The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-06-28
What is suHrage9 Can it be Uni

Gle by Prof. +. D. MANSFIELD, of Nor
row, O., to those who think that suffrage
is ".right" that cannot be taken away
from. rebels without" riolating the Con-
stitution.l" twill bc seen that We have
been excluding women and froe negroes,
and indians, from the fright" Of suff:
rage, while they wore at the samc time
citisen. Of the United States, and yet it
Is Unconstitutional to exclude rebel, who
has forfeited al bis rights, from the same
privilege; in other words, We exclude a
class who have always supported and de-
Tended the Government, and include
those who have for four years endcavored
to destroy it. 1t is shown that if ne.
gro is human being he is citizen, and
We cannot see how it is more constitu.
tional for one citizen to vote, or be ex.
cludcd from voting, than any other. So
that to be consistent, our Conservatives"
must advocate allowing negroes to vote.
But we do not believe that rebels ought
to vote, Chat is, until they havo rc.cs.
tablishcd their loyalty to, and support
of the Government, by six or eight years
of good citizenship We believe With
Prof MANSFIELD, that the question Of
suffrage should be decided by reference
to the sccyarc Of bumOnity, or society
and the Government, and not By color
or SEX
John Stuart Mill, an Englishman dis.
tinguished for his political and philo.
sophical writings, declares hinselfin IA
vor of women voting. This is logical
conclusion, in his mind, to the principle
of universal suffrage. Yet, those iu this
country, who are loudest in favor Of
what they call universal suffrage, start
back from the inevitable conclusian.-
They talk of c1pcdiency in the case Of
women, and Of inferiority in tho case Of
negroes ; but if the principle is right,
why shrink from Its application. 1fthe
principle be honestly professcd, why be
afraid to meet its consequences? 1funi.
vcrsal suffrage be a correct principle, in
the name of common sense, why exclude
an American woman when We admit q
naturalized foreigner? And, if the ne.
gro should happen not to be an inferior
species of beings, why deny the Ameri,
co.Africans privilege, which is conce'
ded to the native of every country on
the globe Wo would like to hear q
calm argument on this question from
the friends of universal suffrage: We
think the time has come when it is Of
little use for parties and partisans to pro-
fess o marvellous friendship for the peo.
pie, and a supreme trust iu universal
suffrage, when their practice is against
their profession. Truth has now a lever
| in the free press. Shut out, till now,
from half this land, it can hereafter be
heard throughout its whole length and
breadth; and wherever truth goes, it
goes q conqueror. ..-e
In regard to this question Of suffrage,
litis to be decided ns all political ques:
tions are; not by mere reason; but BY
reference to what seems to be the ,cel.
fare Of humanity, Of society, and of the
persons who may be received or exclu,
dcd. 1t becomes, therefore, very com
plicated question, and one which de.
mands much information. We need to
be informed, 1st. Who is eitizcn2-
2dly. What natural laws exclude any
person from share in government
3dly. What social laws, arising from de-
cency or e1pcdiency, may exclude per.
sons2 4,hly. Is fitness o necessary pre-:
requisite to voting2 And, if so, what
is fitness e.. O..
We propose to discuss these points
briefly, leaving ourselves as free to form
alternate opinions as any Of our read
ers.
1st. Who is a citizen ? At this very
first step in ourinquiry, wc find an utter
confusion of ideas. For example, Web
ster's American Dictionary says: lu
the United States, o person, native Oh
naturolized, VII has the privilege of e1
ercisiug the elective franchise, or the
qualifications which enable him to vote
for rulers, and to purchase and bold rea
estate" Nothing could be more absurc
or more untrue than this. According
to this definition ,;twenty.6ve millions o
people in the Unitod States are not citi
zeus and if not citizens, not entitled t
the protection Sf the laws, and Govern
mept of the United States. BY thl'
definition, minors, women and free ne
groes, ore not citizens. But it AT
American woman is attacked aud robbed
on the high seas by British vessel, the
VIII ole strength Of the American Gov
[ernmeu. m ust be put forth IN her de
feuss, because she Is an american e't'
zen. i. i, not necessary to vote in or
der to be. citizen, and it is not necessa
r. TO hold real estate in order to vote
The whole definition is absurdly wrong
| But granting that an American white
woman is citizen, there was anothe
restriction put on the term "ctt.en D,