, 1866-02-23

ia deprived not only OF the privileges aud tm.
mnnttlcs Of sovereignty, hnt Is placed outside
ofthc palc Of the Constitution, With no right
but that Of revolution rom the ballot
that people and citizens are Synonymous.
Nov, Il freedmen are not made ciiizeus under
tic act Of ofcmancipation, there u no power In
Congress OF State governments to mike them
80. BIZ. Yates also deduced from the Dred
Scott opinion that ii the negro had not been
In s3eFeIy At the adoption Of the Constttu-
ton, he must hare been regarded as soyer-
eign race. At that time, negroes voted In
many OF the States, showing tbat, while Ia
boring under tho disabilities of slavery. they
were not regarded as deprived altogether Of
r1snts Which white men are bound to re-
decision which, under the altered Constitu-
ton. docs not support the proposition that
the negro now stands on tho same footing as
the While man. Mr.. Yates held that Con
Eress had power to refuse TO admit auy State
that refused to Ernnt universal suffrage. He
referred to the clause in the Consultation
gav1ng power 70 the States to regulate the
Ito regulate" did not mean to abolish right
,,e, VA It n the power Of any State 10 say that
white man ahould not vote; that . German
Or an Hislman should not vote. Had South
carolina to say that q Yankee should not
yote! No. a Legislature may decide on The
sSe1gth OF time requisite TO make citizen in
State. 6nt could not deprive one Of citizen
ship. The object of that clause Is not to rive
me power to exclude any class. bnt to declare
70 all that they shah have the right of sui.
Eage. Women do not vote because there Is
no power In, the Constitution authorizing
them to do so. It has been considered againR
thG tia,up p,oprieties Of ancient and modern
either the bayonet or the ballot. The
only exception Ii the tradition Of the
Amazons. They deprived themselves Of ihe
right breast: Would the Senator from Mis-
eouri, Mr: Henderson. approve Of such mutt
latfon! Would he deprive woman Of all
which constitute her the ornament oi society,
and inspire IN mon, 20 Edmund Burke says,
Tho highest and noblest passion Of human
life =" Under slavery, he continued, The child
took the status Of the mother. This law ofa
subject race was necessary to preserve It's
sub5ugntion but now the freedman took the
status of the father, and hundreds of thous.
ands Of these slaycs are descendants, not Of
Slaves, but Of free white men. lie was op-
posed to all restrictions Of sufIrecc which
were not inevitable, as In the cases Of women
and minors. What statesman dare 70 before
tho people advocating the change Of the tra-
ditlonal policy Of the Government, the equal
rights Of all mems Government depends up
on the intelligence and virtue OF the people,
rot intelligence alone. Do laws require auy
test Of intelligence! Yet We arc not afraid to
receive into The body polite from despotic
Europe, thousands Of persons who connot read
guage. Nj: Yates saId, though nm old Wing,
ho had never been Know Nothing. &c was
In favor Of admitting every foreigner upon
taking the oath Of fealty. Mr.. Lincoln said:
stAt some critical time, the vote Of the black
the family OF freedom" When the rebels Of
the South and the pro-slavery men Of the
North were SO near IN alliance, It Is only
Question Of days when that timo will arrive.
II universal suffrage Is wrong, then our Gov
c1nmcnt Is wrong-the words Of our fathers
failurc-the Declaration string Of glittering
gcneralities. IT may turn ont IN the future
wrong, and that the people are incapable Of
selt-gcrenmcnt. But have no fears, He
hod no fears. We are approaching the grand
eonsn1nmntion, the apotheosis Of Tint living
principle which fed the prosecutions Of The
old world and found refuge among the sterile
against taxation without the consent Of
the people taxed; which rotisted on
the bloody field Of Bunker Hill
the rule OF class legislation; which culml-
mated In the assertion Of the indies truct1blo
ideas Of the Declaration Of Independence,
and which will terminate the world; This
Congress, BY completing the work begun,
will crown itself with the amaranth Of i'm
mortality. Mr.. Yates gave history Of the
rise and progress Of tho party Of freedom,
aud appealed 10 1t not to ialtcr now before q
fow raw recruits, who would fight over again
the old battles Of the pro-slarery party, now
gathered 10 the dust of It's Kindred despot-
lsnls. He concluded by saying: senatorsl
sixty centuries Of the past are looking down
upon yoa! AL the centuries Of the future
are calling upon you! Liberty, struggling
amid the ruins and wrecks Of empires ID the
past, aud Jet To struggle for nto in all the
nations OF the world, conjnses you to seize
this great opportunity which the providence
Of Almighty God has placed in your hands,
TO bless The world and make your names i'm
mortal, TO carry to a full aud triumphant con-
summation the great work begun BY your
fathers, and thus permanently, so1ldly and
1mmovably, to lay the capstoue upon the
pyramid OF human liberty.
During the delivery Of the speech, on the
exhibition Of applause In the galleries, TINT
portion Of the galleries was ordered to be
cleared.