The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-07-20

slavery, they will be willing to permit
the other one fourth to pursue policy
towards the emancipated slaves which
deprive them of all the legitimate fruits
Of their freedom, and keep them In con-
dition little if any better than that from
which they have been emancipated.
1t would perhaps, be unreasonable to
expect the States to agree to any modi-
fication of the Constitution which would
yield to the General Government the
power of prescribing the qualifications of
voters in the States. We are by no
means certain that it is desirable that
they should. We believe, however, that
very simple amendment, obviously just
in principle, and which would not, in the
least, encroach upon the rights OF the
States, would secure the extension OF
the right of suffrage to all classes OF
citizens, by the States themselves, rs
speedily as it wonld be expedient
to extend it This would be simply
to provide that representation in
the States according to the number of
legal voters in each A limit might be
fixed, beyond which the right Of suffrage
should not be extended; As for instance.
that it should not be extended to any
but male citizens Of the United States
of the age of twenty lone years and up
wards. But, subject to this, or some
similar limitation, every State might be
left entirely free to prescribe the quail
fications of voters. The desire of every
State to increase its representation in
Congress would be q sufficient induce
ment TO extend the right Of suffrage to
all classes within the prescribed limits
as speedily as it would be safe and ex-
pedient to do so.
Under the existing provisions of the
Constitution apportioning Representa-
tives in Congress among the States &C
cording to population, without regard to
the number Of voters, manifest inequali-
ty, which it is difficult to reconsile with
any just principle, results For in
stance, South Carolina, with voting
(white) population of only 29l 1888, will
be entitled, under the census of 1860,
{now that the negroes are all free} to
six Representatives in Congress, while
Hew Hampshire, with a voting popula-
ton of 625, $40, is only entitled TO three
Representatives. And in like manner the
State of Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa,
each with a voting population about two
and a half times as numerous as that OF
South Carolina, are each entitled to pre-
ClSelS Tile same hummer Vi 1SCRl CSCAs0-
tives as that State is. In other words,
two voters in South Carolina have an
equal representation in Congress to five
voters in any one of the Northern or
Western States.
Ifthe Representatives in Congress were
apportinoed among the several States
according to the number Of qualified vo-
ters, South Carolina. under the limita-
ton of the riOht of sufYrAUe To white
persons, would only be entitled to two
Representatives. How long would she
hesitate to extend the right Of suffrage
to her colored population. II by doing SO
she could increase her representation in
Congress three-fold? We do not doubt
that this simple IL manifestly just amend
ment of the Constitution would lead to
the prompt extension Of the right of
suffrage to the colered people of those
States where this class is numerous
The more numerous, the stronger would
be the inducement to enfranchise them,
and gain the additional representation
due to their number.