The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-09-25


that might be easily obviated and easily
answered. Suppose the basis of representa-
tion was the very one suggested by An
drew johnson, that all men above the age
of twenty-one years, citizens Of the United
States, who, by the laws of the States are
entitled 10 vote, shall be the basis of rep
rescntationY What thcnS What Is the OBJ
lection to that planY- II is simple uni
form, applying to all sections without any
appearance of lcgislating against any par
tlcular interest or particular section. Il
/ is fair, maHvand honorable. The true basis
Of representation are men who cast the
votes.
so of New England. II is said that New
| England willlose something because she
has a great number Of beautiful women and
children more than she has men. That Is
! true but ask you Mr.. President, your
self q distinguished representative from
| New England, where are the men who rep
resent these women? They are the best
blood ofyOur country who go westward
and there soon give tone to society, and
come back here to represent themselves
and the mothers aud sisters and kindred
they left behind. New England at this mo-
mcnt Is not only represented by her twelve
senators but by six or eight more who are
sons of New England who moved TO the
| West and carried with them their religion,
! their principles, and in some cases their
wives or where they did not we provided
wives for them. They came back here as
Senators and now stand here to vote New
\ England ideas and New England princi-
/ pies. Suppose New England should lose
member or two because the young men
have gone West?
Sir, l ought not to say anything further
| in regard TO a proposition made by the
Senator from Missouri so eloquently and
ably defended In long and elaborate ora
ton by the Senator from Massachusetts,
that we ought now TO start de novo, to go
back TO first principles and base represcn-
tation ON population, and take away from
States the power 10 fix the qualifications of
voters and proclaim that nobody should be
excluded from voting ON account of color.
IL has always seemed to me best to attempt
that which Is attainable; and when / say
to you that no man can really believe that
we can keep these States out from represen-
tation here until we can educate the people
of the United States up TO n change of their
Constitution so as to compel any State to
adopt negro suffrage it Is n proposition so
clear that need scarcely discuss 1t.
five propose to exclude those eleven
States from the Union until we can COM
pei three-fourths of the States to vote for
negro suffrage, then these eleven States will
be Hungary, Poland, an Ireland, to be
ruled over by the military rod for years to
come. You may depend upon 1t the people
of the United States will not ac-
quiesce in that demand They will not
waste their energies and their money In en-
forcing so impossible proposition.
Let us now pass to the speech of Mr..
HENDERSON, of Missouri, one of the most
radical members Of the Senate, who offered
the following amendment to the Con-
stitution: (See Globe of 1866, page 115.)
ARTICLE II. No State in prescribing the
qualifications requisite for electors therein
shall discriminate against any person on
account of color or race.
In speaking against the proposition to
amend the Constitution as it is now, offered
by the radical party, he said
EXTRACTS FROM HENDERsON's SPEECH
From Congressional Globe of 1865, pages 49,
1i6, &c
Mr.. IIENDERSON-At an early period
of the session the prevailing sentiment,
looking to the obj ect have indicated, was
in favor of a simple constitutional provis-
ion by which representation should be
based on roters qualified as electors under
the state Constitutions and laws. This, it
was thought would force the South to ac-
knowledge the political rights ofthe negro.
Indeed, it had no other object. | am not
for disgracing, nor will disguise, for party
purposes, the object had in view in this or
other measures. 1t is no time for dssem-
bling. The questions are too great, the in
terests at stake too large for dissimulation.
ANY attempt now ut conccalment is absurd.
Is it not worse than absurd? Is 1t not Grim
inal?
refer to this measuse, tbasing represen-
tation on voters its former popularity and
the strange and sudden disfavor into which
It fell. to warn Senators against the danger of
sectional or selfish considerations In the
settlement of the great question before us.
Absolute justice seemed to be stamped upon
the face of the measure and representatives
were ready to accept it, as they would ac-
cept n demonstration of Euclid. 1t was
fair, would apply to all the States alike,
and its great merit was that it secured be-
yond doubt the great end desired-negO suf-
trdge in the Southern States. The political
penalty attached to its denial was TOO heavy
to be borne. just at this moment, young
and talented Representative from Maine
(Nlr. Blaine) thought he would examine the
figures. He betook himself to the census
and found the proposition would not do. 1t
suddenly became unjust. Why unjust?
Because, if adopted, the Eastern and At
lantic States would lose po'oer comparative
ly with the West. The active and enter
prising young men of those States are In the
habit of emigrating west The toomen are
left, but men seek their fortunes in larger
fields of adventure.
lie discovered that in 1860 the entire pop
ulation of California was 379,904; and that
ont of that number 273,337 were males and
only l06,657 were females. He discovered
also that Illinois had S9S9ll white males
and only S05,3j0 females; an excess of 93,-
59l, enough to give Illinois an additional
memter of Congress under the contempla-
ted rule. He discovered also that Louisi-
ana had an excess OF males over females of
$4,000; kaosas ll,000; Iowa $4,000; Indiana
$4,000; Missouri 63,000 and other Western
and Southwestern States in like propOr-
ton, whilc Connecticut, New Hampshire,
New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
and the Atlantic States generally have an
| excess of females over males. Hence. while
the rule might c0eyce the Southern States
to adopt negro suffrage; it would at the
same time weaken the representative power
of the East; in other words, while it might
coerce the South to adopt negro suffrage IL
might drive the North and East to ao0man
suffrage, for which they were not prepared.
The very moment MIR. Blaine made some
figures on the subject and laid them before
the House of Representatives, the PROPOSE
ton was dead forever.
Representation was purposely made une-
quail in the Senate, but in the lower House