Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-06-30
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.

| NEGRO SUFFRAGE.
Matthew Stevenson, of Tennessee, wrote
N N 1884, IN an address to the peopb of his
state, exposing the wrongs and eYiIof sla-
very We hold it wise policy in eyry gov
ernment to make it the interest o all its
subjects 70 support, defend and pepetuate
ITS civil Institutions. No one vii doubt
the justice of this sentence and asi in this
country, the people are the government, it
It must be held to the people S interests that
all should have equal rights before he law.
The question whether negroes slhll vote
Is getting very general discussion at his time.
Southern Union men, are, witholt excep-
ton, SO far as we know, in favor af giving
to the black man precisely the rights pos
sessed by any other man. We haze spoken
with a number of persons born and bred In
the South, and have found them all of one
opinion on this question. So far asanything
has been lately published BY Southern Union
men on the subject, we remember nothing of
a contrary tenor. A letter Of General Can't
OF Arkansas, dated the 5sh instant. is the
latest and perhaps the elearest definition of
Southern loyal opinion on this question. -
General CAN'T says:
That the negro is needed at the South,
that he IS capable Of culture and improve
ment, IS certain and that selfprotection
Will compel the South to protect and i'm
prove him, is reasonable to suppose. That
all loyal men should accord to him the prin-
eclple OF suffrage and equality before the law,
Is becoming a widespread conviction. and
VIII gam strength the more narrowly il is
A - 4 IL
colorcd free man, he once had ii III he South.
1t was taken from him, not because he was
tv'3Sa''t h1r at It hut, heaaI1sa his exercise of
ted, and endangered the slavt, U.s.
future influence. But now that slavery Is
destroyed, need men be afraid of the freed
men2 What do the people want2 The per
petuation of liberty by wholesome laws
What more jealous and Watehful sentinels
could it have than those who themselves
had come up from bondage, G learned of its
horrors, with perhaps many exaggerations.
from the traditions of their ftthers?
What is the the duty Of the nation
what the interest Of the Smthern white
man in this connectioR2 The elevation Of
the black. What stronger incentive could
you give him for commendabl, effort than
the protection of equal laws, and the right
TO suffrage when he prepared himself to ex-
ercise it p
General CAN'T says truly that tie negro |
once enjoyed suffrage at the South In ey- /
cry Southern State except tory and ecession |
South Carolina, the right of suffage was |
originally held and exercised by 81 free |
men. The Declaration of Rights )refxed I
to the Constitution of Delaware, ad part
Of that document declared:
Every freeman having sufficient 4yldence
Of permanent cUmmen interest," With an at
tachment to the community, hatla right of
suffrage
The Constitution of Maryland lrovided
All freemen above twenty -oni years of
age, having a freehold of fifty acrs of land /
in the county in which they offel to vote,
and residing therein, and all freerfn having /
property in this State above they value of |
thirty pounds current money, aid having /
resided IN the county in which the offer to /
vote one whole year next preceding the /
election, shall have a right of suffice IN the |
election of delegates for such couty.
The Virginia Declaration of Rghts pro- I
yided
''All men having sufficient eidence of |
permanent common interest, ~itlRn attach |
ment to the community, have tn right of
suffrage
The Constitution of North Caplina con
taiued this provision
IAN freemen of the age of tyenty-one |
years, who have been inhabitantSf any one
county within the State twelve months inn
mediately preceding the day of Az election,
and shall have paid public taxes shall be
entitled to vote for members of dc House
Of Commons for the county in Which they
reside
The Constitution of Georgia declared that
''The electors Of the member of both
branches of the General Assemble shall be
citizens and inhabitants Of this Safe, and
shall have paid tax for the year preceding
the election, and shall have rsided SIX
months within the county.
So far not a word about distiictions on
account of color. AN freemen' every
free man, that is the phrase. But now
we come to South Carohna-a Safe which
never had a arepublican or democratic form
OF goyernment-whose people n6er voted
for President where only few Wealthy eit-
izens were held capable of holding Office.
The Constitution of this arist6ratic tory
State provided that
The qualifications of an electsr shall be
every free lelite man, and no other person,
DC.
Colored people voted in Pennsylvania till
1888 in Connecticut they voted till 1917.
In New York, originally, waite and black
stood upon the same ground, the right to
vote in both being dependent upon prop
erty qualification. About the year 1896, an
amendment of the Constitution abolished
this property test as regards the white man,
but left it 1nrepealed as regards the blacks.
That is to say, it was half reform.
Within the memory of men now living,
negroes voted regularly In North Carolina
and in Tennessee. In the former State, it Is
related that wealthy slave-owner secured
his election to Congress by setting free a
considerable number of hisslaves, who went
70 the polls and voted for him in body
/ In Tennessee, a person well known in his
day was FIRST elected to Congress by negro