Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-06-22
THE cAp.suEAE OLE coRRuprroNl,

As corrupt and damnins as we knew 10 be the
means resorted to to carrythc Nebraska Bill, we
had not. ii seems, even dreamed of the extent of
the dsgraceful fsscalities put inoperaton 10 con-
summate that black deed Of shame. Read the
following disclosure fromlhe National Era, and
ponder over the depths of wlckedness and degra-
dation toSwhch the avery propagandsts and
their bought minions in Congress have arrived:
AN AsrouNDISa DEyrLoPshENT-THE CLAYTON
AMENDMENTtNor oMIrrED-FoREleNER Ex-
cLuDED SoSFosLY FRoM SUFFRAGE, BUT SET
TBEMENT A TEST OATH PRESCRIBED.
We have b. en- for scyetal days appraised of an
astounding imposition practleed upon the country
in the passage Of the Nebraska haEsas Blll-the
detection of which, we learn, Is due to the vigil
lence of Cot. Benton Will the people Of the
United States believe that the Clayton Amend
ment instead of having been omitted in The Ne
braska-Kansas Bill, is at this moment part and
parcel of i'll
When Mr. Richardson moved the Senate Bill
as substitute for the Bill of the HOUSE, he sta
ted, distinctly aud unqua lhedly. that the Clayton
amendment, excluding for lgners from the right
of suffrage in the Territories, loas omitted This
was reiterated by him throughout all the proceed
ings; every speaker proceeded Oh the assump.
ton that tn statement was correct; only with
this condition could the bill have passed the
House hut we know how it was passed. no
time given for examination or Amendment all
discussion all amendment choked olfu Committee
of the Whole. before The first section had been
disposed Of the who bill forced through under
whip and spur, BY RECKLESS jority, overriding
the ru'es of the House. and their own Speaker
Aud now &Aatdo we find This very Clay
ton amendment, Substantially etained Here it
is in ack and white, constituting the 22d sec
ton Of the bill
SEC % And be ii further enacted, That
every free white mae nhablant above the age
of twenty one years, who shall be an actual resi-
dent of said Ter TORY, AID shall possess the
qualifications hereinafter prescribed, shall en-
titled TO VOTE AT THE FIRST ELEC-
TON, and shall be eligible to any office within
the said Territory but the qualifications Of vo-
trs and no dim Office, al all subsequent elections,
shall be such as shall be prescribed by the Legs
alive Assembly Prorided, hat the right Of
suffrage and Of holding Office shall be exercised
ONLY BY CITIZENS OF THE UNITED
STA les AND THOSE WHO SHALL
HAVE DECLARED ON OATH THEIR IN
TEN ZION TO BECOME SUCH, AND
SHALL NAVE TAKEN AN OATH TO
SUPPORT THE CONSTl TUITION or THE
UNITED STA les AND THE PKOyIS-
IONS OF THIS ACT: and provided, further,
That no officer soldier seaman or marine, or
any OF CT person in the army Or navy of the Unl-
lie States, or attached to tro ps in the service of
the United States shall be allowed to vote or
hold Office in said Territory by reason of being on
service therein
Mind-only at the first election will residents
be permitted to vote After that, the quaiica
ton of electors shall be pres rbed by the Legis
lative Assembly. subject, however, o this rcstrc
tioIl-that only citi2sns, and those who shall hare
gone through the regular preliminary process Of
naturalization shall be entitled to vote or hold
Office and also to this most extraordinary restrc
ton, that all such native. natuInlized and ncho-
ate citizens, before they can vote or hold office,
must not only vote to support the Constitution of
the United States, but "the provisions Of this
act"
The compli ated wickcdness of this section is
astounding First:
AS TO THE DECLARATION OF INTENTION.
The New York Post says:
" The d cIarallon of inentlon referred TO, i,
that mentioned in the naturalization acts, and the
oath support the Constitution is that taken a,
the end of five years sidrnce after a dcclara-
ton of intdntion No bu, citizens-thoss who
are born in the country, or by five years nat
uralizatton, have b come cilizens--swear to the
Constitution. The judges who viii be appointed
will unquessouablgso hold, and exclsde I'll 9th
ers from the polls y
Secondly: