Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1865-07-27
A Uniform National Suffrage.

Our present Constitution prescribes that the
electors in each State shall have the qualifications
requisite for electors of the most numerous branch
OF the State Legislatures. This leaves the whole
matter Of regulating the suffrage, on elections
for Federal officers, to the State Legislatures. Of
course the result has been that the ballot box in :
stead of being right of the American citizen, has
been municipal privilege, granted or withheld
by each of the thirty six States according to the
views OF that class in each StIte who fortunate
enough 10 have grdspel the franchise at the outset
and TO those of their successors and assigns
Thus, Massachusetts admits all who pay a poll
tlx-are reSiste ered-and can read and wite,
whether OWING property or lot. The former con-
sttuiion of South Carolina on the other hand al
lowed none to vote unless he were white, and own
cd ten slaves or $4,000, in which case he could
vote though urab.e to read or write. In New
crk colOred native born citizen cannot vote un-
less he owns $3.50 in real estate, while IriShman
or other foreigner can vote without owning dol
lar. in Rhode Island, on the contrary. every na-
tive born citizen, including the negro, votes wheth-
er owning property or not, while no foreigner can
'ote unless he owns a freehold The Irshmln, not
freeholder, who vote in New York is dis y.
franchised in Rhode Island. and the negro, not a
freehoder, who vote in Rhode Island is disfran-
eli ed in New York.
Upon the same principal that South Carolina re
quired voter TO ten saye yes, Utah might require
him to keep ten wives Ohio allows man to
vote if of half white blood, whether he cln read
not, thus esteemng miscegenaticn better quail
fcaton for the suffrage than education.
Moreover many the States impose long peri
DDS OF probation on incoming citizens OF other
States, as they would Oh foreigners or barbarians
sons, whose business has occasioned them to re-
move into other States frequently during their
lives, an incident common to a people of our chang
ing and enterprising habits, are thus absurdly de-
prived of the privilege of voting for Presidential
electors This an II llous and contradictory va
rlety IN our systems Of suffrage is much like our
old State currency system Every man must vegi-
tate his native sod or if he steps over bis State
lines, he must submit to an unfair and unnecessary
discount shave" on his rights as citizen of the
Union, as punishment for his enterprise. Such a
limitation shall guard against voters fraudulent
y passing the border for election purposes say three
months residence within the State is all that should
be necessary on vote for national officers.
Now, while the necessity is devolved on the
Federal Government, therefore on the whole pco
pie, of reconstructing the State governments OF
twelve States and either admitting 20 excluding
from the balotbox loyal race Of four millions,
with their posterty forever. is not strange that
the question OF Suffrage is being more profoundly
and philosophically discussed than ever before in
our history or in that ofthe world.
The thirty six systems of State suffrage which
W e have tried experimentaly, like the thirty six
systems of State banking, have developed their
fruits, so that we are compelled to judge between
them and to selec. the most nearly perfect as
pattern for some uniform National suffrage system
AS the State banking system ofNew York, which
leads the Republic financially, was taken as the ba
sis Of National banking system. it is not improb
able that the suffrage system of Massachusetts
which makes every intelligent. tax-paying male
citizen, of full age, voter will be regarded as the
most popular model for National suffrage system
While the States may be permitted to vary these
terms OF voting, in the election of State officers
yet In the election Of the National officers the wis
dom OF uniform suffrage seems to have been pro
ven by our past experience. Certain abuses o
cur past system it may be taken for granted are
abolished. The "three ifths'' black representa-
ton by which the black population of the South