The colored Tennessean., 1865-10-07

branch Of the State Legislature Therefore
! liany point be settled it is clear that fhs
| trainers of the Constitution intended that each
should not The only limitation upon this power
IS tne duty Of the National Government to main
tain in each State a republican form of govern
| ment:" The question may arise, and doubtless
will In the next Congress- not all these rights
and gnarantees changed In State where the
voters have voluntarily renounced their ale
glance and gone into the work of rebellion
Ian stat renotnce its allegiance. engage in the
reasonable work of rebellion, and yet come for
ward and insist upon its right in this respect? 1t
VIII be admitted on all hand that the United
states has the right to punish traitors by depriv-
ing them Of their lives. their property, or tllcr
franchise. 1t will be urged that it is absurd to
Kill traitors and confseate their property, and
ytn NAV sd er
vote, why not say who shall vote This may ap-
ply TO South Carolina Alabama, Mississippi
Florida Texas and other States that led off in the
work Of treason Ny arguments are in vindica-
tiOn of the rights of Tennessee. i am no South
ern advocate Of the wild doctrine of STATE Sow
day. Article /, Section !, Of the Constitution the
9th and 10th Articles of the Amendments say :;
!. Ihe people shall not be disparaged, and the
powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution are reserved to the people'-that sto
4 say, to the States Again, this authority is made
obvious by Article l. Section 4, which reads as fol-
lows, VIZ: :" The time, place and manner of hold
ing elections for Senators and Representatives
shall be prescribed in each State blythe Legisla-
ture thereof But the Congress may, at any time,
6y taac, make or alter such regulations, except as
to the place of choosing Senator'S The Consti-
tuition of the United States and laws in pursu-
ance thereof say: " A person charged with trea-
SON. felony, Or other crimes, who Shall fee from
justice, and be found in another State shall be
delivered up to be removed to the State having
jurisdiction of the crine'' +, Ao .tit1
COLoRED sUFFRAGE IN OTHER STATES
i think that negro suffrage is bound to follow
as one OF the great results of the rebellion that
the time viii come when it will be proper and
right; but that the time has not vet come when
should In tha
clpated slaves of this State, and the thousands
VINO would rush into Tennessee from the Cotton
states on this account To the silly objection that
negro suffrage implies social equality beg leave
20 respond that negroes, at one time or another
have voted in most of the Southern States, and
yet tney were IN no way advanced to social equal
1ty with the whites. My recollection is thatan
every Southern State, except South Carolina the
right OF suffrage was originally exercised by free
Dacks. The original Constitutions of Delaware
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia
members of the Old Thirteen, make no mention
OF color in defining the qualifications of voters
Up to the time of the adoption of the Amended
Constitution, IN 1885, negroes voted in Tennessee
and the leading politicians OF the State impor,
tuned them en- for tor their votes; In Marylan they
voted until 1888, and in orth Carolina they voted
as late as 1885. All this failed to advance the ne
groes IN the scale of equality, foolishly talked
or now and so ofensiyely deprecated; and
amalgamation was not common in those days
as 1t has become since Is sFs...n.g FIrg
In Pennsylvania negroes voted until 1888. Yet
in that great free State negro had not the priv
lleges that he enjoyed in Tennessee before the re-
bellion. In Ohio they are allowed to vote upon
proving that tney have more white than African
ted until 1917, and strange to say, they diu not
attain for themselves an equality sufficient to
preserve the privilege of continuing to vote
There is even a constitutions provision in the |
state OF Massachusetts, excluding all men from
'he ballot-boX who cannot read tue Constitution
lnd write their own names. This provision, of |
course, excludes the colored people Of that State
Who cannot read and write and would exclude |
'ur entire colored populati on with but few ex- |
that they are not competent |
o judge OF the administration of public affairs
1 man who cannot read and write in Massa-
'husetts is unable to judge inteligently Of ques-
ions of public policy, now can the uneducated |
)lackS OF the South do so l understand those
politicians of the North who urge the claims Of
he Southern negroes to the right of suffrage
lace It upon the ground that they are in iavorof
ne government, admitting that they are not
ompetent TO Judge OF questions of public policy |
Even in New I ork, the great Empire State Of
he Union, the negro has not advanced one stan |
n the scale of equality, so insultingly and often
lively paraded before us in this day by the pro-
lavery men of the country. In that State the |
property qualification Although this odious
roperty qualification was removed as to the
Ihite voters of New York in 1926 it still applies
} the cOl0red electors, as | understand! What |
len shall we say of equality in the stronghold Of
freedom and equal rights,' so otficiously talked
by rebels and rebel sympathizers who are SO
ant people when the right of negro to vote is
rged who has shouldered his gun in defence Of
nr common country! All this outcry against a |
egro voting in any contingency. comes from n |
ngering sentiment of disloyalty in the South, |
ided to ancient prejudices, and to the savage |
stncts inspired by this institution in connection |
ith the rebellion. "A 'i-t l.4tt .t..1l J1-7T.~. |
We are entering upon a state of quiet conse- |
lent upon the overthrow Of the military power |
the rebellion, and when this quiet is secured |
e obligation will press upon us not only to |
rike the last fetter from the limbs of the bond
an, but also to see that all this ignorance and |
1verty, social and political disfranchisement to
Sr1h ota1a |
moved. Upon the solution of this momentous | ;
lestion of suffrage the emancipated slaves can
ell afford TO wait, and it is their duty to wait
hich could never be retrieved And if the Leg | 7
ature shall feel itself called upon to act in this
after, there should be the utmost patience and
but no haste. Certain it is that q
e majority in Congress has no right to expect
e Southern States, recently in rebellion to do
at for the eolored population Of the South O
a better educated class of free colered men in 9
cir own midst, And, being satisfied that the | : :
mediate and indiscriminate extension of the | =
anehise to the negroes will not prove as bene- | y
lent as many suppose, cannot recommend the / "
easuTe for your adoption. think it would be D
q poicy as well as wrong III principle, to open y
gly stupid slaves of the Southern cotton, rice -
d sugar fields. If allowed to vote, the great y
ijorty of them could be influenced by leading {,
to vote against the Government, as u
ey would be largely under the influence of this =
4ss Of men for years to come, having to reside =
ana Ineli W men the people -,
become satisfied that the negro is y
rthy of suffrage they, will extend it and not iltt
fore; and repeat that this question must be :,
.ulated by the State authorities and bv the q
al voters of the State not by the General ~
yernment, The Northern States regulate this "
esti0n, and exclude negroes from the ballet T.
(, and it would be unjust in them not to allow e
to manage this thing for ourselves, rs they do ba
der the same national Constitution. A major | nc nc
OF the American people have not determined bbe
establish negro suffrage Internationally: but He
time md /
active leading men the South desire to pre- a, a,
1t it, they would do Well to their hostility 1T
he Government for that will hasten its estab- | 49,
lment. am free to confess that if it becomes ~ ~
essary to enfranchise the blacks in order to W. W.
p the control of the country out of the hands 90 90
he rebels and traitors, am for the measure. | r.;
when the nation finds that all its liberaiity ~
offers OF pardon to rebels are in vain it will ~
steps to give suffrage to the blacks and an az,
IL cordially approve the act. As / stated in 81 81
uary to the Convention which nominated me ~
the office which now hold / desired that the W
ural rights of the colored people should be mo-
ranteed to them / was not ready to confer Nv ~
II them privilege which was purely con- Ci1 Ci'
tional at least till convinced they were quail Sir a.
to exercise it intelligently and discreetly. Sea
Eat, that we cannot hear of any excessive $oo
iety on the part of the earnest men of Ohio tso -
los, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York, ~ W,
hange the constitution of their respective | raii
es so as to admit colOred men to suffrage cai cai
y are distressed because the ballot is not at M na
thrust into the hands of the ignorant blacks ani %
ne cotton States but they are proposing Moth De De
ng themselves A decent respect for consist PFC PFC
Z, and the colored people they have i'm their IVY IVY
midst should lead them first of ALL to confer we
them right which they insist the freedmen Il t.
e South are entitled to. 1t being matter ''ie ',
which the States themselves have paril- ~
Mt control, our friends at the North should =,
n by setting a good example to less enight- the
ana patrloIlc states oI tne SOUTH As they Ass
beam IN tnelf own eye, they should pluck abil
t before taking the mote out of the eye of her
Southern neighbors. ra1a bge to h
--t- -,coLoRED CoLoNIzAT1oN ria .-.t .-s,. and
a. $50 +ha ,.;oo+ af a., orl. - ton
LIZ iile upo eiiV tht ~ eu laSe of I'll
=; Iel - e at t ei,o toitH dets
,nn - 49, 10 nnt, o ~ th uisposition vide
s among u.s. What the character of that - rs; e.
alton should be, it is not my province to say ~;
leave it to the good sense, experience and ~ ,5 T.
tion OF the members of the General Assem- ~"
determine. Heretofore the legislation of
tate has been against the slave population ! Tf
/ the Federal forces are withdrawn from to "
assee, many of those who fought to perpetu- BON
avery VIII snow the emancipated slaves no in Il
er /: and especially that class who are now | drIe