The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-05-04

why that cultivation should not be
most eminently successful.
I shall not refer to the " grasshop-
per argument because my dlstln-
guished friend from Nevada Mr..
Nye1 has, I think, sufficiently ex-
hausted that subject. Laughter.
Mr.. President, when [ had occasion
to address the Senate few days since
on this subject, ! gave very briefly my
reasons for the admission of Colorado.
| have not changed those reasons.
Why is that admission opposed? Be
cause there is not enough population
there? That is mere matter OF
guess work and speculation; no one
knows what the population amounts
to, and each one comes to different
conclusion. The Mayor of Denver
says the population is probably thirty
five Oh forty thousand; the Territorial
Legislature thinks it is as much as
fifty thousand; some other gentlemen
put it down at twenty-five thousand.
Why do [ vote, then, to admit them
with this small population? Because,
even though they did not comply
technically with the enabling act,
they did comply substantially; and
granting, In the language of the SEN
ator from Massachusetts, that that
enabling act is null and void and ex-
PRED by its own terms, what had the
| people of Colorado the right to infer
/ from the passage of that act? That
/ Congress was willing that they should
organize a State Government and
although they did not comply with
the terms of the enabling act, States
have been admitted without any en-
abling act at all and we are so far
/ bound at least by the passage of that
enabling act, that it was an invitation
/ for them to come, an intimation that
their coming would be welcome; and
even though they had acted upon
their own motions taken their own
plan and not ours, they had right to
infer that they would be welcome
when they formed State Govern
ment.
/ suppose, however, the real objec-
ton is the word white in this con-
stitution [ have already said that [
| should prefer that that word was not
in the constitution of any State In the
United States. But | will not vote to
exclude Colorado simply because she
does not permit negro suffrage; | will
not vote to exclude any of the rebel
States simply because they do not per-
NIT negro suffrage. III believe that
| they are essentially right and loyal in
every .Other respect, and if they dis
franchise their rebel voters, / would
not stand upon this qualification, be,
cause the whole practice of the Gov
eminent has been different. Why is
it necessary to strike out the word
white y? Because, we are told, it is
in contravention of that provision of
/ the Constitution which says that Con-
gress shall guarantee to each State in
the Union republican form of gov
eminent. From the Foundations of the
Government down to the present hour
that interpretation Of the Constitution
has nexEr.f0r one moment obtained in
Congress, or in any other department.
of the Government. Every single
Territory has been organized without
questioning the right to determine
the qualification of voters. Every
single new State has been admitted
with the word white in its Consti-7
tuition. 4 We have recognized them as
republican in form for three quarters
of century, The grand triumphs of
this country in three wars, and its i'm
provement in material interests. have
1 all been brought out under this inter
probation of the fathers that State
|. might be republican in form and still
have the word white In it1aI look
/ forward in the future, and no distant
/ future, when the force of public opin-
ion, mightier In this land than an ar
my with banners, will strike the word
/ siwhite Tout of every State Constita-
ton; but / do not propose to make
this test in the case of Colorado,
when it has never been made a test in.
the case of any other State or Terri
tory SIS S. sesls aela IITtr
I have no fancy for dipping buckets
into empty wells and growing old
drawing up nothing. / believe in
more practical craftsmanship than.
that Here you have people of vast
sss't.s - ssntoll mining interests
/ knocking at your doors Tor ADMISSION,
with a @full-framed Constitution and
legally elected officers, claiming rep
RESERVATION upon. this floor. represent
Ping from thirty to fifty thousand .peo-
pie. land among that number there are.
as | am told, some seventy or eighty
negroes, all told; and because the ne
groes are not allowed to, vote, they are
not to be permitted to enter, and they
are to be thrown across the pathway
IN the victorious march of this grand
young empire midway between the
Pacific and the Mississippi. We are
to stop and have our hands tied be-
cause the seventy or eighty negroes
are not permitted to vote The dis
tlnguished Senator from Massachu-
sets, as it seems to me, is still dip
| ninn h11cEafS into