The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-25
.RUSHTON- EXPECTS
 l ID CARRY HEFLIN'S HOME DISTRICT
In AnnistOn Speech He De- fines Attitude Toward the E Amendments to the
 Constitution

Anniston. April CspeciaD.-I Completing a weeks tour here tonight, when he addressed a large and en- thusiastic audience at the courthouse, Ray Rushton. of Montgomery. ex- pressed himself as being well pleased with the situation as 1t appeared in the Fifth district. Mr. Rushtons can didacy for the short term in the Sen s{te was enthusiastically received Throughout Congressman Heflin's ols- trict. the burden of the information { teing we want a man to beat Tom Eeflin, and Rushton appears to be the man.
 Attacking the legality of the fif- teenth amendment to the federal con- slitution, under which. if enforced, ne- rroes would vote. Mr. Rushton in An niston tonight declared he would vote in the Senate on the woman suffrage amendment as though the fifteenth amendment had neve- been adopted
 "The north discovered after subju- gating the south in the Civil War that she could hot do what she fought the war to do without amending the con fstitution," said MT. Rushton. explain snr his position on the fifteenth amend rnent "Tn other wor6s. it was a sol emn admission that the south was right in it's contention. The first
 
 Tthe slaves To do this the thirteenth amendment was adopted. Then they wanted to give the negro citizenship rights. They did that in the four teenth amendment. Then they decided, sro let the negro vote. and framed the Fifteenth amendment 10 that end.
 "Thfs fifteenth amendment is re- corded as having been legally adopt ,Seo. I contend that it was not On Nhe record appear the states of West Virginia. North and South Carolina, Tennessee and ouis,ana as having @ratified the fifteenth amendment West Virginia was not even legally a Estate at that time. but, aside from fthat. the other states mentioned had Legislatures composed of carpet-bag- 7 gers and renegades, backed up by -1:ilitarv power. and their ratification -did not express the will of the voters 7 of those states. Therefore, their rati- -flcations were not legal and when the -ouestion of enforcing the nineteenth amendment comes up. bringing with st I fear, the whole question Of the -regro vote for- new discussion, I re- sserve to myself the right to vote upon sthe question as though the fifteenth 1amendment had not been legally { adopted"
 MT. Rushton declared he believed the @1rohibition amendment was legally @adopted, and promised to use his in- : fluence to see that 1t Is properly en- ' forced "This is a government of laws . and not of men" he asserted solemn -ly "and when an amendment Is added . to our constitution by legal means 7 there devolves upon the general gov Z ernment the stern duty to see that it is 4 enforced to the very letter and spirit Z of the law. This snail undertake to [ do.
 When candidates make an appeal { to the prejudice of those who opposed the adoption of the eighteenth amend Aren't they are making promises they know they cannot fulfill. That law : cannot be changed. and when one be- gins to tamper with the alcoholic con- Asffent of beverages 1t soon would z Preach a point in violation of the con stitution. and laws fixing alcoholic z content above a small minimum, such z as now exists. could not be enforced "Therefore candidates are singing a sweet song which means nothing, ex-