New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-01-23
PHYSICAL SUFFRAGE.

cu5sed. Some sOit-neaded, SHALLOW anu VIZ
lently fanatical men think to shovel it out OF the
way. as they thought to shovel Slavery; but
put it down as you will, and we expect to see it
put down good many times, it will presently
come up again 10 vex us. We have our opin-
ions, but We do not pretend that they are inial-
lible, and we are always glad to listen to what
can be said upon the other side. Mr.. Senator
Davis. five understand bis remarks made in
his place on the 10th instant, contends that
Blacks should not vote
/. Because q foul odor exudes from their
skin.
9. Because their heels make holes in the
ground.
? We have thought over the matter with all
possible care and gravity, but thus far we have
been unable to discover what personal fragrance
has to do with the right of suffrage. There
was, it is true, an ancient notion that kings
were naturally .sweet-scented, and the courtiers
of Alexander the Great told him that his body
reminded them Of yiolets-but We believe that
they lied, and Alexander, who was the best
judge, was of the same opinion. All we con-
tend for is fairness. There are in this city
thousands of men to whom water, soap, land
towels are unknown, or at least unused luxu-
ries-who though called white by courtesy,
carry cuticles grimy with the accretions Of
years-who are therefore not pleasant to the
nostrils of their nicer fellow-ciizens; yet
they not only vote but they vote often
at the same election--they not only vote
but they arc voted for--they not only
vote, but they assault and batter those
who do not agree with them. What
"exudes from their skins" we cannot say
though we are SUI that it is not Balm Of a
Thousand Flowers, but that which, from morn
ing to night. and so on until the next morning,
goes into their skins, is of compound favor of
camphene and alcohol, and though it may give
them q strong, does not give them dulcet
breath. Suppose We should take the ground
that these free and independent gentlemen
ought to be excluded from the polls on account
of their malodorous misfortunes, or rather
faults' And if you begin, where are you to
draw the linel Are you to turn the election
authorities into a mere smelling committee ?
Besides, there is no disputing of tastes. Some
people like one smell, some another--Some
favor the scent Of garlic, while to others it is in
tolerable BY what standard shall we legally
constitutionally aud equitably turn up our
nosesl
We wish that Mr.. Davis, who is very
learned man, had told us by what ratiocination
he deduced the fact that long heels are ncom.
of the right Of suffrage. His speech would have
been the most entertaining, erudite, instructive,
novel, fascinating, and unanSwerable thing on
record since the great Slawkenbergius gave to
the world his Theory Of Noses. DR.. Gall judged
men by genealogical protuberanceS, the good
Lavater by facial lines; DR.. Davis goes plump
down to the heel he scrutinizes it, be compares
it, he measures it, he criticises it, and, glowing
with patriotic science, he cries out that the lib.
critics Of the land will be endangered if the
owner Of such q misshapen, elongated hole.in.
foreground heel is to be allowed to
vote! We bow with reverence to the
dctum, but We do wish such is hu.
man curiosity, that he had told us the
reason why. For man does not think
with his heel; he does not read with his heel;
be does not ask questions with his heel; he does
not, unless be be heels over head, make up his
mind by, with or through his heel--not though
it were better peel than the heel of Achilles,
most invulnerablc. indefatigable and infallible
heel! Davis refers to Cuvier, but we will
wager whatever Davis pleases that not one
word can be found in all the works Of Cuvier
upon the connection between long heels and the
right of suffrage. These fancies are fascinating,
but are they not q little dangerous By-and-by
who can insure US against itl-star-eyed
science will be discovering perhaps that men
with red hair, or with thin beardssor with handy
legs, are of IAN inferior race" unless indeed the
red-haired, thin-bearded, and bandy-legged
men get the .black.haired, bushy-bearded and
straight legged men under, and cut them off
from the felicities of the ballot. DR.. Davis does
not see into what o tOpsy.turvy world he would
us, nor how, if these superfne objec-
lions were having their swing, he might be OBJ
ected to for deficiency in personal beauty,
though he may be the handsomest man in Con-
gress for anything we know; but then the ugly
ones might bring ugliness into political fashion,
and put change into the Constitution adverse
to the shape of DR.. Davs's shins, shapely as we
shall suppose them to be, and beautiful as they
are In the eyes Of DR.. DIS bootmaker Yes, he