The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-05-19

ry Of Montana if there was fercely con-
tested election in which great interest was
felt by those who without scrupe sometimes
undertake to carry an election by any means,
fair or foul.
So far, then, as this amendment of the
Senate extends any right of suffrage to per-
sons of African descent i'll the Territory of
Montana, it is mere abstraction, and in
whichever form the bill shall pass it will
have no effect whatever in the Territory
The question then perhaps may be asked,
why do you oppose the assertion of an alb
straction, or the raising of an abstract issue
which can have no application ?" l answer,
because all history teaches US that upon mere
distractions, which have no practical appl-
cation, sometimes the fercest and most bit
ter controversies arise, whether in the relig-
ious the political, or even in the scientific
world. Who has forgotten that it was the
assertion of an abstraction in the change of
the sound Of a single vowel in one Greek
word, whether it should be pronounced ''Ho-
aaOOuSjoa' o. ''HomiouSioR," the shade of
difference between Just like and almost like,
that divided the religious world, produced
controversy for ages, and sometimes bathed
its sacred affairs in human blood Who has
forgotten that it was the assertion by Mr..
Calhoun CT the abstract proposition, ''SIave-
ry is blessing" Slavery is divine insti-
tution," which has been the cause of this We
ry war in which we are now engaged? Phi
losophically speaking, it was this dogma of
his, asserted, persisted in, carried into and
triumphing at last in the schools, the press,
the Legislative halls of the South, which made
slavery aggressive, and at last forced upon
Congress, upon the President, and upon the
Supreme Court that policy and those meas
ures which have launched us upon sea of
troubles and plunged our beloved country
into this terrible struggle of blood, agony, and
! tears.
Following his dogma came the assertion
in the bred Scott decision of the abstract
right to take slaves into all the Territories
of the Union The assertion of the same alb
stract right to take slaves into the Territory
repealed the Missouri compromise, the blow
which opened this civil strife, in my judg-
ment, the immaculate cause of this war, the
fatal tempter which, entering into our peace
full paradise, brought ''death and all our
woe"
Mr.. President, you will understand me-
l do not propose to enter upon the discus
sion of the.question of the propriety of negro
suffrage; not at all. propose to show that
now is no time to raise that question or to
discuss it. | will only say, that in my judg
ment this question properly belongs to the
States.
| can very we'll understand how it is that
in the New England States, where there are
very few persons Of African descent; where
they are generally educated or tOlerbly well
educated where from their modes of life
and association with the most thrifty and
intelligent people i'll the world they become
entirely competent to discharge the duties
Of electors, the people of New England I'M
der those circumstances can, and do, and
may very properly extend the right of suf
frage, to persons of African descent. In the
State of New York, where there are more per-
sons of this description, | can very well I'M
derstand how the people of OF that State do
and properly may, in their organic law, give
the right of suffrage to this class of people
with a qualification. The constitution of
New York, therefore, requires such proper
ty qualification as shall demonstrate their
competency, at least, to take care Of them
selves.S 1t requires them to be worth the
sum Of $3.50. When you come to the State
. of Pennsylvania, where there is still larger
I number of these people, | can also very
we'll understand why it is the people of
. uISylNdillt ia buCtE CDubLlpublUlI may
think proper to exclude from the right of sui
frage this class Of persons altogether. So,
too, in the State of New Jersey. In the
State of Ohio-and Ohio is certainly to be
! regarded as one of the most earnest Of all
the Republican States, devoted to the MAIN
tainance of the Republic and to the Gauge Of
human liberty-the constitution restricts the
right of suffrage to white male citizens
! I raa1 fba IapOrI1aora Of fhn cODctltnfIpO 1T
Ohio: 'Eyery white male citizen of tho
United States of the age of twenty-one years
who shall have been resident of the State
one year next ec,eding the election,
&C." 'shall be entitled to exercise
the right of suffrage" and under this
provision it has been decided in that State
that the offspring Of white man and half
: breed Indian woman is entitled to VOTE
Being more than one half white entities him
, to che privilege Of this constitutional amend
mems
In the State of Indiana the constitution and
laws are still more stringent against extend
;, the right of suffrage TO persons Of African
DESCENT while in the great State ofIllinois,
one Of the greatest among the States of the
West, in the adoption of constitution not
long since, the people by most overwhel-
ming majority decided against the
extension of the right of suffrage to persons
Of African descent
In tile State of New York, where this
, question was submitted by itself, distinctly,
unconnected with any party or any other
/, question, the question Of the extension Of
universal negro suffrage pure and simple,
the people of that State by majority of one
hundred and ninety thousand, decided aginst
extending it beyond what it now is in the
constitution Of that State with its qualifca-
ton.
Now, Mr.. President, how is it with the
free State of West Virginia, With constitu-
ton recently adopted, State which has
given freedom to all persons Of African de-
scent? BY a constitutional provision of that
State they restrict the right of suffrage to
white male citizens. In Wisconsin, where
there are much fewer persons of this descrip-
ton than there are in the States bordering
on the Ohio River, and where our people
would have much less objection to the ex-
tension Of the right Of suffrage than they
r would in many of those other States color
ed persons are not allowed to vote In our
, State the question has been twice submitted
and gwjce have the people voted against it
by large and decisive maiorities; and yet
the OLdJG VI 8DCII45lu lIocIl F'NuA'' no w lido
repugnance and opposition to the adoption
E of such measure than many Of the other
States.
If the question were submitted to me in
any given State, for instance in the State of
! Wisconsin, if i we're there and the question
g submitted to me, and was called upon to
vote on it, without now discussing the pro-
priety of voting for or against the extension
+ of negro suffrage in the State of Wiscon-
, sin | could very properly and consistently
vote for it. In the State of New York, when
the question was up and discussed as aprac-
teal question addressed to the citizens of
New York, did vote for it as citizen Of
that State. But, sir, that isnot the question
at all. 1he question is, shall we now raise
this new issue; shall we put this among