, 1866-01-16


III procerY merchant, which would lead to
the Conclusion that the gossip concerning his
relations to her has Some foundation IN iact-
The contepts Of this letter will be made pub
lie at the proper time. Thus concluaes cnap-
ter one Of q scandalous drama
SUFFRAGE IN
WASHINGTON.
of Mr.. Kelley Of Pa.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENT BROUGHT
TO LIGHT.
The Constitutional Power Of Congress
to Enlarge The Suffrage.
In the debate In Congress on the bill to en- !
franchise the colored citizens Of the District |
Of Columbia, the Hon. VIM. D. Kelley, OF Pa., !
made speech in favor Of the bill, from
which we make Tho following extracts from
the Globes report:
Mr.. KELLY. For whom do We ask this
legislation? 1850, according to the census,
there were fourteen Thousand three hundred
and We ask this legislation for the male adults
of that plumber. Are they in rags md nth
and degradation : The tax books of tho Dis
trict will tell you that they pay taxes on
81 .25O COO worth Of real estate, held within
the limits Of this District. Ou one block, on
dollars, there are but two co1ored freeholders
who have not bought themselves out Of slay-
cry. One Of them has bought as many as
eight persons beside himself, wife, and seven
children. Coming to freedom in manhood.
mortgagcd for thousand or fifteen hundred
III "a h14 rr1r4 he hH2 earned and
carried TO the Southern robber thonsands Of
dollars, the price extorted for his wl{c md
children. and Is now freeholder IN this Dis
.trict. They hnve twenty-one churches, which
nnal cost Of over twenty Thousand dollars
Their communing Members number over
forty-threc hundred In their twenty-five
Sunday Schools, they gather on each Sabbath
over three thousand American children of
African descent. They maintain, cir, to the
aEd people, thirty-thrce dag schools, eight Of
which arc maintained exclusively by contli-
buttons from colored citizens Of the District;
the remainder by the contributions, eked out
contributions, from the generous people ;of
The North and every dollar Of their million
sonal property Is taxed for schools to cdu.
cate the children Of the white people 'of
the District, the fathers Of many Of those
children having been absent during the war
fighting for the Confederncy and agninst our
Constitution and flag. Who shall reproaeh
Congress, which has exclusive Jurisdiction in
the premises, has till last year, robbed
| them day by day, and barred the door Of the
public school against them: Such reproach
does not lie IN the white mans mouth; at any
rate, no member Of the Democratic party
ought to utter It.. They take IN, as the sub
sc17ption lists of the two papers show, more
| than twelve hundred copies each afternoon of
| the Nattona{ Republican, and over thlrty-ave
hundred copies each morning Of the Daily
| CAroninlt.
Mr.. GARFIELD. beg leave to remind the
gentleman that 1t waS stated some time ago
that nobody In Washington Is 'rcspectable"
unless he takes the National Ln{eutgencer.
| [Laughter.1
M1. KK1Lx-Ina paper entitled Notes on
Suffrage" No. 2. beginning on page Fl Of vol
ume Of the Madison Papers, be discusses the
Just limitations ofsutfrage with reference to The
security Of the State and the extent Of empire
and future population Of which was not only
unknown, but as history attests, then u1im-
aeined. He discussed how far property
should have its voice In elections, and how tar
the majority Of the people, who would never
and having weighed aud considered all the
| suggested devices for securing property on the
one hand against possible agrarlanfsm, and to
secure ON the other hand personal liberty
against all assaults, thus announced his con-
clueion:
"Under every view Of The subject It seeua ihdls-
pensable that the uaes Of the citizens should not
lie without Z voice In making the laws which they
to 5sa Il ns s5oosp Sa r. the sGI seas n
frare for each bfznch ct tho Government, and a
t7en., 1t Is better that those having the greater
s s5s :sos e III e o ss
! 1f hr1& - la -{1
aztst ~ y Sty:ssa aeii; eaiy, ao'id y d.
with Madison, ns with all the leaders OF the
Democratic party before It had adopted as Its
entire creed devotion to q trinity OF objects
secession, slavery and free trade-the doctrine
was that government should rest or the con
sent Of the governed, and that tts only legiti-
mate object was the protection OF the rights
| Of the goyerncd.
very happy to know that / a1u sustaining his
views when pressing this matter upon Con.
crees-he has told Us that were he in Teunes.
see be would advocate the sItenslon OF sui.
f1sge to the colored people Of that State. Aud
that being the ease, know he Is its friend
here. And he has 70 assured me perso,saAu
The President, however, falls into slight
error in the course Of his message. On pagt
Is, find It written:
"But while have no doubt that nov. altar III,
close Of the war, II Is not competent for he geuera
Several States It Is equally clear 4hai good t.h ~
qui1es ths sesurlsI of ths freshmen n their nbsst
right to clam The inst return Of their labor."
| Sir, 1t Is evident that the absorbing dntie
! In which be was engaged while Military GOV
e1nor Of Tennessee, and In the high office t,
which he Ens 80 suddenly and Unexpectedly
called, hare prevented PRECEDENT johnson iron
examining. that question hfstorically.: W
have been in mutky political atmosphere 70
thirty Or forty years, and our views Of bis
| torfcal matters have been bedimmed- I turl
to James Madison to vlndtcate the sagnci.y o
the founders Of our Government.
They made It the duty Of the United State
Government to guarantee to each State re
\ publican form Of government, and hAvinI
done that they did not fail to provide th
means!by which the Government On WhIcl
they had laid that duty should Re able |.
perform It. And they gave Congress tn
amplest power to execute that section, when
In section four, article one, they provide
! that
"Ibe timer, places. md msnner Of holding elct
tiols teE senaoss and shall Dc pr!
but the Congress- may. at any time, BY law. max
| | chooeiug Senatorr."
vision :! Let James Madison, Patrick Henr
| the eloquent champion OF State rights
Nicholas, Clay, Wyeth, Tyler. let Monroe
who interrogated Madison on the point
question, Alexander White, George Mason
Governor Randolph. Corbfn, and Gruyson, a
answer. sir co1fid thn ehndes Of the prea
| 5oror+oa .osuon5 1hev won1d III rarir EYo
uePaiaso .lspgu4, 'nsy nuu'o ~ aop5, -
nasI e1pseeseu - pan posn " nnuoanSeu
US oy James alao1son, ana We assenLed 10
rs In voting an essential power" They d
. participnted In the debates Of the day, t
, | which I now refer. I read from Elliott
. | Debates In the convention Of Vfrrfnia mo
, oSont5nn 4ta ronst,tntion IN F5dor I'm
20 T1 ,,.t, S tsf,t - aoett.s3 k ~,
} -, lGo. tne IoulIA anu niIa sectl9ns q tn