The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-16

no longer menaced by the danger Of ne- gro domination, the white people of Ala bama could divide politically without the fear that such division might lead to the negroes exercising any influence in the electorate Yet that hope has been in vain. From the very hour the new constitution was adopted to this day the republicans, both state and national, have announced their opposition to that pro- vision of the constitution eliminating the negro as factor in politics. they have threatened to reduce our representation In Congress, and in every state plat form they have pledged themselves to use all their power to repeal the suffrage clause of the constitution and restore the former conditions when the negro vote held the balance of power in a large part of the state. The present platform is no exception to this rule. It indorses the republican platforms of 1908 and yet we find in that platform a bitter assault on the constitution of every southern state that secures white supremacy.
 Poll Tax Provision
 ''We also find the following provision in this platform adopted by the Thomp- son wing:
 We deeply deplore the shameful and un-American condition existing in Ala bama today when popular government Is but a by-word and hissing, and we
  just cumulative poll tax provision of our election laws, which. has disfran- chsed over 100000 white men,
 "It is not true that under the present law over 100000 white men are disfran- chsed. That may have been true when the election was called for the ratifica- tion of the proposed constitutional amend ment in an off year in Alabama politics MT Thompson then had no words of con- demnation for the disfranchisement Of white men, which resulted from calling that election at period which denied opportunity to many who desired to par ticipate to qualify for the electorate. It met his hearty approval and the present provision of his platform is not inspired by any sympathy for the white men Of Alabama but It's real purpose Is to re- store the ballot to his negro supporters. Any intelligent citizen in Alabama knows that the present poll tax clause found in the constitution would never have been adopted had it not been necessary In order to protect our people against ne- gro suffrage. Under he permanent plan of the constitution the negro who can read the constitution Is eligible to vote and the poll tax provision was incor- porated as an additional safeguard against his qualifying for the suffrage. That it has accomplished the purpose designed by the constitution makers, no one can deny.
 "The negro as a race will not pay his poll tax so far in advance of an cleo ton. As long as this provision remains in the constitution we are safe against the return of that deplorable condition which existed when Mir. Thompsons party had control of this state. There may be some democrats who favor mod iflcation of the present cumulative poll tax requirements, but this is matter for future consideration by democratic legislature. No change of the present cumulative poll tax law can be made without an amendment to the constitu- tion, and the people of Alabama have recently shown that they are in no mood to submit to any tinkering with the fun damenta1 law. Amendments of the con- stitution have not met with any enthu- siastic response by the masses of our people. Even If the republican faction controlled by MT. Thompson had the power to carry out the demands of their platform, the repeal of this provision of the constitution would be but the first bi each in the wall of protection which our party has erected against negro rule With the repeal of this section a gen eral assault would be made on the entire suffrage plan of the new constitution, and the assault would prove successful. Every man 21 years of age and over would be allowed to vote. All qualifca- tions for the suffrage would be repealed and an ignorant and purchasable negro vote would be turned loose to pray upon our people, forcing upon us the alterna- tive to maintain our supremacy by ques- tionable methods, or to surrender the state to the domination of an ignorant and inferior race, lead by such men as Joseph O. Thompson. The shameful and deplorable condition which Mir Thompson says exists in Alabama today is that
 .nt- -t-L. to the Incompetent and illiterate negro. If the present constitution is ever re- vised, 1t will be revised by the friends and not by the enemies of white su- premacy.
 "The claim made by MT Thompson that we are endeavoring to resurrect a dead issue is disproved by his own plat form and the uniform declarations of his party. It Is only dead issue because the people of Alabama have no intention of turning over the state government to MT. Joseph O. Thompson and his repub- lican allies. The republican party will never become a factor in Alabama poli- tics or draw to its support any consider able element of our population until its leaders recognize the fact that the people of Alabama will never permit any un- Friendly assault on the barricades which they have so wisely and carefully erect ed for the protection of our race. There never will be two political parties in Ala bama until republicans recognize white supremacy as established by our consti- tuition and dismiss from their ranks those men who are republicans for rev. enue only. The preesnt suffrage proyi- sion of the constitution has already stood the test of the courts and while not vio- lating any clause of the federal cOnStitu- tion, does make permanent and secure the domination of the white race and re- moves all danger of negro suffrage The great mass of republicans, who are re- pubicans from principle and not from the lust of office, have recognized that the continued control of the democratic party is essential to good government in Alabama, and hence vote the democratic ticket in state elections. They know that the machinery of their party in Alabama is now under the control of MT. Joseph O. Thompson and his office-holding allies, that they constitute close corporation, bound each to the other by the power and hope of federal patronage; that they desire no recruits to their party for fear there might be other applications for the offices which he now, as referee, con trols. The declarations recently made by the Lilly White republicans assembled in Birmingham, show that they realize that the republicans in Alabama can never gain strength or power until they cast overheard those teaches who cling to their party solely for the patronage the President can dole out through his referees, until the new constitution Is accepted in good faith, white supremacy recognized as established, and until the republicans in Alabama contend for prn- ciples and not for the spells of office. The only serious effort ever made by the tn oir ri V int