The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-08-01
PROM die Rlehmoaa Eaquirer.


the constitution Of Kansas is submitted to the people of
that Territory for ratification rejection by them at the
polls all the FREE white habitats OF that Territory of
legal age, should be permitted to vote
In denouncing Gov Walker for using the word i'm
habitant the opponents of the administration exhibit
almost ncxcusabe ignorance of the meaning Of that
word They contend that it is very different in its sig
nihcance from the word citizen, and that IL embraces
all "interiopes '.sventurers,' and visitors who
may happen to be in Kansas when the constitution is
submitted to the people They say that If all the in
habants allowed to vote, the Aid Societies of Mas
schusctts will pour in their thousands Of Illegal voters
and that every in Kansas win be authorized to vote,
whether he is there with the purpose Of residing pea
nently not.
The word 'inhabitant' with this class Of Walkers
enemies, is Pandons box" from which all sorts of
nomadc yagabonds issue to se the voice of the
citizens of Kansas.
We have been utterly at loss to understand from
what legal decision essay citizenship, dictionary
o da Of some obscure judge, they have obtained their
mistaken idea of the meaning of the word inhabant.
And all the rules Of construction require that words
should be regarded having been used in their usual
sense we propose to zee how far Gov Walker merits the
abuse of any intelligent for wishing the linhabit-
ants Of Kansas to vote for the ratification the reec
ton Of the constitution of Kansas To ascertain precisely
what is the exact meaning OF the obnoxious word about
which so much has boon written shall quote the def
milton which we find in the unabridged Dictionary of
Noah Webster
lst IyuABITAYCY: residence, habitancy permanent
RESIDENCE in town parish or the domicilia-
ton which the law requires to entte paupcr to de-
mand support from the town parish in which he lives
"a. Inhabitant dweller, RESIDES permanently
IN PLACE. as distinguished from
VISITOR the inhabitants of town, county, State
The condition qualification which constitutes person
or nhabitant of a town parish
Sd, Inhabtation |; ABODE, or
Here we have all the approved definitions of inhabi-
tlncy' and of "nhabitant' 1t means a LEGAL RESI-
DEScr In its application to Kansas it who is
there to .'resde permanently and without denying to
the word its usual force it be construed into meaning
nothing less than that inhabtant who
is not visitor, who is not soourner in Kansas
who is not emissary of aid society illegal
voter from Missouri but who has gone to Kansas to
make that Territory his permanent residence. Who
has better right to decide what shall be the organic
law of Kansas than the who declares Kansas to be
his permanent abode r. Does either of the words s'citi-
ZEN resident express fully that very of
the right of suffrage, the n,nead the determine
ton to reside permanently Ito remain in the Territory
than the word inhabant Far from having employed
word of either ambiguous of sinister import Gov.
Walker has been singuary feicitous selecting the very
titled vote in Kansas. Can his assaants tell us who
have better right to exercise the right of voting in
Territory than those actual settlers who have removed
the Territory to reside permanently there to spend
their lives and completely identify themselves with the
fortunes and destiny of the embryo STATE If the .dcier
cannot vote, who can If possessing illegal resi-
dncc is say what shall be the organic law of the
only State eee he has lgal residence, who to vote
Gov. Walker has said those who have illegal resi-
dence, or, in other words, those who spermanent
residents Of the Territory may vote and this with the
usual qualifications which hedge in tha right a,.a.-s,e
in this country, is all he has said
In saving that sinhaJants shall vote he prohibits the
right to vote of mere visitors and shuts the door in the
face Of every species of fraud upon the people of Kansas
The proper definition of the word nhabitant is sus-
tanned by the strict language of the legal definition of the
word Webster definition is identical almost with that
Of Bowler in his Law Diconary-the best now in the
hands of the profession
This is his definition a. IsHaBrrASr, one who has
his donic1 in place. is inhabtant OF that place 2)
who has RESIDENCE in place
1t cannot be asserted that Walker in using the word
uhabitant anythng else than "a free white male
citizen of legal age For, when look at the deni-
ton of the word citizen, find that it "a native
of city OR AN INHADITANT The words citizen and in
habitan have the meaning. Yet Gov Walker has
been denounced for using the word ctzen instead
of nhabitant
The definitions of Webster and Bowler are supported
by the decisions of both the American and English courts
where they have been called upon to decide what the
meaning of the word g nhabitant'
1t has been decided that mere intention to reuope will
not make nhabitGm Of a STATE although. as a
sign Of such intention, he may hare has e and chi
dre reside there viii his intention to quit his resi-
dence unless coasnnated deprive him Of his rights as an
inhabtant.
See LIST Dallas, $50 LIST ASH 1876 10th Yes, 339
Gov Walker requires the highest qualification OF
MASENr known to the law when he says that
the right of suffrage belongs to the inhabitants Of Kan
sas" 1t is settled that not those who in
Kansas with the intention vote unless he is
there as an actual settler anipus manendi
To those familiar with the language of Virgnias
sions of the Northwest Territory in 1885, in accord
ance with the provisions of the famous ordinance of 1887
there nothing startling in the of the word
inhabitants by Gov. Walker. The original sin of
using it lies with the great of this State, who
worded the deed Of cesson in 1885, by which Virginia
coded that vast domain out of which five large States
have since been carved by Congress. The propety of
using the obnoxious word conceded when the import
Of words was matuely considered it u.s. and by
men fully as capable of determining the rights Of citi
zenship in the Territories any of the denounceB of
Gov, Walker
On the 18th of July, 1887 Congress passed the ordi
nance of 1887 On tho 3Oth of December 1885, the
house of delegates of Virginia passed act entitled San
act concerning the Territory cccd by this Commonwealth