The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-06-24
THURSDAY MORNING. JUNE 20. 1854.
"a Fraud Exposed"

We find this caption at the head of articles
in sundry Democratic papers touching the ac-
ton of certain officers at Washington upon the
Nebraska bill. A telegraphic despatch, which
we copy elsewhere, will give some of the par
tioulars. Further than this we know nothing
about the matter. The New York Evening
Post pofcsscs to be posted, and speaks as fol-
lows:
at is generally understood that the Clayton
amendment limiting the right OF suffrage in the
case of aliens to those who bad resided in the
territory four years was rejected. and that emf
grants from abroad. who Will constitute the
bulk of the population for the first few years,
will a. once he clothed with all the privileges
of citizenship in the new territory, We quote
The. 2sd clause Of the Nebraska BILL lit is the
9Th in the Kansas bill.) TO show the erroneous
ness of this immersion and the rights of sufi
aare of American cmigrants. OWL few. we
venture to say. of the thousands now making
organizations to settle in the new territory have
any idea:
of twenty-one years, who shall be an actual res
idcnt of said territory and shall possess the
qualifications hereinafter prescribed, shall be
entitled to y0fe at the first election, and shall
be eligible to any Office within said territory ::
but the qualifications of voters, and of holding
office, at all subsequent elections, shall he pre-
scrbcd by the Legislative Assembly:
Provided, That the rights of suffrage and of
holding Office shall be exercised only by citi-
gems Of the United States, and Mose uho shall
hare declared on oath their intention to be-
come such. and shaHhare taken an oath to sup
mort the Constitution Of the Uuited States and
the provisions of this act: and provided fur
Their, that no officer. soldier. seaman or marine
or any other person in the army or navy of
the United States. or attached to troops in the
service of the United States, shall be allowed
to vote or hold Office in said territory by rca-
son of being on service therein
''Hy this provision every one may vote at
the first election, the legislature prcscribes the
vents them from doing it, and limits them to
the qualifications prescribed by Congress-"
.Thcse qualifications are citizenship, natural
or acquired. and an oath to support the Consti-
tuition and the NEBRASKA Bill"
The declaration of intention referred to- is
that mentioned in the naturalization act, and
the oath to suppOrt~tlic Constitution is that
taken at the end of a five years residence after
a declaration of intention. None but citizens
those who are born in the country. or. by q
five years naturalization have become citi-
zens--swcar to the Constitution. The judges
who will be appointed will unquestionably so
hold and exclude all others from the polls
''But the most Insulting provision in this sec
ton. and the most intolcrable provision in the
whole bill. is that which makes it and the Con-
stitution of equal sanctity, which compels ev
cry man who presents himself at the polls to
vote or as a candidate for Office to swear that
he will support the Nebraska bill and which
requires. him to devote himselftO the propaga-
ton of slavery before he is allowed to exercise
the inalienable right of a freeman.
This is the first time an American citizen
has ever been required to take an oath to sup
port all act of Congress it is the first time suf
frage aud Office were ever dependent upon such
an oath it is the first time the extension of sla
very has been raised to the level of a constitu-
tional duty.
THE operation of this qualification will be
to exclude from the polls and from Office in the
territories nearly every man who goes there
from the free States. 1t will disfranchise nearly
every member of every emigrant association
that has vet been formed, and place the entire
political power of the territory i'll the hands Of
Shareholders or slavery prOpagandists, for no
others i'll or can take the oath required by the
terms of this act. -,
1T will also exclude from the polls and from
Office for FIVE years every foreigner who may
reach the territory after the first election day.
AS the great bulk of the future settlers of
Nebraska will be foreigners and cmgrants from
the free States, it is Obvious that so FIR from
governing themselves, the inhabitants of The
territory will have comparatively nothing to
do with making or administering the laws which
they will be required to obey. Such is the
character of the bill which Senator Douglas in
formed the brass band, whom he addressed the
other night at the St. Nicholas, was based upon
the rights of the people to govern themselves"