The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1867-10-23

ton whether Japanese. Chinese Of any
Asiaticc race race shail exslGsffcise the elective
franchise in. California !. hhir does She :
claim the fight sti5'' Interfere in the do.
mestic: regulations Of any sister state Of !,
the Union. On the iothef hand, s:le
makes her appeal to the people tf all :
the other states to,concede toaher, with
in the limits of Their .commep, cppstitnr !
ton, the powers to control, and those
only, which those states assert 'fo5r them
selues,3 3,lf at,,ji i3dliJ kidd lsgglf jssii
But throwing outl,nf cihsideratidn I
the question ,ot the rghtyof, the, people,
OF state to. frame their state cpnstitu,
ton according to their own conceptions
of the public good, isthe measure pf6.ll
posed lexpedient 4,t Will it promote th6gi
general-wclfarc-te-ccnfer -the.right-
vote in all popular elections rQD the
negro race, with no other qualifications
than those in contemplation IsIit not
perfectly manifest ffst Sl6 S'tlR6af t il viii viii Hot
The representative republicsso OF this
country, with their written constitu-.' 4
tions, their divisions OF power into leg.sll
islative, executive d judicial; depart ( (,
menta, and their introduction Of the
people. to, participate in and decide
upon the rights and interestsof soclety,9
as voters and jurors, are looked, for in
vain in other countries of the. world,
and are founded upon the idea of a cerspi
tain standard of virtue and intelligencei
in the constituent body of electors,
without Which they cannot be main
tanned. Who among US believes that
the great mass of the blacks recently
ina state OF slavery. come up to this,
standard ofvirtue and intelligence, and !
are fit to be made self-reliant electors 2
In their condition, as to knowledgeand. )
morality, the extension of the right of
suffrage to them indiscriininately, in Z
stead of distributing political power
among . greater number of citizens,
will lni.facts concentrate. lit in fewer
hands. as designing individuals will
but enlarge their own power by using
them to vote, not their opinions, but
those OF the men who control them.
Already we learn that they yehave been
extensively organized into secret socie-:
ties or leagues, with view to be voted
en- gasse, and under the influence of /,
prejudice carefully instille(l into them, "a
in opposition to the WRITES, who were
formerly masters or may now be owners
of property, To elect such q class to
be permanent voters, as is now proposed
to us, will be to make q revolutionteI
ing to anarchy, and to hazard, ID my
belief, the long continuance Of any sta 4
BILE government. Foreignersare barred
outfrom the right to vote for five years
after settlement here, by our naturali-
zation laws, in order that, they may
become Acquainted with our institu-,
tions, and capable of taking part ia
their administration, and must prove
that during that time they have be-
haved as persons of good moral charac-
ter, and well disposed to the good order
and happiness of, the, country. The
freedmen, as aclass, are. less informed
than foreigners and less capable from
want of education and early Instruction.
But, it may be said, there is little
disagreement, among ourselves on this
question, but congress has required it
ofus, and in the event of non compli-
ance, the most direful consequences
may be expected This is an argument,
which am not disposed to pass by, or
totreat lightly. Think some misap-
prehension prevails in regard to It.
Congress certainly has denounced no
penalty on such delinquency, IN any of
three acts of reconstruction. sAAfter
providing for the establishment Of
military governments in the ten south
ern states, the first Of these acts goes on
to declare that: IAtc 4gs b 4,fi,' q
IN When the people of any one of said
rebel states shall have formed con-
stitution of government in conformity
with the constitution of the United
States, in all respects, framed by con-
vention of delegates, elected by the
male citizens of, said state, twenty-one
years old and upwards, of whatever
race. color or previous condition, who
have been residents In said state for one
year, previously to the day of such
election, except such as may be dis
franchised;" and l.4Ie -!Yal ,lll 3 1lif .
When such constitution shall pro-
vide that the elective franchise shall be
enjoyed by all such persons as have the
publications. herein stated, for electors
of delegates !" and when, and when,
and when certain other things shall
occur, las further recited In the 5th.
section + SAID state shall be declared
entitled to representation IN congress
senators and representatives shall be
admitted therefrom, Oh taking the oath
prescribed by law $50 8
This isthe only provision touching
the subject matter under consideration,
and only intimatioli is,that if there is
not fulflment of the requirements, the
military government shall continue
There. have been threatening declara-
tions made by individual members of
congress, and certain presses have tenn
ed with fnlminations. against, all who
should hesitate in taking Immediately
the steps proposed, but congress, as a
body, has established no penalty and
made no threats. The first reflection
which OCCURS ON hearing these an
nouncements is, that 1T would be q
harsh measure and SAVIOR Of injustice
to require people to vote in ali election,
and then punish them for. the lcandi !
date, (whether man or measure. .)of their
choice And further, that It would be
still more unjust to punish the people
OF North Carolina for failure to- make
asconstitutlon and establish a basis of
suffrage which Pennsylvania, Ohio,
NewsYork and other great AID leading
states of the north have refused, and
still do refuse, to establish for themselves,
though with far less cogent reasons
than prevail with u.s. The constitution
OF Pennsylvania, as reordained in 1883,
regulates suffrage in these words: ~
tIn elections by the citizens; every
achite freeman of the age OF twenty one
years, having resided in this state one
year and IN the election district where
: he offers to vote ten days Immediately
preceding such election, and within two
years paid state or county taz which
shall have been assesae1 MT ,least ron