The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-08-27
TWO ABLE ADDRESSES.
JUDGE CLARKE ON THE TRUSTS
Hon. a. c. Brsxton on the Fifteenth
amendment-Cl Claims IL Was Never
legally Adopted.

Hon. a. c. Brsxton on the fifteenth
nmendment-Ciaim il Was Never
Legally Adopted.
{ The features of the sessions Of the Nir
( ginia Bar Association at Hot Springs
were the addresses by Hon. Walter
| Clarke. chief Justice of the Supreme Court
/ oi North Carolina, one Of MIR. Bryan
/ candidates for the Presidency, and Hon.
/ Caperton BraXtOn, OF StauntOn. author
oi the sections OF the new constitution ol
/ Virginia creating the corporation com
mission. The election Of Alexander Ham
/ ilton Of Petersburg. To the presidency Oi
/ the association was recommended 10y the
nominations committee
old Foes with New Faces was the
title Justice Clarke chose FOR a paper,
which was as severe a denunciaiion OF
trusts and modern organization OF capi-
tai rs any that have come IRON MT.
BRYAN. Justice Clarke led up To bis sub
ject hy defining law ~ the will oil the
supreme power. The supreme power he
defined a. public sentiment In n free coun-
try like America. A century anc aquarter
ago. he said. the American people east of
kings and queens and mobiles and the class
which lived by receiving special privi-
leges. and thought they were free, but
they made a mistake.
TRUSTS ". THE PEOPLE.
The struggle between organized labor
and monopoly is on. he said. "lt the
great mass of the people are convinced
that labor intends no attack on private
property they will aid labor. Skilled
labor is entitled to its fair share Ofprotits
IL is not getting il and il knows it, The
trusts and hall million hirelings are
on one side, s0,0U0,OO people are on
the other
I'VE are suffering from severe case OF
economic Indigestion, said the speaker.
In all other countries where such condi-
tions have existed there has been pol
ilical revolution
The speaker WAS unmeasured IN ms de-
nunication Of the American Tobacco
trust He said il had done more evil 10
his people than war and pestilence com
bined. The North Carolina farmers were
nrepsring To boycott IT, He wished they
might succeed 10 their patriotic purpose.
As trust remedie. Mr.. Clarke suggested
a progressive income tax and a statue OF
wills preventing the inheriting OF more
than n certain sum II all else Tails, he
said. we may have 70 come TO govern
ment ownership OF those things now con
trolled by trusts.
There az great applause when ustice
Clarke concluded. Many OF his hearers
lid not agree with him in his views, but
acknowledged bis charm a. a speaker.
MIR. nRAxToS's SPEECH.
Mr.. Braxton's paper WAS on the
fifteenth amendment. He cOntended
that il had never been legally. adopted
that the leaders Of the X publican party
favored il only as means OF perpetual
log it, power in the South lie believed
that il could eventually be repealed.
la his sketch OF the enactment OF the
fifteenth amendment. Mr. BrsXtOn con
tended that whatever may he the cOndl.
fion of public sentiment ia the United
States to-day sen timent had never favor
/ "a the negro suffrage up TO the prOclama
rion of the fifteenth amendment IN 1870.
| Lincoln's opposition to negro suffrage,
he said was so strong and well known
that il was the principal ground upon
which Wendell Phillips opposed his re-
nomination in 1864. Gen. Grant sup
ported. without iavoring, the amend
ment.
SUFFRAGE REFUSED.
In the five years next preceding lts
adoption by Congress negro suffrage mao
been repeatedly proposed in Northern
and Western States. and invariably
voted down by the people, except at one
election in Iowa and Minnesota. Only
on this occasion and in these two States
where the entire negro vote was less tnat
800. did the people, upon an issue o
negro suffrage or no negro suffrage SUD
mitted directly TO them, ever vote t'
establish it.
So strong was the Northfrn sentiment
against negro suffrage, except tor th'
south, that in 1868 the Republican par,
deemed it necessary to allay the puDl'
alarm lest it be established in the Nortl
also by adopting, a. the second plank II
their national platform at Chicago, an as
surance that negro suffrage should no
he enforced upon the North. Although
winning the Presidential campaign upoI
This platiorm in the fall OF 1868, IN
party. he said Immediately upon Assem-
bly of Congress. repudiated the plank AM
passed the fifteenth amendment, estab
fishing negro suffrage throughout tn
Tniteo States. So well did the radica
leaders know the popular opposition u
: the amendment that they did not oar
10 leave its ratification to State conven
tions or legislatures to be thereafter cho'
On. hut had il ratified by the existln
legislatures. which had been elected with
mt reference to it and were then contro
led 10y the radicals.
A proyision securing the right to hol
oflice "a well as the right to vote was ais
attempted to be embodied in the smenf
ment but could not pass Congress. IN
amendment. he conteDded, never did oil
tain the necessary twO-third5 vote
tho either Senate or the House, even Q
uev were actually cOnstituted-n6
4 connting the four States which were e.
clnded from the Senate and the three e.
cluded from the House.
"The ratification OF the amendment
several Northern States, SAID Mr. bra
to was most irregular and obtained .
the most questionable methods. Ihera
;cal leaders who put it through Congre
frankly admitted in their speeches IN u
senate and House that it was inspire
A. a political measure for the perpetu
tion OF party ascendency by establishir
q Southern wing OF the Republlct
party -
OPPOSED TO AMENDMENT.
MIR. Braxton's paper pointed out TIL
all of the Southern and Northern Dem
crafts, and probably a majority OF Z
Northern Republicans, were strongly. o
posed TO the fifteenth amendment, whi
was finally put through by most que
tionable methods. He suggests that
the Supreme Court should hereafter
il aside because 1t never obtained co
N. atitutionsl majority in Congress, 1t cou
IT. nrobably never be adopted again.
Not Over Wise.
There il an old sllegorical picture OF
1t GIRL scared at grass-hopper, but in
:, act of heedlessly tresding on snal
" This is paralIeled by the man W
spends large sum of money building
cyclone cellar, but neglects to provide
family with a bottle OF Chamberlai
Collie Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy
o. - II oe,a;naf hnwql comDlain