Daily American organ., 1856-03-26
suffrage In washington.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MosDAY, March 25th.

fning the rights of voters and the duties of com
missioners OF elections in the city of Washington
and for other purposes, heretofore reported from
the Committee for the District of Columbia
The bill having been read
Mr.. ii. MARSHALL, of KY, moved to amend
the first section so as to require, as one Of the
qualifications 20 vote, that man shall have been
too years citizen Of the United States
He explained that this amendment was to pre-
vent foreign citizen from voting after naturaza-
ton until be bad been two years a resident OF this
city. A large number of foreigners were employed
in this District on the public works. and they
might be carried up TO vote in the municipal
elections Immediately after their naturalization,
and in this manner control the interests of the
city. He thought that il was but fair that they
should not exercise the right to vote until at least
two years after they had become naturalzed and
this was the object Of his amendment
Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee, opposed the amend
ment, as it sought to establish a principle which
he believed not recognised by the constitution
of the country, nor was he aware that It had ever
been recognised by the Legislation of Congress 1t
certainly not recognised by the State in which
he resided, nor in any State of the Union, so far
as he knew.
Mr. MARSHALL then modified his amendment
so as to require person voting to have been a
citizen of the United States one year.
Mr. McMULLEN, OF Virginia, concurred in the
views expressed by the gentleman from Tennessee,
and demanded the yeas and nays on the adoption
Of the amendment.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Maryland, argued in support of
the amendment Gentlemen In the country did
not see the practical operation of the system of
naturalization as well as those who resided in large
cities The day before an election the courthouse
was crowded with the raw material, ready to be
stamped with citizenship for the purpose of turn
ing the balance against native-born voters; with
men who had so little interest in becoming citizens
that in nine cases out of ten they did not pay the
fees for their naturalization papers; with men who
were picked up the purlieus of the city and
brought to the court by said partisans, and voted
by men who held their papers in their own
pockets boy of fifteen, of American birth, car
ried more inherent, living republicanism in him
than in FIVE or ten years could be infused into
person with foreign,b born habits The mode in
which the naturalization laws were practically exc.
cuted was fraud upon their provisions, and he
desired to see remedy applied to that evil in the
mode in which it could alone be applied by Con-
gress in this District The law should require that
the party should acquire such knowledge of our
institutions as would enable him to exercise the
privilege of suffrage wisely and knowingly.
Mr. MEACHAM, of Vermont, replied, stating
that the bill had been drawn up with great deal
of care and had boen submitted to the leading men
of all parties in the District of Columbia and had
met their unanimous approval. He had in his
room communication from eighteen of the twenty
four grand jurors of this city, asking the passage
OF the bill in its present shape. He knew the need
OF change in the naturalization laws, and would
I go with gentlemen for general bill that would
regulate the laws of the whole land, though he
woul ! not say what extension Of time be would
| favor. In conclusion, he moved to recommit tae
bill for the purpose of keeping it before the House
in the event of an adjournment before it should be
| disposed of. M E.tl
| Mr.. CAMPBELL, of Ohio moved to amend the
motion of the gentleman by adding thereto, nwith
instructions to report the amendment submitted
by the gentleman from Kentucky" Unless Con-
gress should adopt some such provision as that
proposed by the gentleman from Kentucky, it
would be within the power of any party in the
District, by importing from adjoining cities for
few hours cart loads OF raw foreigners to control
the balotbox and municipal power of the city.
Mr.. BOYCE, of South Carolina, remarked that
the constitution provided that the citizens of one
State should be entitled to all the privileges of the
citizens of another State. The idea was that there
should be an equality before the law as to the
citizens of the United States. Therefore, If these
foreigners had become naturazed citizens it would
be foreign to the spirit of constitution to discrmi-
nate against them Naturazed foreigners should
not be put upon worse footing than our own citi-
zens. They might make the naturalization laws
as stringent as they pleased, but if man had be-
come citizen he should be treated as such
Mr.. HALL, Of Massachusetts,, desired the
amendment to prevail because he would have all
equal before the law, and that foreigners resi-
dent here should not be made American citizens
the morning of an election, but should be placed
on footing with persons who came from other
parts OF the Union to reside in this CITY, who, in
addition to the privilege of being American citi-
zens, were required to live here one year before
being entitled to vote.
Mr.. RICHARDSON, of Illinois, spoke against
the amendment and believed that if foreigners
were permitted to settle among u.s. the sooner they
were made citizens interested in all our rights and
privileges the better it would be for them and for
us. -. II, 4
Mr.. CARLILE, Of Virginia, contended that the
amendment OF the gentleman from Kentucky cre-
ated no nyidious discrimination, but was absolute
ly required in order to place the native-born cti
zen upon an equality with the foreigner
Mr.. KEITT, of South Carolina, discussed the
nature of suffrage as distinct from citizenship and
as not one of its attributes, and referred to the
provisions Of the several States on that subject
He was however, opposed to the amendment un-
/ der consideration. G
| Mr.. Z0LLIC0FFER, of Tennessee, was opposed
to the first section Of the BILL being in favor of the
law as it now stood and as it had stood for years in
| the District of Columbia. There was a pecuar
state OF things in the District of Columbia There
was more change in the population here than in
any other part of the Union, and practices had
grown up. within the last few years which he
thought worthy the attention of the House. He
understood that under this administration every
man in office who was regarded as a Know Moth
ing or American in sentiment was removed, and
that aliens were installed in the places thus made
vacant lie also understood that about one-third
OF the voting population of this city consisted of
government employees; and, further, that of the
large number of aliens employed on the public
works in this District many of them had never
been naturalized. This state Of affairs should be
considered, and allowed its due weight in regula-