The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-10-27
The Constitutional Amendment and
Negro Suffrage.

The editor Of the Journal whoever ~ is. /.
very sorely vexed about negro ,alrrasc. Il /,
ptiablo 70 see his feeble attempts g. excite thu
IeOple ON the subject. Having no truth on hi
eide. hc is given 10 the most glazing fal.cho',l-
sud the bassst nisreprcscnta;!ons. liz takes
uPa new position only u lose il Tho peopi,
read tho desperate rawlings 81 bis pom. and
smile. Although he spike Of tho upper cnd 81
the county. some time since. as "bsrrcn dis.
",rie,," the pcopies' heads are no; - " baFrca'
a. ~ DO deceived by such shallow bcsh 20 q,
wont 10 appear in tho JoarHa'.
few weeks ago he tried 20 make tho people
believe that the civil Rights bill made tho no
gro = voter. We nailed that lie and then hs
took up the second section OF the Constitutional
Amendment propOscdb by Congress and attempt
ed to argue negro suffrage into that Driven
from this position, In last week. paper b.,
makes the same atteuirt with the fr.t section
This section reads thus
"Ali persons born OF natHraiizod in the Uni.
ted States. AMI subject a. the Jurisdiction there
Of. are citizens ct the United states aud OF the
state wherein they reside. No state shall mai
or enforce any law which shall abridge the pri-
vlieges or immunites Of citix@ns Ot the I nItsi
States, nor shall any State deprive any pcrsor
oi liGe. liberty or property without due process
oi law; nor deny % any person within lis Jt
sisdleuon the equal protection OF The laws"
Then follows tho Journals rerv iog,cGi ira .
OF Argument thus: Z" Who are eiti4cnsl White
"and black. what il one OF tho immuniiies 81
"a citizen! Voting, Of course. Consequently
"if the Constitutional Amendment lie adopts
by the requisite numVer Of States. it will h
"out Of Asir power to proven, the nesrp from
voting.
Now read the following.
Chancellor Kent, the author OF a worA ou
American Law which i. studied by every Law
student in the country before he il admitted to
the bar. aud al authority that even the JiHraai
dare no; question. says; " Ths privilege " -.
ting aud ne legal capacity for holding eS-e, ar,
mot essential TO the character II a eitisen. for
roMcn arc citizens without eitA6r. Citizens,
lander our Constitution and laws. mean ire,
I" iaAaBitaats. born within the United States. OF
"naturaiixed under the laws Of Congress. Ia
"siare g. aanumis,el or q black man 81 born fro,
piiAiR the United States. &c becomes fAsAcCf Tor.
srard ciilssn. but under such disabilities a,
"the laws Of the States respectively may deem
"ii exPedient to prescribe 90 free persons Of
"color."
Another authority;
Edward Bates. of Missouri, Attorney Genera
Of the United States under Mr. Lincoln. and
strong supporter Of Johnson, in lS62 rendered
a decision which has been the policy Of th.
Government; ever since. in which he said: IN,
"error can be graver than the srgumen; that
"the right 10 vote Is ous Of the Constitutions
elements Of American citizenship. Neither
infancy. nor madness, nor crime. can tax,
"sway from the subject the quality Of citizen
"and our laws do. ia express terms, dcclsf,
womeE and children 10 be ci,izens aud a. ID,
"privilege Of voting or holding Office is no, g..
"sential to citizenship. sc the deprivation Off
by law is not deprivation 81 citiEcnsbip.---
No MORO 20 IN nc case Of a negro tian u ~.
"esse Of a 'oomaH or child. n. person IN th'
"United States ever did exercise the right o
suffrage by virtue o; u" naked. uHassistst
fact Of citizenship
So that !, appears, from these high suthcri
ties. that free negroes, born in this country
have always been citizens Of the United State
yet none. by virtue Of their mere citizenship
ever voted. In the view VI these eminent ia
rists. the very essence Of the ebovc section Il
already in tho Constitution Of tho United State.
In spite Of the Journals vain effort to decciV,
the people into the belief thatwhsn insn Is
citizen he necessarily vote.
hat the Constitution itself settles the matter
beyond the possibility u doubt. IN tho frs
article and second section thereof occur. thii
clause; NO person shall be Representative
"whe shall not have attained the age ~ t,rc,,t "
fre years. and been seren wars n c,fi.cH nm.
% Uniasd States"
That iss BY the Constitution Of the United
states man Is = citizcn before he is twenty
one years Of age, yet We all know that no on,
can vote untii he reaches that agc. Hence IN,
ls~rsars statement that voting " one 81 IN.
privileges Of citizenship. Is faise, ~nquaiistdl,
Jaiss.
Now, what will the editor Of that paper d.
An this mai,sr1 will he attempt TO argue th.
matter against the authorities We have quoted
or viii he. ~ an honest man should do, &c
knowledge that he has been trying 10 deeciv.
the psopis. and make amends for the crime b,
telling his readers the truth next week
We shall zee.
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