Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-02-08
n ew Series-Vol. 6. No. Q.


IS Mr.. Speaker. the Constitution Of o.
# country has been amended. The day sntit
| pated by the trainers OF the Constitute
n has come, when there are none but frt
o citizens in the Republic tho bond havir
l. become free. The day Of the freedman
s deivcrance has come, not without suffe
ing. not without sorrow, not without marty
:, dom, not without broken altars and broke
:. hearts. not without storm and tempest, sue
: as had not been since man was upon Il,
q earth not without darkness, thick dars
a ness that might be felt, and Ere runnn
along the groubd Though in terror, thong
in anguish, the day has come. aud all ar
, free in the Republic by the sovereign wi
of the whole people. Every slave the INC
rnent he is emancipated becomes a "fre
citizen" in the W r13 OF the Confederation
, becomes a free person. which embrace
all citizens, in the words Of onr Constitution
becomes equal before the law with ever
other citizen of tho Unitcd States.
What then, sir, il the resnt? Simpl,
this. that tho Constitution must be amend
ed! | agree, If the late rebel States woulr
make no denial OF rigittp the emancpatod
citizens no am msndment would be needed. -
But they will make denial. The question
is therefore directly before us, whether any
ofthe States which shall be reorganizod and
admitted to exercise all the powers Of a State
IN this Union to-day under tn, Constitution
of our country, by which it j. declared til at
all the citizens Of the Republic are free, aud
that bond citizens are no longer to be found
in any State or Territory in this Union.
shalt be permitted to have representation
upon this floor, when by the tunlamental
law or by the statue law of such State the
minority Of the citizens of the State disfran-
chise the majority Of its free male citizens
of full age? That was not 80 when our Con
stitution was adopted. There was then no
State in the Union wherein any consi1era-
Bile portion of the free citizens of the United
States. being male persons over twenty one
years of age, were disfranclsed but
state matter Of fact within the knowea ge
of every gentleman here when say that in
at least five of the States of the Union there
was no distinction made at all on account of
color between free citizsns of the United
States in the exercise of the elective fran
chise At that day no State would dare to
assert any such power in a minority of the
majority of free citizens. The question,
then, that unaerlies this controversity is this,
whether we will stand by the Constitution
in its original intent and spirit, or like era
vens abandon it. assert it bere to-day,
without fear of contradiction. that the
amendment pending before this House is an
amendment conforming exactly to the spirit
of the Constitution and according to the de-
clared intent of its trainers
If there is any gentleman who is still in
doubt upon this subject, | ask him 70 con-
slider the fact to which before referred,
and which is indisputable, that no State
was admitted into this Union at the time of
the organization of the G,vernm ent, which
either directly or indirectly intimated that
majority of the free male citizens Of the
United States within it, limits shoul be or
lawfully could be disfranchsed by the mi
nority. The House cannot assent that any
State shall do that under the Constitution
ofthe United States
Mr.. ELDRIDGE. Will the gentleman
allow mo . memcnt?
Mr.. BINGHAM. l hope the gentleman
will excuse me-. The House has kindly
extended my time. and | desire to conclude
my remarks in as brief time as NAV be.
After sha Il have done 50, ifthc House is
disposed, will hear anything the gentle !
man may have to say.
q have enieavored to make the point clear
that the issue now before this House is
whether the Constitution shall be so amend !
ed as to secure to the free citizens of each
State equal rights. The point raised upon
the proposition reported by the committee
is whether the declared intent of the Con
of your fathers shall he enforced, |
by admitting that when all are free, mi
nority of citizens of State may disfranchise
a majority ofths male citizens of full age of
the United States within such State. I
deny their right to do so. .-.r
might go further in this argument, and
say, with the late Chancellor Kent, that
whenever the majority of.a State inserted
the word white" as condition ofthe exer-
else of the elective franchise 'it deserved
whether such exclusions would
not be opposed to the Constitution of the
United States" l believs that the free
,itzens Of each State were guaranteed, and
Intended to be guaranteed by the the terms
,fthe Constitution, all-not some, ''all''-
he privileges of citizens of the United
States in every State. That is the express
provision of the Constitution. i
But the question now presented is very d
litferent one from the case just supposed,
If the majority of free citizens restricting G
Ome of the rights of minority. My friend /
rom California Mr.. HIGBYl has informed I
IS that there are one hundred thousand more a
rec colored citizens of the United States in t
he State of Mississippi to day than there t
re of white citizens that there are one o
hundred thousand more free colored citizens Il
f the United States in South Carolina than 8
here are of white citizens, and then we are C
ravely told that we must not press this s
mendment because we are abandoning the &
Constitution and the Intent of our fathers. t.
hat is new discovery, one for which the u
Democracy ought to take out letters patent, 81
hat it was ever intended that a minority of c.
rec citizens should disfranchise the MAORI. ii
y of free male citizens, of all age, IN any p
tate of the Unionl For myself | will n
ever consent to it. "
Well, then, some gentlemen asks, why o.
ot go for a constitutional amendment which
ill declare, once for all, that no State in Il
MS Union shall make any distinction in the j
ght of voting between male citizens of the st
Inited States, resident within its limits and o.
YER twenty-one years of age. save in the Il
lse of persons convicted Of Infamous crime toc
fter due trial? will'answer with all my tt
cart that am ready to 60 for that But cl
majority of those with whom | am as st
,ciated think that this is all that is needed &C
present, in connection with other propesi OF
ons to be submitted by them. am con- re
mt with that. l want the American neo- v