Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-15
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.

CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
In the Senate, yesterday, after we went to
press, at the conclusion of the speech Of Mr.
Foot in favor of the reconsideration Of the
vote by which the Iowa railroad land dona'
ting bill was passed, it was further debated
by Msssrs. Jones of Iowa, Wade, Jones Of
Tenn, and Biglsr, ere the question was put {;
and the said motion was not agreed to-yeas
Is, nays 10 ~
The Senate then adjourned.
I'm the House, the Florida railroad land
donating bill was passed-yeas "a, nays 81.
The House next proceeded to the business
on the Speakers table, and the Senate bill to
define the duties of Commissioners of Elec.
ton in the city of Washington having been
taken up -.
Mr.. Meacham moved to put it on its passage,
and demanded the previous question on it,
third reading
On the suggestion of Mr. Jones, of Tenn,
Mr.. Meacham proposed to amend the said bill
by inserting the word wilfully" after the
word knowingly" in the first section, so
that it would read, shat if any commissioner
or other person appointed to superintend mu-
nicipal elections in the city Of Washing ton
shall knowingly and utLfuliy refuse" &c.
amendments, Mr.. Meacham withdrew the one
he had proposed.
previous question having been seconded,
the third reading of the bill was agreed to.
Mr.. H. Marshall, of KY, moved to recon
slider that vote, I've now quote the Intelli-
gencers report-ED., j stating that his object
in submitting this motion was to enable him
to express the reasons why he wished the bill
referred to the Committee Of the Whole He
tn hoy roI orln |, h.
might have an opportunity to offer some
amendments which he deemed necessary to
perfect the bill. It was known that ut the
last election in this city the commissioners OF
election made one decision as to the right of
certain class Of persons to vote, and the
court intimated another and different deci
sion upon the same question. The effect of
this contrariety Of decisions between the COM
missioners Of elections and the court was to
allow the naturalized citizen who might pro-
cure his naturalization papers upon the very
morning OF an election to cast his suffrage at
the polls, while young man who was q ma
tive born and might never have been ont Of
this city in the course of his life, who came
Of the age of twenty-one years between the
3ls' Of December and the day of election,
was denied the privilege of voting. He de-
sired to amend the bill 80 as to provide rem
edy for this unjust discrimination against
American natives; and he congratulated him
self that he had an opportunity to show to the
country that gentlemen who cast their votes
for this bill were knowingly making a dis
elimination in favor Of the foreigner against
young men who were natives Of the soil
When gentlemen entered into combination
to force this bill through the House they
should take 1t cum o11eye, with a full know
ledge Of the fact that they were making the
discrimination to which he had adverted.
This bill was nothing but measure of pen
alties, intended to operate so as to compel the
commissioners to bow the knee to the judg-
ment Of tribunal whose decisions they well
knew.
Gentlemen we'll knew tn at he and those with
whom he was associated had never desired
either to restrict the number of voting places
or the hours during which the polls were to be
kept open that all they had requested was
that they should be afforded an opportunity
to indicate those amendments which they de-
sired to offer in order to carry out fairly and
fully their views of the basis upon which the
privilege of suffrage should rest This had
been denied them, and the attempt had been
made to compel them to take the bill as it had
come from the Senate
The bill did not provide that If commits.
sioner of elections should knowingly wilfully,
or corruptly refuse the vote of a person pos
sessing the legal qualifications he should be
punished; but whether he did it knowingly,
wilfully, corruptly, or not, he was made liable
to the penalties of the first section He would
defy gentlemen to produce law passed by
any deliberate body that punished criminally
the defect Of the understanding without the
perversion of the will yet this was the ope-
ration of the provisions If the 5rst section.
Mr.. Meacham. We will admit that amend
ment of the gentleman very cheerfully-
Mr.. Marshall The gentleman's concession
comes TOO late in the day.
Mr.. Meacham | submitted the amendment
when drst obtained the floor
Mr.. Marshall was not surprised at the course
pursued by Democratic gentlemen, but was
certainly surprised at the vote given on his
side of the House. He had always understood
that the views of the gentlemen in regard to
this particular subject on his side of the House
conceded with those that obtained among the
masses Of the American people.
He then charged the administration with
interference with the elections in this city,
and again called the attention of the House
TO what, in his opinion, was an unjust dis
elimination between young men who were ma
tives Of the country and naturalized foreign
ers.
Mr.. McMuIlin, of Virginia, (sotto voce
Adopt the Louisville rule on these natur allied
citizens and kill them off
Mr. Marshall. When that question comes
up for discussion the gentleman will find mo
cooked and primed.
Mr.. Jones, of Tennessee, would say to the
gentleman from Kentucky that he had no sort
of fears as to responsibility in this case His
(Mr. 10 qualification for voter in this Dis
trict and in his State was that he should be q
free white man, twenty one years of age, a
citizen Of the United States, and bona fdc
resident Of the place or county in which he
proposed to vote, whether he mighs have been
born in this or any other land. He was aware
that the commissioners of election here had
decided that q naturalEed citizen must be
twelve months resident Of this city before
he could vote, after he had been endowed,
under the laws of the United States, with the
rights and privileges Of citizenship. In hi,
opinion it was q wrong decision, and the court
that corrected it would be entitled to the
gratitude Of American freemen all over the
land.
The gentleman had said that native born
had to reside here six months after his ma.
jority before he could vote under the present
law. while the foreigner, who was naturalized
on the day before or the day of the election
| could come to tho ballot box and exercise this