it should DE submitted 20 the
electorate created at that time. and that
nc change IN the Constitution should
ever operate 20 deprive these people of
their franchise.
For thirty years Virginia had kept her
pledge, the people had lived and pros
pered under this Constitution, and no
one ever dreamed that any one could
break the pledges that had beeu given.
rrE s01.TSia, el.kpsE. 80
And then came the Constitutional
Convention of l901-l902. The members
We're elected with the pledge and under
sta nding that the instrument should be
su omitted TO the people. No one dream
ed that it would be railroaded through
and adopted as al ordinance
The convention met in Richmond on
the 18th day of June, and before they
had tten warm in their seats they
discovered that chey had not come here
TO amend the Constitution, bat that
they had come here TO eliminate the
Negro vote was the tune the body
hearkened 70. What had they done in
Mississippi? How did they work it in
South Carolina?
And then Mr.. Wise singled out a
wellknown statesman Mr. Goode he
said. had manipulated negro votes
before the convention, and was quite
at home in the business
1t was here that the Chief Justice in
terrupted stream of gall, winged by
linguistic lightning, with an almost
pialntlve regret that the learned coun-
sci conf1ne himself TO the argument.
! The Court: i wish you would avoid
! personal illusions, Mr.. Wise. This is
question OF constitutional law and such
illusions are irrelevent.
1 The orators Pegasus came down with
a thud and he apologized to the court
while hopping his perspiring brow and
looking around for the end of his thread
which had escaped him in the confusion
of the incident.
Only one member of the convention
had taken the oath of Office, said Mr..
Wise. The others had refused to take
1t and the question was adjudicated end
settled that the acts of an official who had
not subscribed TO the oath where one
was made the prerequisite of holding
the office, were null and void They
met and drew their pay and discussed
] and considered and finally concluded
that they We're not officials. They did
not know what they were, but they
We're satisfied what they were not.
de passed from one point to another
very rapidly and with obvious con-
nection and seemed to justify the ex-
preston of one of the attorneys present
that his points were as numerous as
the sands of the sea-shore."
RHETORICAL PROCESSES.
! By curious rhetorical processes he ar
rived at a statement of what his plain
4 tits were. One of them, he said, had
been denied a vote because the new Con-
stitution only intended to include sold
/ iers who fought in the war of 1895 and
and the war of 1861, and not those who
! fought in the Indian war.
I Here the court made a point, and Mr..
: Wise seemed to be worsted, yet his gift
Tor oratory and expression came TO his
aid and IN this case, as several times
I later, he was always ready with a reply,
the vehemence and fire of which was in
8 vivid contrast to the measured and cold
: tones of the Chief Justice.
DIFFERED WITH THE COURT.
Laughter was evoked when a North
Carolina case was cited by the Chief
Justice, and Mr.. Wise, with his usual
qu'ckness, said that that was a point ON
= his side. 81 Idon't think So"
The Court asked Mr. Wise il the COM
f, plainants undertook to register under
, the new Constitution and if they under
took to pursue the remedy to (which thew
We're entitled under the Constitution.
| MI. Wise replied that one of the iudg-
, es OF the Corporation Court was out of
town at the time, having gone fishing.
The Court further asked if the complain.
ants went to the Court of Appeals. and
many one Of them had offered to vote.
AQUEsTIoN OF NAMES.