Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-03-28
WHOLE NO. 598.
tive evidence that they had no such distinctions

tive evidence that they had no such distinctions
in 1879.
PennsJ vania. Constitution formed I'd Sept. IT.
90. "In elections by the citizens, every freeman
If the age OF tweuty-one years, having resided in
the State two years next before the election, and
within that time paid State or county tag.
which shall have been assessed at least six months
before the election, shall enjoy the rights of an
elctor; provided that tho sons Of persons quali-
fed as aforesaid, between the ages of twenty-one
and twenty-five years shall be entitled to vote, NJ
though they shall not bave paid taxes"
The wcll.known An'i-Slavery character Of Pen.
syleania at that early period. affords presumotive
evidence that in her previous Constitution, If she
had uny, there distinctions Of color among
her voters. Ii she under the old Royal
Charter" of course she could not have had any.
Georgia. Constitution as revised and amendsd
May 80, l70S:
"The electors of members of the General As.
scmbly shall be citizens and inhabitants of this
State, shall have attained the age of twentv-ons
years, and have paid all taxes which they may have
had an opportunity of paying agreeably to law,
for the year preceding the election. and shall
have resided six months within the County," DO
: Art. 4 Sect. ].
If the Constitution, before this revision and
amendment had recognized distinctions of color
in voters, it is hardly probable that change in
this direction would have been made in l798-
But if it so, the fact would indicate pro-
gress of sentiment directly in opposition to tho
cherished theories of Judge Taney.
Third Glass States known to havo been without
any State Constitutions, in l7S1-9, when the
| Federal Constitution was formed, and conse-
| quently deharred by their organic law the Eng.
! iish Charters, from making any distinction Of
color in qualifications of voters.
These we're Rhode Island and Connecticut
From their English Carriers the Colonial Legisla-
lures derived all their authority to legslate, and
could no more contravene them than the State Leg.
islatures can now contravene their state COnstitu-
tions: on assuming their pendence, they indeed
shook off their dependence upon old Charters. a.
such but in the absence of any State Consttus
tions, regularly formed and recognized. the old
Charters were by common consent regarded as tx
ing the boundaries of legislative action as being
Constitutions in fact, or as standing in the place
of them, so that any legislation contrary to them
would have been set aside by the Courts.
Rhode Island The Charter was granted by
King Charles H. in the fourteenth year Of his
reign. In this in the other Colonial Charters,
the right of the Colonial Government thereia con-
sttuted to legisate restricted in these words:
"Soa rs such laws ordinances and constitutions
80 made be not contrary and repugnant unto. bus
as near may be agreeable to the laws OF this,
our realm of England"
"Thcre shall be one Governor, one Deputy Gov
ernor and ten assistants, to be from time to time
CONSTITUTED elected and chosen out of the freeman
! of the said com oany, fer the time being"
There issho mentioa Of color in the instrument.
fhe fhcf tisat negroes voted in Rhode Island,
der this Charter, IS beyond dispute.
Connecticut was under similar Charter until
1918 when tho first State Constitution was forned.
u have no copy of it at hand. But the fact 70
torious that colored men voted under this Charter
so long as it continued.
The Constitution of 1920, as found in Gales &
Seaton's collection, provides that
"All persons who shall have been, or who shall
here after, previous the ratification of this Con-
stitution, be admitted freemen according to the
isting laws of this State, shall be electors"
This would, of course, include the colored vo-
ters admitted under the old Charter. But the ad-
mission of colored freeman voters, thereafter,
was excluded by Art. g. Sec. 3 which says: "Ev-
cry white male citizen of the United States" &c.
This precautiOn indicates the previous admission
of coored voters-a fact that cannot be ques-
toned.
So we may put down Rode Island and Connecti-
cut as acertained to have had no laws excluding
colored persons from voting until long time az
ter the Federal Constitution formed.
! This dsposes Of eleven out of the thirteen orgi-
nal States, and ranks them on the side of negro
suffrage in 1879, notwithstanding Judge Taney's
assertions.
| Fourth CldSs.-States as certained to have had
/ whether authorized by Constitutions or other.
wise) distinctions excluding colOred voters, in
/ 1879.
rL... c..,. n,.
inese arc Deia""re anu oou'n oaroiiha'
Delaware appears to have been without any State
Constitution until June, 1872 l have been una
bio to find any earlier one. If she had none pre-.
vIousy: 'ieH ref enaI'inen,s eAcluuinS c!lorsa
so,erS IN l'ol9' iius' h'Ve oeen n1' only "i'hou'
put aganst auth1rlly, rs she ~ must hare S oeeh IN
l aei an i1IS ~ 80 t:h ia " w.
anu hnoue is'aIo' wren "oEiu n"ve renuereo
T L y, oo,o'
na' af ,ha fIon W;ard HoI Sscra,ar.
of that Stnte who saws;
"The first statute of this State defining the CON.
dition of maumitted slaves was passed Feb. 8. IL.
81, The words used are
! "No slave maumitted agreeably to the laws Of
this State &C. or the issue of any slave, shall be
entitled to the privileges of voting at elections"
infer from the fact of this legislative enact
ment that no State Constitution then existed, con-