Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-18
THE LEADER LEADS.
Eoual sunrage i'm the Territories.

A bill to amend the organic acts OF the
territories of Nebraska, Colorado, Daco-
tab, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Utah
and New Mexico, passed the House of
Representatives on Tuesday. The only
feature of the bill which has any political
Importance or significance is its ninth
section, ~forbidding any denial of the cleo
tive franchise in any of these territories
on account of race or color, and establish
ing equal rights before the law throughout
their extent. A motion to amend the bill
by striking out this section was lost yeas
&c, noes rs, more than two-thirds of the
members present voting against it. By this
vote, as already by the passage of the bill
establishing equal suffrage in the District
of Columbia, the Republican majority in
the House of Representatives has COM
-mitted itself to equal suffrage as a prinei-
pie. We hope that the Senate may act
speedily on both bills, so that the disfran-
chisement of men on account of race or
color may nowhere be permitted where
the government of the United States has
power to forbid it.
The steps by which the national legis-
lature is marching on toward equal suf-
frage remind US very much of the way in
which the same body made its gradual
approach to the abolition of slavery. The
history of the one reform is paralleled by
the history of the other. Congress began
by prohibiting slavery in the national ter
ritories and abolishing it in the national
capital, Just as it now begins by establish
ing equal suffrage in the same places. 1t
took these steps against slavery against
the protests of timid friends and indig-
nant foes. The same Glasses are now
clamoTing Justify against similar steps in
behalf of equal suffrage. Then, as now,
the Senste was conservative, doubling,
hesftant; while the House, whose members
came more directly from the people, was
eager, aggressive, active. But in spite of
doubt and hesitation, the good work went
on. After abolishing slavery where it had
the legitimate right, under the Gonstitu-
ton, to do SO, Congress proceeded to
abolish it everywhere by Constitutional
amendment. Let US hope that now, after
establishing equal suffrage where it has the
undisputed right under the Constitution, to
do so, Congress may establish it every
where by Constitutional amendment.
We entreat the present Congress to com
plete the parallel which We have
hastily sketched by proposing, before it
adiourns, an amendment to the Constitu-
ton prohibiting any state from exclu-
ding anyot its citizens from the exercise of
the elective franchise on account of race
or color. It has the power to do SO, if
it only has the courage. There is a two
thirds majority in both Houses of Con-
gress in favor of equal suffrage as a prin-
eiple, if they will take counsel of their
cCnsciences and not of their fears.
Such an amendment, if passed, would
undoubtedly be triumphantiy ratified.
This may not now be evident, but the
progress of events will soon develop and
demonstrate it. What more unlikely-to
recur again to our parsllel-what more
unlikely, in 1868, could have been imag-
med, than that in 1866, slavery within
the United States could be abolished by a
constitutional amendment ratified by
~thirty-four out of the thirty seven states
The obduracy of the rebellion forced us to
crush slavery. So the contumacy of the
rebels viii compel US to do justice to the
freedmen and adopt Equal Suffrage.