The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-29
LEGISLATURE IS
 WHOLLY ID BLAME Knox'S Card on DisfranChiSe-
 ment of Voters DEFENDS CONSTITUTION Resents Effort of Those Upholding Conner Administration to Trun-
 dle Blame on 1901 Conven-
 tion and It's Action.
DEFENDS CONSTITUTION

AS 10 WHICH IS 10 Dldmes the conSlllu- tional convention of 1901 or the legisla- ture of Alabama for the fact that very few people, considering the population of Alabama, will vote on the adoption and rejection of the proposed amendment, the following letters will serve 1t is thought, in the rendering of a verdict:
 pr. Long to Mr. Knox.
 Abbeville Ala, October 2S, 1909. Hon. John B. Knox, Anniston, Ala.
 Dear Sir: l hear that it is being circu- lated here by John B. Ward that you and General Oates are responsible for so many voters being disfranchised. Gen. eral Oates Is an uncle of mine and I want to hear from you and him as to the truth of the statement. I suppose Ward has reference to the constitution of 1901. Yours truly J. B. LONG.
 Knox to pr. Long.
 Anniston, Ala, October 26, 1909. Dr. J. B. long, Abbeville, Ala
 Dear Sir Your letter of October 22 received. In reply l beg to say that if John B. Ward is circulating the state ment that General Oates and myself are responsible for so many voters being dis franchised at this time, he, is circulating an untruth and what he ought to know Is untrue if he Is at all acquainted with the provisions of our present constitution.
 As a member of the constitutional con vention of 1901 General Oates did not agree with the suffrage plan recommend ed by a majority of the committee on suffrage, of which he was member; but like the patriotic citizen he was and is. after the plan was adopted by the con- vention he contributed very materially to secure its ratification.
 The suffrage plan adopted by the con- yention was aimed at the elimination of the ignorant negro vote, and no honest man can deny it has accomplished It's purpose The plan, when put in operation did not, as we who favored 1t claimed it would not disfranchise any white man in Alabama. I challenge MT. Ward or any other man to produce a single worthy white man within the borders of this state who has been refused registration under the provisions of the present constitution. The suffrage provisions of the present constitution do require as Q condition to the exercise of the right of suffrage that the citizen under 45 years of age shall pay his poll tax, the same to be appro- priated, when paid, to increase the com mon school fund of the state. If any white man in this state has lost his right to vote by the omission to pay his poll tax, he Is not disfranohised by the terms of the constitution, but because of his own neglect of a high and sacred duty. It may be questioned If much sym pathy should be wasted upon that cit izen who holds in such low esteem his right of citizenship as that he Is willing to lose 1t rather than contribute $1.50 to the education of the poor children of the state
 The constitutional convention of 1901 never dreamed that a white man would hold his right of citizenship in such poor a franchise himself rather than contribute a dollar and half to the public school fund. This provision was aimed at the ignorant negro and not at the white man. We believed that the white man would pay his poll tax; we felt sure the negro would not
 Return of Negro Suffrage.
 If you remove or break down this bar rier you destroy one of the bulwarlxs erected by the constitution Itself for the protection of white supremacy and you open the iood-gates to a return of negro suffrage. For it is certainly true that the negro Is rapidly learning to read and write, and under the permanent provis- ions of the suffrage plan a negro who can read and write and has paid his poll tax will be entitled to vote. So if you change the constitution and strike out the poll tax provision, while you may admit few white men to vote, you open aagin the f1ood-gate to negro suf- frage.
 I take the liberty of sending you a printed copy of my speech made at Gen. treville, Ala, on November g, 1901, in concluding the campaign in favor of the ratification of the present constitution, in which you will find fuller exposition of the suffrage plan of the present consti- tuition than I am able to give you within the limits of letter like this
 Excusing the Legislature.
 Mir. Ward, if he is correctely quoted by you, no doubt takes the position he does to justify the outrageous course taken by the dominant majority of the Conner legislature in precipitating this election for the adoption of the proposed constitutional amendment at time when the people were unprepared for 1t and when a number of our white voters had omitted to pay their poll tax; but you should know, my dear sir, as I have no doubt you do know, it has been cus- tomary with a good many good citizens to pay their poll tax, not annually, but biennially; that Is to say, a citizen not expecting a general election to be held this year might have omitted to pay his poll tax knowing that on the first of next February he could do so, and there by qualify himself to vote In the next general election.
 When this election was called by the present legislature, the legislature was reminded of this fact and an appeal was there made that the present election should be postponed until the next gen. eral election, or at least until after the first of next February, 1910, so as to en- able all patriotic citizens, who by over sight or otherwise had omitted to pay their poll tax, to do so. The dominant majority of the Conner legislature was wholly deaf to this appeal, and 1t has been openly charged that the legislature refused to fix the time for the election after February next, for the very pur- pose of disfranchising a great number of our citizens.
 Whether this Is true or not, I will say to MT. Ward and all adherents and satel- lites of B. B. Conner in an administration which has brought so much disaster upon the state of Alabama, in the language of Shakespeare, Shake not thy gory locks at me. thou canst not say I did itv Respectfully submitted,
 JOHN B. KNOX.