The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-09-12
political.
SPEECH OF
.SENT'R SHERMA AN
OK THE
Constitutional Amendment,
WHY THE OHIO NEGRO
SHOULD HAVE THE BAL
LOT.
The Financial Question EIuCi.
dated.

Senator Sherman spoke at Canton,
Stark County, on the evening of the
10Th ult. In opening, he gave his
reasons why tho Constitutional
Amendment should be adopted, He
said:
l am requested, fellow citizens, by
the State Executive Committee of the
Union party, to speak to you in re.
gard to political topics. / never en-.
tered upon canvass Of this kind
without a feeling of difiidenco aud a
sense Of the responsibility that rests
upon all of us. Our General Gov.
ernment, unlike most governments.
rests mainly upon popular opinion
Although You can act upon political
questions ouly through representa-.
lives, yet, directly or remotely, every
question depends upon the judg
ment of the public. Every meeting
of the people is a primary Congress,
therefore, in speaking to you. can
only claim the same interest in pub.
lie affairs that each citizen possesses.
will state to you frankly my own
opinions upon some Of the matters
involved in the next election. IL is
for you to say whether they are right
or wrong.
In addition to the usual election OF
State officers in Ohio, we are icquir
ed to vote for or against an amend
msnt ofour State Constitution. Ii
is submitted to US by the Legislature
aud If, in voting, we do not vote for
it, our vote is counted against it.
The question is, who shall hereaf
ter vote in Ohio? The amendment
provides that every male citizen of
the United States, of the age of 21
years, who has the proper residence,
may vote at all elections, unless he
has borne arms against the United
States or has fed the draft, or has
deserted his colors in the Union ar.
my in time of war.
In other words, it is universal
manhood suffrage, uuless the right TO
vote forfeited by his crimes. .
This is the same question that is
now agitating more countries than
our own. No more Important one
can DC submitted to you. It lies at
the foundation of all government;
where the people have any part in
their government, aud is preliminary
to all other political questions.
Who shall vote in political ques
tions
Who shall note in Ohio?
The general answer should be that
every person should vote whose life
or property is affected by the laws.
This rule is founded upon general
axioms that are the foundation of our
system
All just governments are based up
on the consent of the governed.
Taxation without representation is
tyranny.
All persons ace equal before the
law, aud should have an equal voice
in making the laws. All these AK
IONS point to the broadest suffrage;
but rs by natural law all persons
cannot vote, exceptions necessarily y
exist limiting universal suffrage All
exclusions from the right to vote
should be founded upon the strong.
est reasons Whenever the reason
for exclusion is Of doubtful force, the
right to vote ought to exist.
This amendment excludes all mi
nors under the age of twenty. one
years, for the obvious reason that
until certain age persons arc not
capable to take charge even Of their
own property. Women are excluded
because it is conceived that family
ties aud duties are Inconsistent with
the turbulence Of political strife, and
because they are sufficiently repre-
sented by their husbands aud kind
red. ~. sd.
L am not so sure about the exclu.
sion of women, for the recent diseov.
cries on this subject in England and
America have shown that the reasons
for this exclusion are not so clear; but
we can we'll leave this question stand
as is is for the present.. E 'l'-sA
The ladies will make their voices
heard in due timc.
Others are excluded for idiocy, lu
macy, aud for crime. These are OBJ
yiOus reasons.
But the material question is, wheth
it is just for us to exclude persons
from the elective franchise mere
ly because they are wholly or
in part of African descent. Is such
an exclusion founded upon reason or
justice9 Should they, without any
other,reason, be excluded from all po-
litical rights, the most sacred of which
is to vote. They have property tobe
taxed, and are subject to our laws.
Every burden imposed by the State
upon other men they must tbear.-
They are subject to military duty, are
punished for crimes aud ofenses, and
are amenable to all your State, coun.
ty aud municipal corporations.
They have families to support. and
are governed by the same affections,
passions and necessities TO which you
are subject. They were born on our
soil, aud havn no other allegiance or
country than our own. They are cd
ucated at our schools, and can testify
in our courts. They are few in mum
Der, aud could not, it they would,
combine TO ojeopardize our institutions
They were allowed to vote in all the
original States except South Carolina,
aud no evil ever resulted from it.