The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-02-01
PHYSICAL Suffrage.


must be discussed. Some soft-headed,
shallow and violently Sanatical men think
to shovel it out of the way, as they thought
to shove! Slavery; but put it down as
you viii, and we expect to see il put down
good many times, twill presently come
up again TO vex US. We have our opin-
ions, but we do not pretend thet they are
infallib!e, and We are always glad to listen
to what can be said upon the other side
Mr.. Senator Davis, if we understand his
remarks made in his place on the 18th
instant, contends that Blacks should not
vote,
l. Because a foul odor exudes from
their skin.
2. 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 natu-
rally sweet-scented, and the courtiers of
Alexander the Great told him that his
body reminded them of violets-but c
believe that they LIED, aud Alexander,
who was the best judge, was of the same
opinion. All we contend for is fairness.
There are in this city thousands of men
10 whom water, soap and towels are un-
known, or at least unused luxuries-who
though called white by courtesy, carry
cutic!es grimy with the accretions of
years-who are therefore not pleasant TO
the rOstris OF their nicer fellow-cltizens !;
yet they not only vote but they vote often
at the same election-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 sure that it is not Balm of a Thou
sand Flowers, but that which, from morn
lug to night, and SO on until the next
morning, goes into their skins, is Of a
compound flavor Of camphene aud alcohol
and though 1t may give them strong
/ does not give them a dulcet breath. Sup
/ pose we should take the ground that these
/ free and independent gentlemen ought TO
! be excluded from the polls On account of
1 their malodorous misfortunes, or rather
faults ! And If you begin, where are you
to draw the line Are You to turn the
election authorities into mere smelling
committee! Besides, there is no dispu-
ting of tastes. Some people like one
smell, some another-somc favor the scent
Of garlic, while to others it is intolerable.
| BY what standard shall we legally, constitu-
tionally and equitabIy turn up our noses
We wish that Mr. Davis, who Is a very
learned man, had told us by what ratiocj-
nation he deduced the fact that long heels
are incompatible with an intelligent and
honest exercise Of the right OF suffrage.
! His speech would have been the most en-.
tertaning, erudite, instructive, novel, fas-
c:nating, and unanswerable thing ou re-
, cord 'siuce the great Slawkenbergius gave
to the world his Theory of Noses Dr..
Gall judged men by genealogical protu-
! berances, the good Lavater by facial lines
Dir. Davis goes plump down to the heel ;
he scrutinizcs it, he compares it, he mea-
sures it, he criticises it, and, glowing with
patriotic science, he cries out that the
liberties CT the land will be endangered if
the owner of such misshapen, elongated
misunderstanding heel is to
be allowed to vote We bow with reve-
renee to the dictum, but we do wish, such
is human curiosity, that he had told us
the reason why. For man does not
think with his heel ; he does not read
with his heel; he does not ask questions
with his heel; he does not, unless he be
heels over head, make up his mind by,
with or through his hecl-not though it
were better heel than the heel of Achil-
les, and had been soused seven times in
the Styx-a most invulnerable, indefati-
gable and infallibe heel Davis refers to
Cuvier, but we will wager whatever Davis
pleaqes that not one word can be found in
all the works Of Cuvier upon the connec-
tion between long heels and the right of
suffrage. These fancies are fascinating,
but are they not little dangerous By
and by-who can insure us against it p
star eyed science will be discovering per-
haps that men with red hair. or with 5hin
heards, or with handy legs, are of an q in
feriOr race unless indeed the red headed
thin bearded, ana bandy-egged~ d~tnen get
the back-haired, bushy-bearded and
straieht-legged men under, and cut them
off from the feliciyjes of the ballot. Dir
Davis does not see into what topsy-turvy
world he would introduce us, or how, il
these superfne objections were having
their swing, he might be objected to for
deficiency in personal beauty, though be
may be the hanGSomeSt man in Congress
for anything we know; but then the uely
ones might bring ugliness into political
tasEion, and put a change into Ike Consti
tuition adverse to the shape of Dr. Davis's
0hins, shapely as We shall suppose then
TO be, and beautiful as they are in the eye.
of Dr. DIS bootmakcr Yes, he might bc
objected to, and elected from his sea-
Senatorial, though he cried out never Sc
| Justify - { too am a Circassian ~