The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-04-03

before, because the election last year, coming
on the first Monday of June, was held only three
hundred and sixty -four days after the preceding
onel Other abuses were practiced, which it il
unnecessary to mention.
Again-since the passage of the act for open
ing the polls at 10 o'clock, our population has
quadrupled. Last June the polls were closed,
excluding the votes of hundreds of citizens who
had been waiting for hours for their time to
come. (
To meet all these difficulties, the draft of =
bill was agreed upon, by fair-minded citizens
the Grst section of which, in regard to the qua
fcatons of voters, simply enactedt the exstin :
Law, but in such form as to sustain, in et-.
plicit terms, the established practice under j,
and the opinion of the Court against the ruling
of the Commissioners. Other sections pr :
vided for increasing the precincts for votint i
and for opening the polls at seven in the morie
ing instead of ten o'clock. 1t was not an AL.
ministration measure. 1t was sent to the Conf
mittee On the District of Columbia, consisting
| of six Anti Administration and three Admiii,
istration men; and of the six, four are mera-
beers, we believe, of the American Order. f
was fully considered the Know Nothing In,
terest was heard through the Mayor and the
| Corporation Attorney, and suggestions from
them were embodied in the Bill At last it waa
reported, unanimously, and could direct vote
have been at once obtained upon it, it would
have passed by an over whelming majority. We
| know this. But, when it came up on the 25th,
| oholl Of oEv
| South American, moved to amend by requiriI x
that one of the qualifications of a voter sh, q
| be, two years. residence in the city, after te
shall have become naturalized citizen of le
| United States. Under such an amendment a
person may have resided here FIVE years, but II
at the end of that time he should become a
citizen, then he must continue to reside he re
two years, before being entitled to vote ST ,.
sequently, Mr.. Marshall modified his amer 1
ment, so as to require but one year.
| OF course, the amendment could not tout
any evil. The residence of one year, requir, d
| by the law as it stands, and by the bill report,
| ed by the Committee, is as effectual agaif-,t
| fraudulent voting as the amendment would te.
The only effect of his motion, if it succeeded,
would be, to discriminate between native-born
| and naturalized citizens, in opposition to tt
| spirit of the Naturalization Laws, which ca
template equality between them. An opport l.
nifty however, to Obtrude the dogma of Native
Americanism on the House, being presented. 1T
was promptly improved, even at the hazard If
defeating bill, which concerned the interests
of the People of the District alone. Tie
movement would answer political purpose it
| would test the amount of Know Nothing sci j.
ment in the House; it would provoke disc s.
sion on Know Nothingism, and draw off att M
| ton from the great practical question of ne
| session, which the american Organ thinks O
| very impairment issue; it would get up an
| excitement ninistering some strength to he
Fillmore and Donelson nominations; it wo id
| generate division among the Anti.Nebra ka
forces in the House, arraying the two secti MS
| Of the Plurality that had voted for BANS,
against each other; and it might tempt soIhe
| Republicans, out of Difference to their Altti.
Slavery Know Nothing friends, whom tl,ey
wished to secure, into position injurious to me
Republican cause in the country at large.
Why did not the friends of Freedom gu srd
| against this movement? The whole of Tues
day was occupied with Southern Know Moth yng
speeches, and replies to them by the Admiais
tration men. Wednesday, when an oppolsu
nifty was afforded to cut short the debate, The
previous question was seconded, but, enough
Republicans were persuaded to vote against The
main question, to throw open the whole subject
again, and give their insidious opponents the
advantage.
| We print the yeas and nays: our friends ail
see, with some surprise, honored names among
the negatives, that, if recorded in favor Of
ordering the main question, would have baffled
the cunning tactics of the enemies of the Re
publican movement, and brought the House to
| vote:
| "YEAs-Messrs. Allen, Barclay, Bell, Hend
ley S. Bennett, Bliss, Bocock, Bowie, Boyce
Branch, Brooks, Burnett, Cadwalader, Caruth
ers, Caskie, Howell Cobb, Williamson r. w
Cobb, Craige, Crawford, Davidson, Day, Dodd,
| Dowdel, Elliott, English, Faulkner, Florence
Thomas j. d. Fuller, Goode, Grow, Augustus
Hall, Sampson w. Harris, Thomas l.. Harris,
Herbert, Thomas R. Horton, Valentine B.
| a.
Jones, Knowlton, Letcher, Lumpkin, Mace
Samuel s. Marshall, Matteson, Maxwell, Nc.
Mullin, Mcqueen, Meacham, Smith Miller
Mott, Nichols, Orr, Peck, Phelps, Powell
| Quitman, Richardson, Rufin, Savage, Seward
Shorter, Samuel A. Smith, Spinner, Stewart
Talbot, Taylor, Warner, Elihu B. Washbufne,
Israel Washburn, Watson, Wells, Winslow, and
John V. Wright-73
"NAYs-Messrs. Allison, Barbour, Benson,
Billinghurst, Bradshaw, Broom, Burlington
Burlingame, Jas. Il. Campbell, John P. Camp
bell, Lewis d. Campbell, Garlic, Chafee, Ezra
Clark, Clawson, Colfax, Comins, Cragin, Cum
back, Damrell, Henry Winter Davis, Timothy
Davis, Dick, Dickson, Durfee, Edwards, En,rie
Etheridge, Eustis, Evans, FIagler, Galloway
Giddings, Gilbert, Robert B. Hall, HarlanzJ
King, Knight, Knox, Lake, Lindley, Alexander
&. Marshall, Humphrey Marshall, Killian Mil
Ter, Moore, Norton, Parker, Pearce, Penping
ton, Petit, Pike, Porter, Pringe, Puryesr
Reade, Ricaud, Richie, Robbins, Sabih, San
didge Sapp, Scott, William r. Smith, Sneed
Tappan, traitor, Trippe, Underwood, Walk
Wade, Waldron, Walker, Welch, Whitney
Woodruff, Woodwork, and Zollicofer-S2."
1t will be observed that of the men who had
voted for Banks, only sixteen voted to order
the main question-Bliss, Day, Dodd, Grow
Harlan of N. Y, Knowlton, Mace, Mattason
Meacham, Mott, Nichols, Spinner, E. B. Wash
burne, I. Washburn, Watson.
The subject went over, and the next GAY
Thursday was more than wasted, in faction.
opposition to the bill at every stage of the pro
ceedings. Gentlemen, who approved of the
measure, and who were opposed to the amend