Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1863-08-26
AN uoty rvcoRp
The Abolition Cabdldnlt fbt iuaec u me
supreme Cuuft N tatot of stEfo Sui-
mage

supreme Uouft N tatot of segfo Sai-
mage.
The Uniohlown Genus " Lijyp exposes
tho course Of Judge Agnew, tho present
Republican candidate for Judge Of The
Supreme court, whilst member Of The
Reform Convention In 1893, on tho quee
iou Of negro suffrage. Let his crutse In
that Convention be conirasied With that
Of Judge Woodward, who was also n
member Of that body. II was to the
Efforts Of Judge Woodward and bis Dem.
ocra,ic colleagues that the right Of SUI
! frage in Pennsylvania was limited and
confined to "white freemen;" and had
Judge Agnew, whom the Aboltiontsts
would now place upon the Bench Of the
Supreme Court, had his way negroes
would have the right to vote at, and in
some instances, Of controlling the elec.
tions in Pennsylvania, end yet these Re
publicans say they are not Abolitionsts.
"The Republicans have been as unlor'
tunate in the nomination Of Judge Agnew
as in that OF Gov, Curtin, He was mem-
Der of the Convention which framed the
Constitution of 1888; and his course in
that body on the question of negro sui
frage was such as will not very strongly
commend him TO the favor of white men.
"It is known that under the Constitu-
4, oC Ia n
whether colored men were entitled to
vote. In some parts of tho State they
we're allowed to exercise the tight, and in
others it was denied them. In the Con-
vention of 1898, called TO amend the con.
stitulion, it was proposed to put this ques-
ton at rest by coniining the elective
franchise to white mon only. With this
view Mr.. Martin o! Philadelphia, on the
23d of June, 1886, offered the following
proviso to the Sd article;
" Provided, also, That the right Of an
eiector shall in no case extend TO others
than free white male citizens
"On this proyiso the yeas and nays
were called, and Judge Agnsw voted
against it, and Judge Woodward, the
present Democratic candidate for Cover
nor, who was also a member of the Con.
ventIon, voted for it, The proyiso was
lost. Debates, vol, 3, page 9l.
"On the Eth of january, 1888, Mr..
Martin renewed his effort, by moving to
insert the word white among the quail
ifcations for voters. Upon this motion
long and able debate ensGed, Judge
Woodward taking an active and leading
part in favor of the motion and against
negro suffrage. On the Goth Of January
u vote was taken on the motion, by yeas
and nays, and the word white was inser-
ted in the third ar :icle of the Constitution.
Judge Agnew voting against it, and Judge
Woodward for it. Debates, vol. 10, page
l0G)
To that motion, thus carried against the
opposition of Judge Agnew, we owe the
fact that negroes are not to-day voters in
pennsylvania.
"AA attempt was subsequently made to
continue the right Of suffrage 10 those
negroes who had before exercised ii; and
for this Judge Agnew voted, on tho prin-
ciple that half loaf is better than no
bread" Judge Woodward voted againstit.
This is the man for whom white men
are asked to vote. Had he succeeded in
making negro voters, his chances of cleo
ton would be pretty fair; but as white
men are through the efforts of men like
Judge Woodward, alone invested with
the invaluable right OF suffrage, il is not
likely that Judge Agnew will ever reach
the Supreme Bench
I'VE cannot refrain from giving tho
concluding paragraph of powerful
speech made in tho Convention by Judge
Woodward on this question: OF negro suf-
frage:
81 am sure the sober sense Of our cit
izens would be outraged by decision
that negroes are TO vote, and this will be
decided if you reject the amendment. At
no stage OF our history have our people
been willing to give them this right. and
now let us not offend against nature, and
do violence to the general feeling, by say
ing that in all time 10 come they shall
possess it, Let us not redsce the inesti-
mable right OF suffrage 10 this degrada-
ton, lest the people spurn it from them,
as unworthy any longer Of their affections,
but let us preserve and bcqueath it as we
have inherited it, and then posterity will
have no reproaches for our memories -