Daily national Democrat., 1859-10-20
The War in Ohio.

list. Whether he believes the Fugitive
Law Of 1889 constitutional
ID desire to ask, in the next place,
whether lac Is willing to obey itf
81, Are you in favor of any fugitive
slave law ut all, and if 40, what are your ob
jeetious to the existing one2
! 4th. Are Vou in favor of the exercise of
the elective franchise hy persons having a
visible admixture of African blood
The first question Mr. Dennison does not
answer lie replies to the second that as
long rs the law remains upon the statute
book he will respect it. but that he will ear
nrsty labor for its repeal The third qnes
tion he does not answer at all. and the fourth
one he does not notice
In propounding this fourth question, Judge
Rannev remarks that it is the design of the
Republican parry, Of Ohio, to place the ne
groes upon an equality with the whites The
trustees of towns in Ohio, throughout the
Western Reserve, where Repubicanism pre-
walls, receive the votes of negroes in all their
elections In the town of Oberlin two hum
dred negroes vote regularly at all elections.
The Legislature of the State enacted law
negroes to vote. In defiance of the law, ne
groes ure allowed to vote in the Western Re
serve.
The Republican party, of Ohio, SO far as
We can learn from the encounters of the Re-
publican and Democratic candidates for Gov
rruor, are in favor Of perfect equality, in
the right of suffrage, between the whites
and the blacks. The Legislature is at pres
ent against them, hut they are laboring to
change he political complexion of that body,
and to en- ct such laws as will secure the
purpose which they have in view So far as
the individual States are concerned, there
would seem to be no difficulty in bringing
about this state of things. Negroes may be
| placed upon footing with citizens of State,
sovereignty, SO wills it; hut they can never
be made citizens Of the United States, the Su
preme Court having decided that free ne =
groes descended from slaves are not citizens
Of the United States la the view of the Fed
era Constitution; and nearly all the negroes
in the United States are such. Sovereign
States of the Union may direct that blacks
shall vote for State officers, but they can
never invest them with a citizenship which
shall extend beyond the limits of the State.
Such seems to be the construction which is
placed upon the Dred Scott Decision
The margin, however, offered for Republ-
can legislation in the free States is ample
TO the extent Of the power dwelling in the
State sovereigntirs, negroes can he placed
upon an absolute equality with their white
brethren That is to say. ga State. 10y its
/ laws .ssed since the adoption of the Consli-
tuition, may put II foreigner. or any other de-
seri2tion of persons, upon II foo'ing with its
iges enjoyed by them within its dominion
and 10y its laws The fact that this will not
make him citizen of the United States, nor
enlitie him to sue in its courts nor to any Of
the privileges or inmJnites of II citizen IN
another State, does not binder the complete
enirdnclisement Of negro as a mere citizen
of the individual State. This has been a re
cognizrd principle in State legislation, from
the earliest period, and several Of the North.
ern States have, at various times, allowed ne
grues to vote at the State, county and town
elections. Indeed, the Dred Scott decision is
explicit upon this point, and says: "In dis
cussing this question, we must not confound
the rights of citizenship which a State may
confer within lis limits, and the rights of cit
henship is a IN m5er Of the Union. 1t does
not 10y any means follow, because he has all
the rights and privileges of citizen of a
State, that he must he "A citizen of the United
States. For, previous 10 the adoption Of the
Constitution of the United States, every
State had the uudoubted right to confer on
whOmsoever it pleased the character of citi-
zen, and to endow him with all its rights
Nor have the several States
surrendered the power of comforting these
rights and privileges by adopting the Consti-
tuition of the United States"
AS we have said, this Interpretation of the
Federal Constitution and of the rights and
powers of the separate States gives wide
margin to such of the free States as desire il.
to extend almost unlimited privileges and i'm
mlnities to the negro residents within their
limits. The Democracy Of Ohio charge the
Republican party with n determination to
use this power in State LEGISLATION to its MT.
most extent, and it is very likely that the
charge is true.