The Portland daily press., 1865-07-14

H4DI-Ns .WOODBUk1,H
July 1866 IS ,iE III s.
THE RIGHT OF sUFFRAGE-THEN AND
s h&N NOW. -feGr
The question, to what extent free men shall
be permitted to exercise the right of suffrage,
is no new one in this country. Nor is the doc
trine novel one that, in the exercise of this
right no distinction should be made on ac-
count Of color Such distinction is of modern
date, and was born Of that spirit which has
enslaved a race, and reduced them from their
rightful position as men to mere chattels-
things. If we do not misjudge the hearts of
our readers, we think the facts embodied in
this article will satisfy them that, but for slave
ry, we should not be called upon to-day to de-
fend the inherent right Of free man of Ameri-
can birth, who is neither an Indian, nor an
imbecile or criminal, to have voice in the
government to. which lis required to yield
allegiance. The Constitution, it is true, bars
out OIL class of free natives, but for an obvi-
Gus and proper reason. Indians are neither
taxed nor allowed to vote. When taxes are inn
posed the right of suffrage is conceded. The
reason Of this provision is found in the roam
Ing, predatory habits of the Indians tribes;
their unwillingness TO regard the convention
alities of civilized life. Negroes have no such
habits. The domestic qualities predominant.
The same reason, therefore, for excluding them
from the right of suffrage does not exist.
Prior to the adoption of the Federal Consti-
t,,tso,, y; fo0 tl,t s+.4 90 a ~, GA
Grafton. They consisted Of the original thirteen.
At the time of the adoption of the Constitu-
ton Of the United States, there was but one
State whose Constitution Disseminated against
the colored nan-that Of South Carolina
Her Constitution provided that every elector
should be a free sohite man, and a ffeeholder
of fifty acres of land. Not one of the consti-
tutions of the original thirteen States, with
this exception, applied the word "white1 as
qualification for an elector.
As early as the 25th of June, 177S-two
years after the Declaration of Independence
in the Congress of the Confederation the or
ganic laws,--or I" Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union between the thirteen origi-
nal States,-were under consideration. The
4th article reads as follows:a3 3asln 9}rA
"The better to secure and perpetuates mutual
friendship and intercourse among the people of
the different States in this Union the FREE IN
HABITANTs of each of these States, paupers,
vagabonds and fugitives from Justice excepted,
shall be entitled to all priuiEegss and ipsluaities
of FREE CITIZENS in the several States; and the
people of each State shall have free i1lgress and
regress to and from other States, and shall en-
joy therein all the privileges of trade and COM
meroe, sc.
When this article was under consideration
it was excepted to by the delegates from South
Carolina, and one of them moved to amend by
inserting the word 4,chitc" between the words
"free inhabitants" so as to restrict the priv
ieges and i1nmunities'' provided for and guar
anteed in this article to the free Unite inhabit
ants. tse sI1a&@ sD &m asNa
On this proposition eleven of the thirteen
States voted; and only too, South Carolina be-
ing one of the two, voted in favor of this re-
strictive amendment One State divided, and
eight States voted against the amendment, and
therefore against making any distinction on
account of color. The delegates from South
Carolina then moved another amendment,
having in view the same object, but the mo-
ton was rejected by the same vote as the
amendment already referred to. 49, s-as ~ s. le
So things remained up to the time of the
adoption of the present Federal Constitution
in 178O,-indeel, till 1SS4,-no distinction be-
ing made among the inhabitants on account
of color, but free blacks having all the rights,
privileges and irnmunities of free whites, so
that, so far as the common Union or Confeder-
alton had power to secure it, there was the
most perfect political and civil equality between
the free negroes and the free white people.
And the men who inaugurated this state Of
things were the men Of the Revolution That
Congress which passed the votes and rejected
the amendments referred to, embraced giants
in intellect and heroic worth; it embraced
Thomas Jefferson, john and Samuel Adams,
Roger Sherman, Philip Livingston, John
Wetherspoon, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin
Franklin, and men of that style of thought
and character. sfsor., isa.aasssfs 4
If we inspect the State Constitutions of that
day we shall find very little to comfort those
who now inveigh against negro suffrage, and
who would exclude men from voice in the
selection Of their rulers because the Creator
painted their brows a few shades darker than
those of European extraction. The right to
vote-regulated by the States it is true-was
right with few Of the restrictions which mod
ern Democracy would impose upon it.
The Constitution of Massachusetts provided
that: sts.r -s...,..s.sA
Every male person lbeing twenty-one years
Of age, and resident in any particular town in
this Commonwealth for the space of one year
next preceding) having freehold estate within
the same town of the annual income of three
pounds, or any estate Of the value of sixty
pounds shall have a righ5 u vote in the choice
OF representative for the said town"
The Old Bay State has since wiped out her
property qualification, and requires that the
voter shah be able to read and write, but no
distinction on the ground of color is recog-
nlzed now any more than then.
Rhode Island had no Constitution; only a
Royal Charter, which provided that the mem
bers Of the General Assembly sboud he elect
ed by @the major part of the freee,ne1 Of the
respective towns or places" No distinction
was based on color. :" : !
Connecticut, like Rhode Island, acted ,,,,dar
colonial charter, according to which the ona,.e
ations Of an elector were maturity in vear.
ct and peaceful behavior, civil conyersa'
and forty shillings freehold, or forty
personal estate" ~
constitution of New York provided
nale inhabitant of full age, who shall
'nally resided within one of the courl-,
State for six months Immediately
G day of election, shall, at such
ntitled to vote for representative
3aaty ia the Assembly, if, during
sesaid, he shall have been a free
yessing a freehold of the value of
1nds within the said county, or have
tenement therein of the yearly value
,I sni "a az and have rated and actually
The Constitution ~ ~ 81.