Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-10-11


IT, provides for but three eectonsthat Of President
and those of Senators and Representatives. The
President is chosen BY Electors appointed in such
manner as the legislators may elect. Senators are
chosen bv the Legislatures Of the respective States
and Representatives chosen by the people of the
several States, Just have recently chosen two
Senators and eight Representatives. The electors of
each State required to possess the qualifications
requisite for the most numerous branch OF the State
Legislature Therefore, if any point be settled, it
is clear that the trainers of the Constitution intend
ed that each State should prescribe who should vote
and who should not. The only limitation upon this
power is the duty of the National Government to
maintain in each State republican form Of gov
eminent The question may arise, and doubtless
will in the next Congress, are not all these rights
and guarantees changed in State where the voters
have voluntarily renounced their allegiance and
gone into the work of rebellion? Can a State re-
nounce its allegiance engage in the reasonable work
of rebellion, and yet come forward and insist upon
It's rights in this respect? 1t will be admitted on
all hands that the United States has the right to
punish traitors by depriving them of their lives their
property or their franchise. 1t will be urged that
it is absurd to kill traitors and conscae their prop
erty, and yet deny that we have the power to pre-
vent their voting And if we may determine who
shall not vote, why not say who shall vote This
may apply TO South Carolina, Alabama Mississippi
Florida, Texas and other States that led off in the
work of treason. My arguments are in vindication
of the rights of Tennessee. am no Southern ad-
vOcate Of the wild doctrine of State SOVEREIGNTY,
as held by the Secessionists of this our day Arti-
Gle l, Section Of the Constitution the 9th and 10th
Articles Of the Amendments, say "The people
shall not be disparaged and the powers not delega-
ted to the United States by the Constitution are re-
served TO the people-that is to saw to the States
! Again. this authority is made obvious by Article
lst, Section 18th, which reads as folows viz: THE
time, place and manner of holding elections for Sem
ators and Representatives shall be prescribed each
State by the Legislature thereof But the Congress
may at any time, By Lalg make alter such Regu-
ations, except to the place of choosing Senator'S
The Constitution of the United States and laws in
/ pursuance thereof say "A person charged with
treason, felony, other crimes who thal fee from
justice and be found in another State shall be de-
vered up TO be removed TO the State having uris-
diction of the crime"
| CoLORED SUFFRAGE N OTHER STATES
l think that negro suffrage is bound to follow as
Of the great results of the rebellion; that the
time will come when it will be proper and right;
but that the time has not yet when the ballot
box should be turned over to the emancpated slaves
of this State, and the thousands who would rush into
Tennessee from the Cotton States on this account
To the silly objection that negro suffrage implies
cial equality beg leave to respond that negroes at
/ one time or another, have voted in most of the
| Southern States and yet they were in way ad-
vanced to social equality with the whites. Ny re-
collection Is that in every Southern State, except
South Carolina the right of suffrage was originally
exercised by free blacks The original Constitutions
/ Of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia North Carolina
I and Georgia, members of the Old Thirteen, make
no mention Of color in defining the qualifications of
voters Up to the time of the adoption of the
Amended Constitution in 1885, negroes voted in
Tennessee, and the leading politicians of the State
impOrtUned them for their votes. In Maryland they
voted until 1885, and in North Carolina they voted
as late 1885. All this failed to advance the ne
groes in the scale of equality, foolshy talked OF
now and so Extensively deprecated and cn1aLgan.a-
tor not SO common in those days as IT has be-
| come sinceI
! In Pennsylvania negroes voted until 1885 Yet
in that great free State negro had not the privil
eyes that he enjoyed in Tennessee before the rebel
lion. In Ohio they allowed to vote upon prov
ing that they have more white than African blood
in their veins In Connecticut negroes voted until
1917 and, strange to say, they did not attain for
themselves an equality sufficient TO preserve the
privilege Of continuing to vote. There is even g
constitutional provision in the State of Massachu-
sets, excluding all men from the balIot-box who
cannot read the Constitution and write their own
names. This provision of course excludes the col
oFed people Of that State who cannot read and write
| and would exclude entire COlored population,
with but few excepions-assuming that they are not
competent TO Judge of the administration of public
affairs. If a man who cannot read and write III
Massachusetts is unable TO Judge intelligently Of
questions Of public policy how can the uneducated
blacks of the South do So l understand those pol
Itlclan5 OF Lne NORTH VINO urge the claims OF Lne
Southern negroes to the right Of suffrage, place II
upon the ground that they in favor Of the Gov
ernment admitting that they are not competent 70
Judge Of questions of public policy.
Even in New York. the great Empire State OF
the Union; the negro has not advanced one step in
the scale of equality nsultingly and Extensively
paraded before US in this day by the prOslayeTy men
Of the country. In that State the negro may vote
now if he have the requisite property qualification
Although this Odious property qualification was re
moved as to the white voters Of New York IN 1926
il still applies to the COlOred electors, ! under
stand What then shall we say Of equality in the
stronghold Of freedom and equal rights, so Off
ciOusly talked of by rebels and rebel sympahi
who are so pertinaciOusy insulting the common
sense of decent people when the right Of negro e
vote is urged who has shouldered his gun in defence
, of our common country All this cutlery against
negro voting in any contingency, comes from lin
gerng sentiment Of disOyalty in the South, added
TO ancient preudices and TO the savage instincts III
spired by this institution in connection with the re-
bellioH.
= We are entering upon state 81 quiet consequent
upon the overthrow Of the military power Of the re
bellion and when this quiet IS secured, the Obliga
ton will press upon not only 10 strike he last tet
ter from the limbs Of the bOndman but also to see
that all this ignorance and poverty social and po
litical disfranChisement TO which they have been
heretofore subjected are removed Upon the solu.
= ton Of this momentOus question of suffrage the
emancipated slaves well afford to watt lest, by
, precipitation false steps should be taken which
could never be retrieved. And if the Legislature
shall feel itself called upon TO act in this matter
there should be the utmost patience and crcumspec
ton but no haste Certain il is that the majority
in Congress has no right to expect the Southern
States recently in rebellion to do that for the col
ored population Of the South which the people Of
the North have refused TO do for better educated
class of free cOlOred men in their midst And
being satisfied that the immediate and indiscrimin
ate extension of the franchise to the negroes vii
not prove as beneficial as many suppose cannot re
commend the measure for your adoption. l think
il would be bad policy, well as wrong IN prinCi
pie, TO open the ballOt-bOx 10 the uniformed and
exceedingly stupid slaves of the Southern cotton rice
and sugar fields If allowed TO vote, the great ma
ority of them could be influenced by leading seces-
sionists TO vote against the Government, they
would be largely under the influence of this class oil
men for years to come, having to reside on and Cu
tivate their lands. When the people Of Tennessee
become satisfied that the negro worthy of suffrage
they will extend it, and not before; and l repeat
that this question must be regulated by the State
thorties and by the loyal voters of the State, not
by the General Government. The Northern State:
regulate this question: and exclude negroes from the
ballot-box and it would be unjust in them not to
allow us to manage this thing for ourselves they
do under the same national Constitution. 4 ma.
iority of the American people have not determined
to establish negro suffrage Internationally; but the
time may come when they will do so, and if the ac
tive leading men of the South desire to prevent It,
they would do well 10 their hostility 10 the
Government, for that Will hasten It's establishment
am free to confess that if it become necessary u
eDfauchise the blacks in order TO keep the control
of the country out of the hands Of the rebels and
traitors l am for the measure And when the ma
ton finds that all its libaraty and offers OF pardon
to rebels are in vain il will take steps 10 give sui