The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-06-16

The Qusssien OF s.Rrsge On E~xssss
and the vsfs~a ssss~s-shau enc Nsgrs
yote-1hs Necessity ss~ . Cs.v~sssss ss
Amend the Conssssussen.
We print elsewhere letter from Mr. D;-rseli
70 his constituents In relation 10 the exsensios
OF the elective franchise In Englana. and one
from Mr.. Bright on the same subject These
eminent men, arsy leaders on the respective
sides Of this question-tAke hold Of II win some
freedom. Mr.. Bright urges directly that the
liberal party shall Withhold is support from
any ministry that will not agree 10 s"good rnes-
sure for the extensisn OF the Suffrage" declares
that Tord Palmerston II the real dlfEcnlty,v
and that when he liz soui OF the way" Il win be
easy to carry this great reform, Mr.. Diraeli.
on the other hand, urges his constituents 10
sustain "the British constitution which does
not entrust power to tan indiscrimlnate multi
tude, and takes care that those 10 whom power
is entrusted shall shear due relation 10 The
moral and material development Of the coun-
tiy"-that Is to say, sees that there shall be no
disturbance Of the present balance Of power
between the people and their betters. The
leaders come up fairly to the issue, and this
question is accepted as the vital one that Ii
now before the country for settlement II d
hardly possible to doubt that II viii be
settled in accordance with the liberal
programme, by such an extension OF the
elective franchise as will make the people
of England more real and active element
in the government of that country. England
will very certainly not go so far as France,
where universal suffrage already prevails; but
she must inevitably give some formal express
sion to the sense Of tho whole people that the
suffrage. with certain qualifications, is right
and not privilege.
In our own country also the question Of suf-
frage is coming up as most important issue,
and as point on which the party struggles of
the next four years may turn. Here, too, the
question arises COLOR excepted)--just as it does
in England-shall certain class of the actual
population and natives Of the country be per-
mitted to vote? Shall we give the million or
more of negro laborers of the Southern States,
scarcely yet shaken out of the shackles of
slavery, voice in tho government of this
country and in the choice of our rulers? 1t is
question filed with difficulty. Already on
active party has taken up the case in favor Of
this extension of the suffrage, and an equally
active and determined one will oppose it; and
the indications are that on one hand the strug-
gle will be pursued with the same relentless
vigor that marked the history OF the
abolition party; and on the other Will
be opposed with the same intolerance,
bitterness and bigotry that has burned orphan
asylums in our city, and put all the negroes
that could be caught on the lamp posts. Eng
land has an easy solution of the question OF
suffrage that now agiates her. 1t will all be
settled by Parliamentary vote. But vote
in Congress will not do as much for US. 1t is
even a very nice question where the requisite
power lies for the settlement Of this case. Con-
gress is in one way authorized to qualify
voters, and the States claim The same right in
virtue Of their sovereign capacity; and if we
consider that the question il one for the States
to decide, can we trust it to these embryotic
communities that were but yesterday in arms
az ainst us?
There appears to be but one resource. We
must 60 to the fountain Of our political power.
There mnst be convention Of the people on
this question of the suffrage, empowered to
amend tho constitution and settle the whole
matter in a regular way. There is no doubt
that the matter OF tho elective franchise is in a
very loose state throughout the country, and
that it needs = very thorough revision
in the light Of our many years expe-
r;cnce of universal (whi.c) suffrage. II is
quito as Important. to assemble convention
and settle this question definitely now as ever
il was to Settle the question Of slavery. Upon
that question depended the future tranquility
Of the country; upon this may depend the
purity and permanence OF our republican insti-
tutions There ia the widest diversity in rela-
ton to the negro in shc various States. Some
give him o vote under property qualification,
and some will not allow him to vote at all.
He was always counted in the Southern States
as part Of the elective quantity, and 30 his
existence was assumed as subject of lsgisla-
ton, though, Of course, he had no vote. All
these differences should be equalized now. All
mootcd points relative to the elective franchise
with respect to the white population should
come before the same convention. 1t may be
we'll worth its while to inquire If some modi.
Hcalion of the suffrage is not needed here,
Whether, for instance, property is not more
entitled to recognition in this respect than II
has had hitherto. The revenue law fixes the
value of man at ten thousand dollars. Ia
man is equivalent TO ten thousand dollars for
the purpose of taxation, why, in the other
direction, should not ten thousand dollars be
entitled to some recognition in the way Of q
voter This will start the question Of taxation
without representation, as well as the delicate
question Of the sex of voters; but it is one
that The mind Of The country is at work upon
and must be settled soon. A national conven-
ton is the proper body to FIX all these points
| Shall we have il?