Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-03-11
THE MISUNDERSTANDING AMENDMENT.


It's supporters.
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AMENDMENT.
Under the celebrated act for the Govern
ment Of the Northwestern Territory, citizen
ship was not required as qualification, either
for holding Office, or for voting. The posses
sion of certain amount Of land and simple
residence in the Territory three years, made a
man eligible to any Office; less amount of
land and residence for two years, entitled a
man to exercise the right of suffrage. A SIM
liar policy was adopted in the organization of
Mississippi Territory; and it is said that from
that time in no Territory Of the United States
has citizenship been required as condition
precedent to voting Why was the. liberal pol
icy Of the Government towards foreigners,
coeval with its foundation, abandoned by the
Senats in the Nebraska Billa The supporters
of the amendment alleged no reason, except
what may be found in the following remarks Of
Mr.. Clayton, on whose motion it was adopted
MIR. CLAYTON. | move to amend by stri-
king out that portion Of the substitute Of the
committee which allows aliens to vote after
having declared their intentions. | will make
very brief statement on the subject. The
non-intercourse act of 1894 positively prohibits
aliens from going into this Territory without
passport. The reason Of that must be appar-
emit to Senator'S. British agents were supposed
TO have entered there and stirred up tho In
dians or il was apprehended there was dan
ger of such persons going there to disturb the
Indians against tho frontier settlers In my
opinion, the Constitution demands, and every
dictate Of sound policy demands, that the right
Of suffrage and holding Office in these Terrific
RES should be restricted 10 citizens Of the Uni
ted States. Unless this be done, the very men
70 whom ! have referred, may go there and
legislatc. To avoid this, | move to strike out
the words;
aAnd those who shall have declared on
oath, their intention to become such, and shall
have taken an oath to support the Constitution
Of the United States and the provisions Of this
actp
So that the proyso will read
PROVIDED, That the right Of suffrage and
holding Office shall be exercised only by citi-
zens Of the United States"
This was all that was said in favor of the
DISTINGUISHING clause Its supporters preferred
to give silent vote, and we are left to infer
their motives, from the tendency Of the amend
ment which is to exclude the majority Of the
settlers in the Territory who are understood to
be Anti Slavery, from all participation in de-
termining its domestic institutions; and from
the fact that the Shareholders 10 q body voted
for il, as follows
YEAs- Messrs Adams, Atchison, Badger,
Bell BENJAMIN, Brodhesd Brown, Butler, Clay,
Clayton, Dawson, Dixon, Evans Fitzpatrick,
Houston, Hunter, johnson, Jones Of Tennessee,
Mason, Morton, Pratt, Sebastian, and Slidell--
%.
NAYs-Messrs Chase, Dodge Of Wisconsin,
Dodge of Iowa, Douglas Fessenden Fish, Foot,
Gwin, Hamlin, Jones Of Iowa, Norris Petit,
Seward, Shields, Smith, Stuart Sumner, Tou.
cey, Wade Walker, and Wilfams--2i
All the slavchalders, with Mr.. Brodhead of
Pennsylvania, voting 10 disfranchise, for five
years, all those foreign immigrants who may
arrive after the passage Of the Bill settle in the
Territory, and buy land and cultivate it.
In the report Of proceedings on this amend
ment, published in the Giobe, Mr.. Adams Of
Of Mississippi called the attention Of Mr.. Petit,
who was opposing il to the fact that rcmon-
STRANGE from German citizens against the Bill
had been presented in the Senate, as il such
action were not 70 be tolerated Mr.. Pettits
excuse for their conduct was no better than
the arragnment Of II by Mr.. Adams. my
word for it, he exclaimed, that meeting Of
German citizens was held, controlled, got up,
and managed, by Dativc-born American cti.
zcns. Sir, If there has been anything Of that
kind among the Germans, il has been got up
by what are called, 10 cant phrase Abolition
istsn
Mr. Chase administered a proper rebuke 10
the Indiana Senator. He said
"The Senator paid q very poor compliment