The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-29

elected chairman OF the permanent or
ganisation.
III we write the prohibition amend
ment in the Constitution. perhaps the
next few years win see an agitator
from Massachusetts, come TO Alabama
and ask for an amendment to the con-
stitution which win give the negro the
right OF suffrage and TO hold ONCE and
social equality" This - an extract
from the address of Col. r.. d. Berry
At IL O'Clock today about 100 OF the
representative citizens of Selma and
Dallas County gathered In the armory
room on the third fioor Of the City
Building to protest against the proposed
amendment to the Constitution.
The meeting was called to order by
committeeman of the State organization
recently perfected In Montgomery. Ma
jor Atkins stated that IL was the pur-
pose to organize each county to fght
the amendment. and for this reason
he had called the citizens who protest
ed against the proposed measure to-
gether.
Upon motion OF Major Atkins. Col
w. w. ouarfles was nominated and
elected permanent chairman.
In accepting the once. Colonel
Quarles made q strong argument OPP
posing the amendment. He said that
while he feared God. he did not feal
the part which he would take in the
coming fight. believing that he was
right. He said he 10 q friend of Gov
ernor Conner. and that he was not 40
tuated by prejudice or hate OF fan
tacisrn, but that he believed no man
woman or child had the right To dc
tate his position in such q matter.
Colonel Quarles said he was ~ year
old last May. and that he has his hrs
drink OF whiskey to take. Then ht
told of the twelve years he had actee
as solicitor in the Fourth District. and
how, during that time. he had fought
for prohibition laws which were II
force In the rural section OF Dallas
County, and what q farce they had
| proven because people would pertur'
themselves rather than testify befor'
| q court.
He defied anyone to say that he wal
fighting for the whisky interests be
cause he was opposed to the amend
| ment.
Pledges Were Betrayed.
Colonel Quarles went over the loca
option platform upon which the pres
emit members of the Legislature were
selected three years ago. He said th'
cratic document. and that 1t should o.
upheld by the Democrats of the State
and that IL he had been elected TO tnt
Legislature upon the local option plSt
form three years ago. he would hav'
sat in the Capitol of the State until
the hinges from the doors rotted away
rather than violate that platform Of
his party. The Legislature. he said
was responsible for the present deplor'
able condition of AFFAIRS in the state
coming after q panic and upsetttng BY
agitation the business fabric of tbs
State.
In strong language he paid his re-
spects to Brooks Lawrence and SAID
that he would not call him Rev.
brooks Lawrence for he had too much
respect for the ministers of the State
to class the Ohio agitator In the same
category with them. He said Law
renee. through his influence over Gov
ernor Conner, and the members of the
Legislature, had brought about the
conditions in the State: that he had
set in the lobby OF the Capitol dur
ing the session of the Legislature and
that hardly a member of that body
dared leave unless he tagged him and
told him to hurry back.
About this time three bull terriers
who had wandered into the hall dur
ing the meeting engaged in fierce
fight and which took several of the
audience a few minutes to quiet. AZ
ter the dogs had been put out Colonel
Quaries remarked that the present
fight which was being carried on in