The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1859-10-22
Two Yeats Probation.
I E,n,,, A.. ~ ~ n,s., !

Luz Ctatc VI .hasSlchuseits last spring
voted that an adopted citizen mus. be
naturalized two years before he shall be
entitled to vote IN her elections. We
deemed this probation an unreasonably
long one, and did our best to induce the
voters of Massachusetts, to defeat the
amendment; but they took their own
counsel and approved it on light vote
by fair majority. Thereupon a dcs-
perate attempt was made by cur Demo
cratic politicians to win votes among
adopted citizens by raising deafening
clamor against this provision. This was
parried by charges that South Cal olina,
our most intensely Democratic State,
had, some years since, adopted just such
a rroviso without causing any invidious
comment or exciting any clsmor against
the Democratic party. The charge was
well founded, as is admitted BY the At
torney General of South Carolina, in
response to the inquiry of Democratic
politician of Minnesota. The following
is the South Carolina amendment, as
Transcribed by him:
Amendment Ratified 2e,A December. 1856.
That the amendment OF the fourth sec
ton of the first article of the Constitu.
ton of this State, ratified 10Th Decem.
Der, 1910, be altered and amended to
read as follows: Every free white man of
the age Of twenty. one years, paupers and
non-comniissioned officers and private
soldiers of the army of the United States
excepted, who hath been a citizen and
resident in this State two years previous
to the day Of election, and who has
freehold Of Fifty acres of land, or town
lot, of which he hath been legally seized
and possessed at least six months before
such election, or, not having such free,
hold or town lot, hath been resident in
the election district in which he offers to
give his vote six months before the said
election shall have a right to vote for "a
member to serve in either branch of the
Legislature for the election district in
which he holds such property, or is so
resident.
The Attorney General proceeds to
give the following account Of the amend.
ment, with the reasons for its aloptiou ::
OFFICE OF ATRoRNEY GENERAL,
tHARLEsTos, G.. Aug 20, 1889
DEAR SIR: Yours of the lst August,
directed toIolumbia, reached me only 4
few days since. ipclose you copy of
the article of tho Constitution about
which you inquire, as it now stands un.
der the amendment of 1855; likewise
copy of the amendment as adopted in Is
10. You will perceive that the voter
must have been "a resident and q citi.
ze"' for TWO years at Mc time If the
efect'on. The amendment put stop to
the 'ndecem habit Of making citizens i'm
m'dtat'Iy prece8i"g aud on tie dny If
election, Court in this city being a!
ways held at that time. 1t was no,
thought unjust towards adopted citizens.
lnasmuch rs native of South Carolina
removing to another State, and returning
to South Carolina, had to reside tw,
years in the State before he rccortre9
the right to vote. 1t was thought that
u foreigner nuturalized could not reason
ably claim to be placed on better footing
81 Oh happened to be my own condition.
''hoagh myself a nativc--with an ances
trx to- generations buried in the soil of
S1n,b ',ro "na--a removal to Alabama
took AWAY ~, n hit to vote in this State,
and on NY return ! as for two years
deprived Of Ills privilege md during
this time saw hundreds of foreigners
voting around ne who r""re not citizen
of a week old, aud whose whole ,,sidence
IN the United States was not one ftn
as long as my own in South Carolina to
say nothing of the years passed in Ala
bama.
| think the amendment was suggested
by myself. | considered it not only
right in itself but it was further recon-
mended to me because it deprived the
Know Nothing-just before, form;d
able party in Charleston-of a popular
cry which met with a strong SYM
patby in public feeling. The amend.
ment WAS drawn up by me, and introduc.
ed simultaneously into the Senate and
House OF Representatives in the former
by Mr.. Porter, lately Chairman of the
Executive Committee of party to rut
down the Know Nothings, which party
had just triumphed-and in the lower
House by Mr.. Whitney, a Know Moth. /
ing.
An amendm ut 10 the Constitution is |
N ade in this State by vote of tuo thirds
OF each branch IN t,co successive Legisla-
lures, the proposition being advertised
for six months in the interval. This |
seemed to meet universal an. |
proval, and no voice of objection was
raised against it, either foreign or native.
| myself consulted with several of the
most influential Of our adopted citizens
here, and they warmly approved the
change, and assured me that they thought
It would, when understood, be generally
acceptable.
| would be pleased to know that YOU
had received this explanation.
Very respectfully, your ob't serv't,
j. W. HAYNE.
To OSCAR STEPHENSON, ST. Paul. MINI
1t does seem to us that there il
much sound sense in this letter, though
We do not think SO lon. an interval as
wo years necessary or proper. We do
lot, however, think the Democratic au.
hor far wrong in stigmatizing the manu-
acture Of voters o. the day of election,
n order to profit by their votes ia that
lection, Gan indecent habit" and We
10 not think his party ought to lose any
'otcs because he frankly says so In
act, the idea that votes may be made for
ne party by clomoring against the Mas.
achusetts amendment, or for the other
y stigmatizing that Of South Carolina,
resumes lack of intelligence and Of ,
pselish purpose among Adopted Citi-
ems which we are 10th to credit.
lay- A friend Of ours was concraalat.
~ himself upon taking very PLEASANT