The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-11
Whig, Democratic, or Know Nothing, con-
Cured in supporting the amendments
Mr.. Douglas explained as follows:

Wing, Democratic, or Know Nothing, con-
Cured in supporting the amendment
Mr.. Douglas explained as follows:
"The organic act creating the Territory
of Minnesota, many years since, provided
that
LIVERY free white male inhabitant above the age OF
twenty-one years who shall have been resident OF the
said Territory at the time of the passage of this act shall
be entitled at the election shall he elig
gibe to any office in the said Territory but the qua
cations of voters and Of holding office at all subsequent
elections shall be such shall be prescribed by the Leg
satve Assembly: Fr0rided, That the right Of suffrage
and of holding Office shall be exercised only by citizens
of the United States, and those who have declared on
oath their intention to become such and shall have tax
en- an oath to support the Constitution Of the United
States, and the provisions of this act" .
"That was the organic law of the Terri
tory. Under that law, the Territorial Legis-
lature have prescribed the qualifications OF
voters. The present bill provides that the
legal voters of Minnesota may assemble and
elect delegates to convention to form a
Constitution and State Government for ad-
mission into the Union, leaving the qualiti-
cations of voters in the Territory, for this
purpose, precisely what they have been ever
since the Territory was organized, and as
they are now fixed by law. see no reason
why We should change the existing law of
Minnesota on that point for this one elec-
ton, when there is no pretence that any evil
consequences have grown out of the exercise
of the elective franchise under the present
law. If my friend from North Carolina
could show me that any injurious conse-
quences had grown out OF the law Of Mn
nesOta fixing the qualifications Of voters,
there would be an argument in favor of the
change. But there is no objection on that
scorc-no consideration Of that kind has
been urged. The amendment, therefore, is
only to carry out theory of the Senator,
and not to remedy any practical existing
evil in the Territory
Mr.. Brodhead delivered himself of long
speech in favor Of the amendment.
The Southern Senators, while agreeing in
its support, differed in regard to the question
whether the States may confer the right of
suffrage on persons not fully naturalized.--
By the Democratic Southern Senators, it
was held that the States might confer suf-
frage on whomsoever they pleased, slaveSupr
women.
Mr.. Seward placed himself on broad
ground.
I'm the first place, regard that question
of constitutional power as practically settled
long ago-as settled forever, that the Con-
gress of the United States has assumed and
exercised the power Of admitting foreign
States, which had not single citizen of the
United States in those States, in the Union
as liz the case of Texas. The greater in
cudes the less. II we can permit all the
people of California and Texas to come in as
States organized, we can say that class Of
persons within the United States, who are
not citizens, shall exercise the right of suf-
frage on this, which is similar OCCASION.
I'm the second place, it is question of
right. | am, as all the world knows, of
opinion that, with due regulations to pre-
vent abuse, the right of suffrage ought to
be coordinate in all communities with the
obligation to submit to, support, and defend
the Government.
/" In the third place, in regard t. the pol
icy, am in favor of admitting aliens to vote,
precisely for the reason that these new
States are to be made chiefly by aliens
and foreigners, or in large degree by them;
and | believe that that class of immigrants
fact, as intelligent and as capable of eXer-
cising the functions OF self-government, as
our own educated citizens"
principle embodied in the amendment, but
be would vote against it, because it would
endanger the passage of the bill, which, if
amended, must go back to the House.
The vote was at last taken, and stood
YEAs-Messrs. Adams, Bayard, Bell of Tennessee
Benjamin Bggs, Brodhead, Brown, Butler, Clay, Crit
tenden, Evans Fish, Fitzpatrick, Foot, Geyer, Greene
Houston Hunter verson, Johnson Jones Of Tennessee
Mason, Reid Rusk, slidell Thompson of Kentucky snd
Thntp nf NGu -
NAYS Messrs. Allen, Bigler, Bright Cass, Collamer
Dodge Douglass Durkee Fessenden Fitch Foster, Hale
Toucey, Trumbu, Wade, Weller, Wilson and Wright-24
So the amendment was agreed to-
The whole Southern Democracy, all the
Wigs and Know Nothings of the South,
with Brodhead of Pennsylvania, Wright and
Thomson of New Jersey, Democrats, Fish
of New York, and Foot of Vermont, Rcpub-
lican, voting in favor of the amendment
The negative votes from all the free States,
with the exception of that Of Mr.. Toombs,
a gentleman who acts with great indepen-
dence of all parties. All the Republicans
and Democrats from the free States present,
with the exceptions noted above, voted
against the amendment.
The latter part of the same section was
then amended by striking ont the words,
''people Of the proposed Statc,' and insert
ing citizens of the United States" The
bill was then passed, Mr. Thompson, of Ken
lucky, alone voting against it.
The bill, with the amendments, which had
led to so protracted debate, must HOW go
back to the House, to lie on the Speaker s
table, under vast II ass of bills, which had
been long accumulating, and would have pre-
cedence. Only nire days remained for busi-
ness. Some fifty river and harbor bills,
passed by the Senate were clamoring for con-
sideration in the House. The large appro-
priation bills were awaiting action. The
Corruption Investigation Committee had
made their voluminous report, the tcstimo-
ny alone occupying more than 2OS octave pa
ges. 1t was the purpose of large body OF
the members to sustain the demand of the
accused parties for trial at the bar of the
House, proceeding that would have con-
sumed the remainder of the session. Only
nine Southern Democrats had voted for the
original bill, and it would be in the power OF
the rest, combined with Southern Know
Nothings, to prevent its passage.
All this had been foreseen by Mr.. Hale
one OF the readiest and most sayacious mem
bers of the Senate, and he would have forth
viii SdSC IOtiIc vi his lLleDtiOlt 10 move
reconsideration of the bill, with view tc
save it from being lost in the chaos of the
House-and he did save it,
Tuesday, February oath, he moved to re-
consider the vote by which the bill had
been passed. The motion was debated ali
that day and the next, with great warmth
Southern Senators resisting it with extraor-
dinary pertinacity. The report of the de-
bate occupies nearly thirty on, S lid columns
of the Globe, of which twenty four columns
are filled with the speeches of Southern men
Mr.. Hale occupied scarcely ten minutes in
explaining the reasons for moving the recon
sideration, and in indicating himself against
the criticisms of Mr.. Crittcnden.
Mr.. Douglas made speech in reply to
Mr.. Thompson, of Kentucky, and Mr.. Pugh
briefhistorical statement in regard to aliens
voting in Territories of the United States
With these exceptions, the debate was car
ried on by the slaveholding Senators.
1t took wide range, all the Senators from
the South who spoke committing themselves
to the general principle, that none but citi-
zens of the United States ought to be enti.
tied to suffrage; but two of them, Messrs
Green and Toombs, making an exception tc
the principle in the case Of Minnesota be.
cause, under the organic act authorizing the
Territorial Legislature to define the uualifi
cations of voters, the Legislature had acted
and it was therefore proper to recognize
those as legal voters, already defined to be