Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-10

This bill received the consideration, approval and
signature Of president John Adams.
Messrs. Fillmore and Bell are still more
strongly fortified III their support Of the Wash
ington territorial bill allowing foreigners to vote at
the first election upon declaration Of intention to
become citizens. By referring to the published
laws Of Congress it viii be seen that an act passed
Congress in 1890 ''tO divide the Territory of the
United States northwest of the Ohio into two sepe
rate governments" and organizing the territorial
government of indiana This act re-adopted for
this territory government precisely similar in all
respects to that provided by the ordinance Of 1877,
allowing all the free white male inhabitants to vote,
citizens Of the United States upon simple residence,
and foreigners upon to gears residence in the dis
trict-as viii be seen by the following clause;
{" That there shall be established within the said
territory government in all respects similar to that
provided by the ordinance Of Congress, passed on
the 18th day of July, 1877, for the government Of
the territory Of the United States northwest of the
river Ohio; and the inhabitants thereof shall be en-
titled to and enjoy all and singular The rights pri
yileges and advantages granted and secured to the
people by the said ordinance"
Messrs. Fillmore and Bell have still other preoe-
dents in the support ofthe principle they sanctioned
in the Washington Territorial bill allowing foreign
ers to vote. Their organs either do not know or
have not the maniness to publish them to the world.
April 2, 1902 President jefferson signed bill that
had passed Congress "to enable the people of tho
Eastern Division of the territory northwest of the
river Ohio to forma constitution and State govern
ment, and for the admission Of such State into the
Union, SC. This was to be the State Of Ohio
The 4th section reads:
shall have arrived at full age, and resided within
said territory at least one year previous to the day
of election and shall have paid territorial
ty tax and all persons haUig IN OTHER respects, the
legal qualifications to U0ts for representatives. IN the gen.
erai assembly Of the territory be, and they are hereby
authorized to choose representatives to form con-
vention," sc.
Previous to the passage Of this act, as has been
SEEN the ordinance of 1887 was in force over this
territory which permitted inhabitants not natural
lied to vote for members of its legislature upon
two years residence. Therefore the above clause,
| which provided that all persons having the legal
qualifications to vote for representatives in the gen.
! eraI assembly of the territory, be authorized to
choose representatives to form constitutional con-
vention, covered the same class of inhabitants.
So far, it will be seen, the identical same prinoi-
pie which Mr.. Bell voted for and which Mr.. Fill
more sanctioned in the Washington BILL allowing
foreign-born inhabitants TO vote upon matters of
nicipal concern while in territorial condition. was
uniformly adopted into all territorial bills and sane
toned by the fathers of the Republic.
II is seldom that Messrs. Fillmore and Bell are
found following a principle rule of expediency
established by our early eminent statesmen. Their
friends therefore, should claim great credit for them
for their support Of the Washington bill But these
are not all the precedents yet that they had fence
themselves round with.
In 1905 an act was passed dividing the Indiana
territory and establishing territorial government to
be called Michigan. One of its sections provides
4" That there shall be established within the said
territory a government in all respects similar to
that provided by the ordinance Of Congress, passed
| 1787 for The government of the territory Of the
United States northwest Of the river Ohio; and The
Inhabitants thereof shalbe entitled to, and enjoy all
and singular the rights privileges and advantages
granted and secured the people Of the territory Of
the United States northwest of the river Ohio, by
the said ordinance"
This bill was approved and signed by Mr., Jefer
son.
The next in the list is the territorial government
of Illinois, passed February, 1909. The provision
which determined its voters was precisely copy o
the above section like the clause in the Kansas bill
was a copy of a similar one in the Washington bill
which Bell voted for and Fillmore approved anC
signed. We therefore deem it unnecessary to copy
This bill also was approved and signed by Mr.. JEFF
ferson.
We know it will be astonishing to our Democrats
friends to find Messrs Fillmore and Bell sustained
by such names and yet they are dependent upol
Democratic papers to give publicity to the fact.
The next territorial government organized wa
Alabama the eastern partof the Mississippi terrific
(which became a law March, 1917 twill be remme
bered that by an act of 1898, the provisions of tn
ordinance of 1877 had been extended over this ter
rtory. Congress, therefore, re-enaced the laws re
lative to suffrage by incorporating into it the fol
lowing provision:
" That all Offices which may exist and all law
which may be in force in said territory, at the TIM
this act shall go into effect, shall continue to erist an
be IN full force until otherwise ProUidsd by iau."
This act permitting the inhabitants of foreigl
birth whose naturalization had not been completed
to vote in the territory of Alabama was considered
approved and signed by President Madison Mucl
better company than Messrs. Fillmore and Bell ar
usually found in.
We might 60 on enUmerating instances, showing
that the clause in the Kansas bill authorizing fore
igners to vote in the first election for members to tn
legislature, and which was copied, word for word
from the Washington bill that Mr.. Bell voted for
and which Mr.. Fillmore approved and signed, haC
been the fixed and uniform rule of Congress from
1877 to 1886. In no instance up to that time haC
any objection even been made, and, a genera
rule, since that time the same policy has been ad
hered to. But we have already devOred twenty
times the space in defence of Messrs. Fillmore anC
Bell for their support of the Washington bill, tina
their own papers have done. Therefore, with this
plain and simple statement of facts, submit the
question; leaving the reader to determine for himself
how utterly worthless and contemplate is the con
tinual clap-trap about allen suffrage" and the
danger of foreign influence in the territories which
Know Nothing orators and papers are ringing in
| their ears.
| HON WNT + VFNAPTF