Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-06-09
DAILY SENTINEL
YRIpAY MoRNINe JuNE 9


The co ored Suffrage 10 nOv a uecessity But
beYoed thi<. iu N king "a an eeseu'al eond'ton
Of The restoration Of rebel States 70 The Union,
Ne foIio-. bret. shs Lac OF reason AID OF nature
and secondly, the Constitution, not Only m ~
text but a. interpreted By The Declaration Of 10.
dependence By the Constitution II - stipulated
that the United States shall guarantee 70 ever
State reva olicsn form Of govern ment." bat The
meauiog of this guaranty must be found Ia th'
Declaration oi Independence, which i the con.
trolling pfeambis OF the Constitution Beyond
all question, the United Sates. Shen called OF
to euforce shis guaranty. must insist on tbe
equality Of all men before the Law. and nc con
sent OF the governed. Such = the true laea OF
Republican Gosernment according TO American
Institutions M Sanner's Fast Day Grafton.
Lett examine Tor a moment. this proposition
Of the Senator from Massachusetts, Must the
FEDERAL Governme1t enforce universally Of sui
frage, 10 order 10 guarantee to every State a
republican torn Of gosernmentF We doubt
l. IL needful that even all citizens have the JUS
suFrsQa IN order 10 secure a republican torn
OF governmentT Clearly not. Males under
twenty one years Of age are citizens. but they
do not exercise the right OF suffrage. Naive
born citizeus who paupers, are. BY the laws
of most States, not permitted TO be electors
Tnere are plenty OF cases shers citizens. con
sutuent members OF political sovereignty, do not
vote
What does Mr. Sumner say to the Uniform
treatment Of Indians BY bis own State These
colored children Of the soii--the real native
Americsns--have never. in Massachusetts, been
considered citizens of the United States, nor per
nnitted TO vote u der existing naturalization
laws they cannot become citizens. They have
always been considered domestic subjects Of the
Government. aud yet Massachusetts, has been
looked spon as having /" a republican form OF
government"
Ia the State of Nex York Indians are uuder
somewhat similar disabilities Take up any good
digest OF the statutes. the decisions OF the
Courts Of the State OF New FORK. aud il becomes
at once apparent that copper colOred persons are
not citizens. but dependent individuals. place
under our protection. and subject TO guardian
ship. and proper coercion.
So too, our constitutional provisions respect
ing qualification OF voters show that a State
may have republican form of government,
and vet discum inmate IN favor of aud also among
white persons. The secOnd article OF the funds-
ment.l law OF New York provides that " Every
male citizen" &c, who shall have been a
citizen for ten DAYS
shall be entitled to vote = But. in the very
next sentence, 1t provides that no IMAM OF
color shall vote unless he shall have been a
citizen for three years, &c Ii 10 clear, from the
Constitution. OF the Empire State, that the phrase
every male citizen" was not intended TO en-
brace " men OF color, or . persons of color. 50
Tar az dictatorship is co1cerned
Who has ever insisted on the political equality
of white men Indians
But worse than all this. it is hot eight year.
ago When Mr. Sumner aud the whole opposition
to the Democratic party were engaged IN a
scheme 80 to amend the Constitution OF the
State OF Massachusetts as TO pro tGRfo, disfran-
ch.se for two years natural zed white foreigners
They proposed To prevent naturallzed lrshmsI
or German from voting even after he had oe
come "A cit zen OF the Uutei States and sher
Democrats appealed To the Constitution Mr.
Sumner and his friends pointed to the reserved
right Of the commonwealth TO regulate voting
as the State ht Has It come 10 this. that
out OF zeal Tor Africans, Mr Sumner propose
now TO elevate them. as a class, above wnIt
Europeau-2
Dir. Sumner knows. or ought to know, that tn
terms ciUEsn and eectOr are not, under our sy-
TEN onvertiole terms. There - no inseparsb l
connection between the fact OF citiz-nshIp an'
the exersise of the right OF suffrage. except tina
the latter cannot exist IN the Gbsesee of the fOi
mer More than that, he VIE hnu, the NOR
deeply he penetr-tes into the body OF our publ
Law. that those persons who were slaves before
have not been mace cit zehs. either by the eman
cipation proclamation or the constitutions
amendment; that dictatorship OF ,native-born per
sons, without citizenship. Is an absurdity on l.
face and that under prese1t Federal Con
stitution. there is no power in Congress 10 maxi
native born person citizen OF one OF thu
States, against the legally expressed will of tina
State he can call this State Rights. or any
thing else be sees fit It ia latc N, Y World