The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-16
MISSISSIPPI, DECEMBER 1865 f. + s.ss s8

/ the conditions of the enjoyment OF th,
elective franchise. During the perios
of the iConfederacy, there continued t,
exist g very great diversity IN the quail
ifcations of electors IN the severa
States, and even within State, dis
tinction of qualification prevailed with
regard to the officers who were to bt
chosen. The Constitution Of the Uni
ted States recognizes their diYersities
when it enjoins that in the choice o.
membersiofthe House of Representa-.
tives of the United States, the electors
in each State shall have the qualifica-
ton, requisite for the electors of the
most numerous number of the State
Legislature. After the formations of the
Constitution, it remained as before, the
uniform usage of each State to enlarge
the body of its electors according to its
own judgement; and under this system
one State after another has proceeded
to increase the number Of its electors,
until now, universal suffrage, or some
thing nl very near il. is the general rule.
So fixed was this reservation of power
IN the habits of the people, and SO un-
questioned has been the Interpretation
Of the courts, that during the civil war
the late President never sharbored the
purpose, certainly never agowed the
purpose of disregarding it, and in the
acts of Congress during that period,
nothing can be found which, during
the continuance of hostilities, much less
after the close, would have sanctioned
any departure by the executive from q
policy which SO uniformly obtained.
Moreover. q concession of the elective
franchise to the freedmen, by act of the
President of the United States, must
have been extended to. all colored men
wherever found, and he must have es- :
tablished change of suffrage in the
Northern, Middle and Western States,
not less than in the Southern and
Southwestern. Such an act would
have created q new class of voters, and
would have been an assumption of pow
er by the President, which nothing in
the Constitution or laws of the United
States would have warranted. On the
other hand, every danger of conflict is
avoided; when the settlement of the
question lis referred to the several
States, they can each for itself decide
on the measure, and whether it. is is to
be adopted atonce and absolutely, or
reduced gradually and with conditions.
In my judgement, the freedmen, if they
show patience, and manly virtues, win
sooner obtain a participation in the
elective franchise, through the States
than through the General Government
esenif it had power to intervene.oa
Whenthe tnmults of passion that have
been raised BY the .suddenness of the
social change have subsidized, it may
prove that they Will lreceive the kindh1
est usage from some of those whom
they have heretofore most closely de- de-
Tended; but while, I haveno doubt that
now after the close of the war it is not
compatible for the General Govern
mentto extend the elective franchise,
in the several States, it is equally clear
that1good faith requires the security of
the freedmen in their liberty and their
theirlright to labor, and their
right to claim the Just re ward of their
labor. T cannot too strongly u urge dis
passionate treatment of this subject,
which shld be carefully ykept alooffrom
strife. We must equallyavoid
party assumption Of any natural I'M
possibility for the two races to 1--we side
by side in q statelof mutual beneftand
good WILL The experiment involves as
in no inconsistency. Let rs then, 90
on and make that experiment IN good
faith, and not be too easily disheart-
eneds The country is IN need of labor
and the freedmen of employment, cul-
ture and protection; while their right
Of voluntary emigration and expatria-
ton would not advise their forced re-
moyal and colonization Let us rath-
er encourage them TO honorable and
useful industry, where it may be
to them selves and to the
country, and instead of party an
Of the certainty of failure,
let there be nothing wanting to the
fair trial Of the eexprimenl. The ]
change in their condition is the snbsti-
tuition of labor By contract for the stat
us OF slayery.aoThe freemen cannot
fairly be accused of unwillingness to
work, SO long as . doubt remains about
bis freedom of choice IN his pursuits,
and the certainty OF his recovering his
SLIiinaIated wages Tnithis the interests