Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-05-15
Tho Eleciion Bill.

The Election Bill.
This bill was ordered to third reading yeste-.
day IN the House, under the operation Of the pre-.
yious question Mr.. Humphrey Marshall moved
to reconsider this vote. In order to give his rea
sons for wishing to refer the bin 70 the COMMITTEES
OF the Whole. He desired, As reported in the IN.
tligencer, to have it 30 referred in order that he
might have an opportunity to offer some amend.
ments which he deemed necessary to perfect the
bill IL was known that at the last election In this
city the commissioners of election made one deci-
sion to the right of certain class of persons TO
vote and the court intimated another and differ
ent decision upon the same question. The effect
Of this contrariety Of decisions between the COM
missioners Of election and the court was to allow
the naturalizsd citizen who might procure his nat
uralization papers upon the very morning Of an
election 10 cast his suffrage ut the polls, while a
young man who was a native-born and might
never have been out Of the city in the course OF
his life, who came of the age Of twenty-one years
between the 3lst Of December and the day OF
election, was denied the privilege Of voting.
He desired to amend the bill so as to provide a
lean natives and he congratulated himself that he
had an opportunity to show to the country that
gentlemen who cast their votes for this bill were
knowingly msking discrimination in favor Of the
foreigner against young men who are natives of the
soil. When gentlemen entered into combination
to force this bill through the House they should
take 1t cam oners with full knowledge of the fact
that they were making the discrimination to which
he had adverted. This bill was nothing but a
80. IL f-
compel the commissioners to bow the knee to the
Judgment Of tribunal whose decisions they well
knew.
Gentlemen well knew that 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 af-
forded an opportunity to indicate those amend.
ments which they desired 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 tako the bill as il had
come from the Senate
The bill did not provide that II d commissioners
Of elections should knowingly, wilfully or corrupt
ly refuse the vote Of person possessing the legal
qualifications he should be punished but whether
he did it knowingly, willingly corruptly, or not he
made liable to the penalties of the first section
He would defy gentlemen to produce law passed
by any deliberative body that punished criminally
the defect of the understanding without the per-
version of the will yet this was the operation OF
the provisions of the first section
Mr. Meacham. We will admit that amendment
Of the gentleman very cheerfully.
Mr.. Marshall The gentleman's concession comes
too late in the day.
Mr.. Meacham. / submitted the amendment when
first obtained the floor.
Mr.. Marshall was not surprised at the course
pursued by Democratic gentlemen, but was GER
tainly surprised at tho vote given on his side Of
the House. He had always understood that the
views Of gentlemen in regard to this particular
subject on this side of the House conceded with
those that obtained among the great masses of the
American people.
He then charged the administration with inter
ference in the elections of this city, and again
called the attention of the House to what In his
opinion, was an unjust discrimination between
young men who were natives of the country and
naturalized foreigners.
Mr. McMullin, Of Virginia, (sotto uoce.) Adopt
the Louisville rule on these naturaized citizens,
and kill them of.
Mr. Marshall. When that question comes up
for discussion the gentleman will find me cooked
and primed.
After some remarks by Mr.. J. w. Jones, on
the qualification of voters, he moved to lay the
motion to reconsider on the table.
Mr. Davis, Of Maryland, hoped the motion
would be voted down, as he desired to discuss the
subject
The question was taken and the motion to re-
consider was not laid on the table--yeas "a, nays
10.
Mr.. Moacham then obtained the floor, and the
House adjourned