The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-14
The Passage of the Suffrage Bill by the
Senate.


In the Senate yesterday, the debate on the
District of Columbia Suffrage bill was con-
tlnued The amendment allowing women to
vote having been defeated, Mr.. Dixon's
amendment, to insert as a qualification that
no one WHO has not heretofore voted shall be
allowed to vote unless he can read and write
his name, was next taken up. Mr.. Foster, OF
Connecticut, made an elaborate speech in
favor OF the amendment, giving the usual
arguments in favor OF intelligence as quail
flcation tor the exercise of the elective fran
chise.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen, of New Jersey, made
an able speech in opposition to tae amend
ment, and in favor of the original bill. He
said that IL the suffrage were qualified, as pro-
posed there would be an inducement to keep
the negro from learning to read and write, so
as to keep him from the ballot. lit was
universal, the people would be driven to the
education of the negro, to make him an intel
hgent voter.
Mr.Wilson, of Massachusetts, also contended
that the practical efficacy of the amendment
would be to retard the cause of education
in the District. If none but the colored men
who. could read and write were allowed to
vote, the enemies of the colored men would
see to it that there were no opportunities
given them to learn to read and write. Let
the suffrage be universal, and it would be an
incentive to education.
Restriction of suffrage, he said, was an aris-
tocratic, not a de nocratic, idea. If the negroes
of Virginia got the right to vote, Wise and
Letcher would be found attempting to prove
that they had always been friends OF the
negro They would make afldavits that they
are related to them that the same blood runs
in their veins that courses through the veins
OF the black man. No doubt the Democrats
would ret great many votes from the black
men, il the Democrats treated them better
than the Republicans, ana he hoped they
would.
Mr.. Hendricks, of Indiana, made speech,
the substance of which was that, while he would
not like a test OF intelligence to be applied to
Democrats in Indiana, he would be very glad to
impose it upon the colored people of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
MIR. Lane, Of Indiana, defended the original
bill, on the great principle that all govern
ments derive their power from the consent of
the governed, and that the colored people
were a part of the Government, The colored
people OF the District had shown themselves
loyal and intelligent; they aad furnished
more men than the white inhabitants for the
army.
Mr.. Sumner, OF Massachusetts, closed tue
debate, opposing the amendment. He said:-
''The example set by Congress now was to be
followed by the people OF the disorganized
States. If an educational standard is set up,
it will be followed throughout the South. The
votes of the black loyaiists are needed now.
In the District OF Columbia Congress Was be-
ginning the great work of reconstruction on
which the Onion was to be harmonized."
Mr.. Dixon's amendment was then defeated
by the following vote -
Yeas-Messrs Anthony, Buckaew, Dixon, Doc.
III g. Fogg Foster, Hendricks Nesmith, Patterson,
Nays-Messrs. Brown, Cattel, Chandler, Conness,
Cowau, Creswell, Davis, f ,munds Fesseuden, tre.
lingbGysen, Grimes, Harris, Henderson, Howard,
Howe, KlrkwOod, Lane, Morgan, Morril, Notion,
Poland, Pomeroy, Ramsey, Ross, salisbury, sher.
man, Sprague. Stewart, sumner IrumOuA Van
Wrinkle, Wade, Williams, and Wilson-34.
Mr.. Yates, who would have voted nay,
was paired with Mr.. johnson.
After several verbal amendments, the bill
was passed by the following vote:-
Yeas-Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Cattell Chaud-
Ter, Conness, CreswelG Edmunds, Fessenden.
FOPg, Freling ghuYsen, Grimes, Harris, Henderson,
Howard Howe. Kirkwood, Lane, Morgan, Morrill,,
Po and, Pomcroy, Ramsey, Ross, Sherman,
Sprague, Stewart, Sumner, lrum6ull, Wade,
Wiley, Williams, and WILSON, 80
Nays-Messrs Buckalew, Cowan, Davis, Dixon,
terson, Riddle Sau sbnry, aud Van WInkle-13.
Messrs. Yates and johnson (the latter being alb
en) PAN ed, AS in the former vote
The bill, in full, VIII be found in the Con-
gressional proceedings, published in another
column. Its chief feature is that it confers
the right of suffrage upon all male persons
over twenty one Yeas of age, born or natu-
rallied in the United States, except paupers,
criminals, persons under guardianship, and
persons a1hO may haze voluntarily gicen aid
or comfort to the Rebels in the late Re-
beIIion.
The passage of this bill by the Senate marks
an era in our history. 1t is return to the
first principles of republican governmental
coming back to the old foundations of true
democracy. 1t means that aristocracy has
had it's day in our country, and that, from
this time forward, the people, the whole
people, and not privileged classes, are to
lule.
A Needed Work.
Mr.. HOWE yesterday Introduced in the
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