Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-19
TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHING
TON CITY.

The "City Authorities" so-called, Of
Washington have requested the voters there
Of to assemble on Thursday next and vote on
the question of "colored suffrage" The
Authorities" proper Of this District, Of
which Washington is the principal part, are
the President and Congress. The former
has declared by proclamation that all col.
ored men are forever free, and both Houses
OF Congress have under consideration the
subject Of comforting upon all male colored
persons of twenty -one years and over, who are
not criminals, the right to vote in this District
Six thousand of these colored men have
signed their names to petitions to Congress,
asking the right to vote and it is as well
known by the municipal "authorities'' oil
Washington as by any other class of citizens
that Congress will probably confer the right
asked for upon the basis which President
JOHNSON says he would confer 1t in Tennes-
see, IL he was there. Knowing this, the
"municipals " are undertaking to flank
the forthcoming act Of Congress by
the farce Of an ELECTION" so called, at
which We have no doubt all the men now in
this city, who few months ago were point
ing rebel bayonets at the breasts of loyal
men, will cast q vote against the right o.
franchise to the six thousand intelligent col
orsd loyalists referred to above, many OF
whom, though they barred their breasts to
the storm of rebel bullets for the sake of the
Union and to save this capital, will not BE-
| permitted to vote.
Such an election is a farce
| | We call upon all those in favor of suffrage
10 the colored men in this city to stay away
from the polls on Thursday next. Let th'
sympathiring friends and supporters of the
lIte barbaric system of human slavery show
their strength. Others should keep away
Thank God the peculiar institution" hal
|
loyal arms, but by the votes Of three-fourthi
of all the States the crushing process has
been sanctioned. and the official ediot Of the
Secretary of State, which appears, authori
tatively, elsewhere in our columns to-day, IL
the browning act necessary to the Constitu
tional provision declaring that 'neithel
slavery nor involuntary seryitude" 4
shall exist within the United States, or any
place subject 10 their Jurisdictions.
The election" announced for Thursday
is for the purpose of reyiying and keeping
alive the spirit of slavery in this District
We meet the question squarely and promptly
and declare our earnest opposition to it. W.
shall do in the future as we have done in tn,
past-all that we can do to destroy slavery
whenever and wherever it shows its Internal
devilish, God-defying head.
We are against it. Against 1t all the time
Against it upon principle. Against it from
policy.
We say again, to all those in favor o
granting the right of suffrage to colored mel
in this city, to stay away from the polls oil
Thursday.
To 90 thars-is an insult to the President
to Congress, and to the noble Army of tn
Union who fought and blod and died that
might be saved.
Let Congress reconsider its action Of sPe
cial assignment yesterday, act promptly be
fore the holidays, and give suffrage to tn
cOlorsd men Of this District.