The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-11

Wing, Democratic, or Know Nothing, con
Cured in supporting the amendments
Mr.. Douglas explained as follows:
"The organic act creating the Territor.
Of Minnesota, many yeats since, provided
that
60 Every free white male inhabtant, above the age
twenty-one years who shall have been resident of IN
said Territory the time of the passage of this act >a
be entedo vote at the first election and shall he elie
gble to any office in the said Territory but the Qual
cations of voters and of holding office at all suhseque
elections shall be such shall be prescribed by the Leg
islatve Assembly: Pr0rided That the right of surag
and of holding Office shall be exercised only by citizen
of the United States and those who have declared o.
oath their intention to become such, and shall have tax
en- an oath to support the Constitution of the Cnite
/ 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 0
voters. The present bill provides that thu
legal voters of Minnesota may assemble ant
elect delegates to a convention to form
| Constitution and State Government for ad
mission into the Union, leaving the qualiti
cations Of voters in the Territory, for thi.
| purpose, precisely what they have been evel
! since the Territory was organized, and az
/ they are now fixed by law. see no reason
/ why we should change the existing law O
! Minnesota on that point Tor this one elec
, ton, when there is no pretence that any evi
consequences have grown out of the exercise
of the elective franchise under tie present
law. If my friend from North Carolina
could show me that any injurious conse
quenccs had grown out oi the law Of Mn
nesota fixing the qualifications Of voters
there would be an argument in favor of tie
change. But there is no objection on that
sc0rc-no consideration OF that kid has
| been urged. The amendment, therefore, is
only to AIRY out a theory Of the Senator
and not to remedy any practical existing
evil in the Territory"
Mr.. hrodhead delivered himself Of long
speech iii favor Of the amendment.
The Southern Senators, While agreeing in
its support, differed in regard TO Tie question
whether the Satcs may confer the right OF
suffrage on persons not fully naturalized.-
By the Democratic Sou.Ecrn Senators, it
was held that the States might confer sui
frage on whomsoever they pleased, slavsiuPl
women.
Mr.. Seward placed Himself on broad
ground.
In 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 Las assumed and
exercised the power Of admitting foreign
States, which had not Il single citizen of tie
United States in those States, in the Union,
us liz the case of Texas. Tie greater IL
cudes the les. 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 a similar OCCASION.
In the second place II 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 a large degree by them;
and believe that that class Of immigrants
who come to this country are, as general
fact, as intelligent, and as capable of exer-
cising the functions Of sclf-government, as
our own educated citizens"
Mr.. Wilson was in favor Of the general
principle embodied in the amendment, but
he would vote against it, because it would
endanger the passage of the bill, which, il
amended, must go back to the House.
The vote was at last taken, and stood
YEAs-Messrs. Adams, Bayard, Bell of Tennessee
Benjamin, Biggs Brodhead. Brown, Butler, Clay Crit
tenden, Evans, Fish, Fitzpatrick Foot Geyer, Greene
Houston Hunter lverson Johnson, Jones Of Tennessee
Mason, Reid, Rusk, Slell Thompson Of Kentucky snd
Thomson of New Jersey-2I.
NAYS Messrs. Allen, Bigler, Bright, Cass Coamer
Dodge, Douglass Durkee FeSsenden Fitch Foster Hale
Jones of Iowa, Nourse, Pugh Seward, Stuart Toombs
Toucey Trumbull, 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 Pennsy lvania, 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,
Il 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.
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 hat!
led to so protractcd a debate, must low 60
back to the House, to lie on the Speaker :
table, under vast II ass Of bills, which had
been long accommodating, and would have pre-
cedence. Only nire day IS remained for bust
ness. Somc fifty river and harbor bills.
passed by the Senate were cIamoring 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 20S octave pa
ges. 1t was the purpose of large body OF
the members to sustain tie 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 bcc;a foreseen By Mr.. Hale
one of the readiest and mos sa.acioi.5 men,
bers Of the Senate, and he would have forth
with gave notice OF his intention to move a
| reconsideration of the bill, with view to
save it from being lost in TIE chaos of the
House-and he did save it.
Tuesday, February 9th, 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-
binary 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
briefhstorical 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 cnti-
tied to suffrage; but two of them, Messrs.
Green and TOombs, making an exception to
the principle in the case of Minnesota be-
cause, under the organic act authorizing the
Territorial Legislature to define the quaif-
cations of voters, the Legislature had acted
and it was therefore proper to recognize