Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-21
AT WORK ON REVISION
VIRGINIA CONVENTION HAS
TROUBLE WITH SUFFRAGE PLAN.
Question of Submission Also a Bone of
Contention Among the
Delegates.


RICHMOND Va, April 21-The commit
tee on revision of the new constitution has
been at work just week today, have so
far completed the bill of rights and the sec
tion pertaining to the executive department
division of powers-and have reached the
stumbling block of the convention, the
suffrage article. That is the one section
which persistently refuses to clarity itself
to the satisfaction of the members of the
committee. Senator Daniel, who was chair
man of the committee reporting the arti-
Gle, has been here for three four days,
and despite the fact that the committee has
labored earnestly and faithfully over the
section, it is still ''up in the air." The
question of punctuation of the article, the
language to be used to make clear the in
tent1onS of the convention, and other tech
nical points have been discussed at length,
and when it looks as though an agreement
has been reached something unforeseen
crops out and the whole matter is again at
sea.
Judge Bergman Green of Danville, one
of the members of the convention who has
from the first been in favor of proclaiming
the constitution, said to the Star CORE
Spondent that he was not at all satisfied
that the convention would proclaim the
constitution. II am certain that the sent-
ment in favor of proclamation is growing"
said the judge, but it is not growing as
fast as some of the newspapers of the
state would have us believe. l am frank
to say that l do not think we have ma
Jority of the convention in favor of the
stand We have taken, and | do not see how
we are going to get them, unless some of
the members who are in favor of submits
sion to the present electorate come over to
us as against submitting to an abridged
electorate and | have strong hopes that
That Will be the case. Those who favor
the present electorate have no nearer a
majority than we have, and between proc
lamation and an abridged electorate we
look for number to come out boldly in
favor of getting rid of the whole matter at
one fell swoop. There is no use in taking
two bites at a cherry
Gov. Montagues position is puzzling
some of his friends at this time. Prior to
the assembling of the convention and while
the governor was engaged in making a
hot canvass for the nomination, he wrote
a letter to one of the papers here in which
he came out unreservedly for submission
to the people. When asked by a newspaper
man the other day to his views on the
matter of proclamation at this time, he
replied that he was committed to submits
sion, but he added that were he a member
OF the convention and not bound by the
committal which he had written, he was
not prepared to say what his action in the
matter would be- This is construed as
meaning that he would vote to Droclaim
the constitution were he in the conven-
ton, as he did mot know that 5he con-
dltlons now would or could substantiate the
WlsGom OF the views expressed at that
time. The belief is that the administra-
ton men in the convention are to be swung
into line in favor of proclamation. not
outstanding the pledge made by the demo-
cratic convention at Norfolk when the
question OF calling the convention was made
a party issue and was approved and in
dorsed by the people, with the understand
ing that they would be given an opportun-
lty to register their will after the work had
been done. And, while the discussion is on
the republicans are sitting perfectly still
in the boat and waiting to see what will
happen.