, 1865-07-19
Gt1ifaQo Gribn1rt.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10. 1866.
. ronmNAr1oSAL SUFFRAGE.

Our nrescut Constitution prcscs1oes that
N. cle.,ors In each State shall have the quail.
Drat5ons rcoulsite for electors Of the most
ru,,erons brauch of The State Legislature
T15a 1cov.. the whole matter OF regulating
tnr s,,t,tare, even on elections for Federal OIL
c,rs to tbc State Legislatures. Ofcoursc the
cent has been that the ballot box, Instead
of being tight Of the American citizen, has
Lem municipal privilege, granted or With
bc!d by each Of the thirty-slx States accord.
3rs 10 the viewz Of that class in each State
who arc fortunate cnough to have Erasped
tlc franchise at the outset and to those OF
their SUCCESSORS and assigns. Thus, Massa-
chusetts admits all who pay poll tax-arc
1egistcscd-and can rad and write, whether
owning property or not The former constl'
luton OF South Carolina on the other hand
allowed none to rote un1ess be were white,
and owned ten elaves or SIC, 600, In which
case he could vote though unable to read or
write. In New FORK q coloycd native born
cltizer cannot vote unless be owns $50 In
real estate, while an 1rishman or other for
eIgpa can vote without owning dollar. In
Rhode Island, on the contrary, every native
born citizen, including the negro, votes
whether owning property or not, while no
fo1tisncr can rote unlcss he owns freehold.
Tic lrishman, no. freeholder, who can vote
iu New TorE is disfEnnchIsed in Rhode Island.
and The negro, not freeholder, who eau vote
III Rhode leland Ie disttanchtsed In New York.
Urdu the came principal that South Caro-
lima 1cquirtd voter to own ten slaves, Utah
might require him to keep ten wires Ohio
allows man to vote II of half white blood,
whether be can read or not, thus esteemlng
miscegeration better qualification for the
suffrage tlan education.
Moreover many Of the States Impose long
pe1icds Of probation on incoming citizens Of
Other States, as they would on foreigners or
tarba,ians arriving from abroad. Tens Of
Thousands Of persons, whose busincss,has oc~
casIcntd 1llem to remove In!o other States
frequently during their lives, IN incident COM
mon to people Of our changing and enter
rtihing habits, are thus sbsurdly deprived Of
the r,iyileEe Of voting Tor Presidential cleo
tc,s. THIS anomalous and contradictory w.
s:c:y in our systems Of suffrage Is much like
cur old State currency system. Every man
mnst W Eitatc Oh Lis Iative sod, OF, II lc steps
over Lis Sta1e lines, he must submit to m m
tair'and uunt cessa1y discount or "shayc ~ on
his 'iebts as citizen Of the Union, as pun
:sbmch for his enterprise. Such d Limitation
as sEall guard heainst voters frsudu1ently
Iass.ns the border for election purposes. say
thee months residence within the State Is
all that should be ntcessary on 3 vote for
national officers.
Now, while the necessity Is deyolved on
Tie FEDERAL Government, and therefore on
The whole people, Of demonstrating the State
governments Of twelve States and either id.
mitting to or excluding from the ballot-box
loyal race Of four millions, with thelr DOE
terity forever, 1t u not strange that the ques-
ton Of suffrage is being more profoundly and
philosophicalIy discussed than ever before
in Cur history, or In thai OF the world,
The NlrtS-ei systems Of State suffrase
which VIC have tried experimentally, like the
thirty-s3I systems Of State banking, have de-
veloped their truits, so that We nre compelled
to judge between them, and to select the
most nearly perfect asa pattern for some uni-
1o1m National suffrage system. A. the State
lankiug system Of New York, which leads
TIE Republic financially, Was taken a. the
basis Of National banking system, 1t Ia not
improbable that the suffrage system Of Msss-
achusetts, which makes every intelligent.
tax paying male citizen, Of full age, a voter,
VIII be regarded n the most popular model
for National suffrage s. 5stem.
While the States may be permitted to vary
these terms of voting, In the election of State
officers, set In the election of the National
officers the wisdom Of uniform suffrage
seems to have been proven by cur past exp.-
1icnce. Certain abusss Of our past system It
mas be taken for granted arc abolished. The
:" 1hree-flftha black representation by which
Tic black population Of The south was voted
for by the whites. is 10 be ended, not, 1t is to
lr hoped, by swelling lhe three-htths into q
fvc-8ftlA evil, and leaving the men whose
votes have once Dissolved the Union to casta
yote two-11tls larser thnn before, but BY
allowing the blacks 10 vote for themse!yes,
While this resnlt is forced upon us by the po~
llucal necessities Of The case, it seems lmpera-
tive that the Government and people Of the
North should not be htld responsible for any |
eyatcm which they are not permitted freely !
10 establish cc:rding tothelr best Judgment.
This can be done ty 40 amendment to the
Constitution, either establishing uniform
system Of suffrage, OF comforting on Congress
The power to do SO. Such IN amendment VIC
hope Will be submitted TO the States and The
ltoplc by The next Congress.