New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-07-26

regarded bs "ci'iZeps, shd ihH' 'u-! "eie ca
cyoed FROM participation II those rlgn'S And PnFi-
lele. accorded exclusively TO citizens o' tne Unea
S,,,s. The tot,l xsut If any b,'Is Ia history sud
fac. for tbs assumption (up,n which the Dfed
Scot, d.c,s.n "a. made a. r'st). wss fully shown
wien that dec zion ~sr frst promulgated But
as that showing mp las no, suf'ced u prevent the
d.gustic rete,itiOn oi the same uni0unded as'er'
lion. If viii be- we'll perhaps. to reife'h the public
Emo title rs 70 toe re-l f.cts o. the Gaze
TIE Federal Constitution recognized as citizens
az the HMM all ttn.e aho at the time Of ia
,6option acre citizeos Of the States OF which the
Union Vac comyo.ed. To. question theo ar.es,
did any Of those States r.cogrlz- az citizens per
son. of african cesc.nt7 B-cau-r If so, then the
Federal Constitution recognized ;0em as Citizens
Of the Unit,d States. As to any express exclusion
Of .uch persons from the privilege Of citzenshiP,
that is lot pretended IF they we're excluded at
oil from c.tiz, rsh,p OF toe United States, II Mas
onl, because they were not recognized as citizens
b, any of tie States. Ho~ ~ha, was the fac.
OF ali the rights Of citizenship there i, none
more marked and p-culisr none The possession OF
tnsn the exercise Of the right Of suffrage,
al The participation thereby IN the ac,ua! Govern
ueDt Of the State 1t is in vain to deny that per-
SOM who possess and exercise that right are cir-
zens to all inrents ard purposes. Now, al the time
when the Federsl Constitution wss framed aud
ratified, that right was acsua, possessed and e1-
ercised BY per-ons Of African descent in twelve
out Of The thirteen States Of which the Union vas
originally coup'sed.
Let us take the States in order, beginning at the
northeast With Massachusetts, Of which Maine
then formed part. The Constitution OF Ma'ss-
chuFet's gave to every finale inhatitsnt twenty
one years Of age, possessing Certain pecuniary
qualification, the right TO vote; and uoder this pro-
vlsion, tie payment of taxes having since been
substituted for the pecuniuy qualification, persons
of Afncap descent have continued 70 vote in that
State from that time TO this. The same was the
case in Ntw.IIampshre whose Constitution and
laa lave always been pretty closely modelled after
ttO.e Of Massachusetts, Rhode Island aud Con-
rectirut at that time and for many years after had
no State Constitution. or, rather employed as SUCH
the old charters granted 10 them by Charles III.
TIE right If suffrage belonged, under those char
teIs. t. such as were admitted freemr1, and to be
admitted a freeman required no particular
gebealogy but the possession of certald amount
Of property in Rhode lsland--a freehold estate.
Person OF African descent possessing this qualih'
ch,ion were as readily admitted freemen as their
white pechbers Ire Constitution Of Newly oFk
gave the IIgot Of voting for members OF Assembly
to sey.ry male inhabitnnt resident SIX months in
the county and possessing freehold OF the value
of twenty pounds, or renting tenement OF the
yearly value of forty shillngs. In Ne"-JeIsey, the
tight Of voting belonged TO "all inhabitants
worth fifty pounds proclamation money, clear
estate 10 the sane. In Pennsylvania,
every "freernan' twenty one years of age aud pay
ing taxes was entitled 10 vote. Ii wss the same 10
Delaware. The Constitution Of Maryland gave the
right Of suffrage to all "freemen above twenty
one Years Of age having freehold of fifty acres oil
land or property above the value of thirty pounds
current money The case Of Virginia is peculiar
and instructive The Constitution of that State as
adopted in l776 gave the right OF suffrage to SUCH
persons as had possessed il under the colonial laws
AT that time there WAS colonial act IN force passed
ia 1928, BY which free negroes, Indians, aud
mulattoes, though otherwise qualified by the
of a freehold, were deprived Of
tie hight 10 vote This pronlbitory statute how
ever. was 10 longer in force al the time the Federal
Constitution was framed. The progress OF tue
Anti Slavery sentiment in Virginia may easily be
traced on the statue.book In l77o on motion OF
jefferson, law was passed prohibiting the further
Importation of slaves, not merely from Africa, but
from any place whatever. In l1o2 this was Toll
lowed by the repeal OF an old colonial statute re
stIctiDg emancpations, passed by the very
same Legislature which had deprived ifre
colored people Of the right of voting
That latter act, slso, was repealed the
next Year, in lieu of which it MAS enacted that
" all free persons born within the territory ct THIS
Z" Common wealth shall be deemed ctlzeGs Of THIS
" Commonwealth" Whrnce It appears that the
attention Of the Virginia Legislature was particu-
larly drawn 10 this question Of the citizenship of
persons Of African birth, sud that they decided 10
faSor Of it, The Constitution of North Carolina
gave the right OF suffrage for State Senators 10 AL
"persOns' possessing freehold, and TO all free
'mep." residents for twelyemonth, the right OF
voting for representatives,. The Constitution OF
Georgia employ ed the terms citizens ana "inhsb-
.itaurs" as convertible South Carolina tie enl!
State which, when the Federal Constitution WAS
adopted, excluded persons Of African descent from
the privilege of voting-nOt however, il direct
terms bit 10y referring 10 TIE former colonial laws
Not only did the State Constitutions thus PRO
vide, tu, it is fact not 10 be disputed that, under
their provisions, persons Of African descent did
actua, vote in all the tStlve State. above referred