The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-11-28

guaranty to that State Of republi-
can form of government.
He did not include an drisioeracy
nor define what he meant by an oli.
gdrchH neither did he tell us upon
which branch Of the Government the
duty of determining hcquestion fell.
This, however, has been settled by
the Supreme Court to be Congress
aud IL is, therefore, the sole judge of
the cxigcncy requiring its action and
the remedy it may choose TO apply
within the range of its pcwcrs. Up.
on this point Chief Justice Story,
speaking for the Supreme Court,
said
" The Constitution unayoiiably
dealt in general language. 1t was
not intended merely to provide for
the cxigeucies of few years, but was
to endure through long lapse of
ages, the events of which were locked
up in the inserutable purposes of
Providence. Hence the Constitution
leaves it to the legislative power from
time to time to d,lopt lis o,rn means
to c6cctudte legitimate oLjecis." -
I Wheaton II. 325 Martin RS Hum.
ter.
From one Of our Maine exchanges
We clip the following able argument
upou this interesting topic, by the
lion. l. Washburn, of that State,
Representative in Congress, which we
commend to the careful perusal of our
readers
REGULATIONS OF THE SUFFRAGE.
"To the Editor of the Press
al have not doubted for the past
two years that it was the duty of Con.
gress to provide by law that no State
should, either by constitutional pro.
vision or otherwise, make any dstiuc.
tious in regard to suffrage on the
ground of color, class or race. Such
law might have been passed at the
first session of the Thirty Ninth Con.
gress over the veto of the President,
if the Republicans had been willing
to support it and if this course had
been taken, the question would have
been disposed of, and all agitation in
regard to its settlement would have
ceased before this time. 1t would
have been settled for kentucky and
Maryland as well as for Ohio and
Connecticut it would have been set.
tied for all the States and for all
time.
"Lct it not be said that such law
Of Congress would not be effective
A law of Congress for which there is
constitutional authority is paramount
State laws and State constitutions.
The only question is, has Congress
power under the Constitution to pass
a law regulating suifragein the States?
That it has would seem to be beyond
question. 1t would be strange
omission if the trainers of the Con-
stitution, the organic law of Gov.
ernmcut founded upon the consent of
the governed, had left with the sew
eral States the power in the last resort
to overthrow that Government by es.
tablishing conditions of suffrage which
would change it to an oligsrchy.
But there is no such omission. The
danger above mentioned was forsccn
and thoroughly guarded against.
"Becausc the question of suffrage
has been to the present time practic.
ally left to the States, and they have
in some instances prescribed rules and
made regulations which were not in
conformity to tho Constitution, no
argument can be adduced against the
iightful, andpropcr authority of Con.
gress to revise such rules and regula-
lions, or make others in substitution
therefor whenever in its discretion
there is found to be occasion for the
exercise of this power. While it may
have been expected that the power Of
regulating the suffrage would ordiu-
arily be exercised by the States, it is
certain .aaat the right to control the
States in this rogard--in other words,
the ultimate authority in reference to
suffrage, was vested in Congress. If
it had not been, the right of dissolu-
ton or secession would, as before
suggested, have been left with each
State.
"The constitutional provisions bear
ing upon this question are principal
ly these
"I. ART. ". Soc. 4. The U,ited
States shall guarantee to eeeyy iStdtC
in Ibis Union republican form cj
government, and shall protect each Of
them against invasion and on appli-
cation of the Legislature or Of the
Executive, (when the Legislature
cannot be convened against domes-
tic violence.
"II. ART. /. Sec. 2. The House
of Representatives shall be composed
of members chosen every second year
ty the people ofthe ssreral Stutes and
the electors IN each State shall have