Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-09-19
Who Should Vote-The Action
of the Fathers.

The following extract from a
speech of Hon. W. D. KELLEY, of
Pennsylvania, made at Columbus
last week, contains some facts in the
early history of our Government,
upon the question of suffrage, but
little understood by the great mass
of readers. Hence we quote it:
90. back to the founder of the
Democratic party, and ask him who
should vote; and Thomas Jefferson,
from the grave, answers, in language
penned in his early manhood, and
quoted in his maturer years, the hey
day of his power, and reiterated
when declining to an honored grave:
GAIL who pay taxes, and may be
called upon to fight, should vote. -
That was the doctrine Of the founder
of the Democratic party. Applause.
And when Messrs Vallandlgham and
Pendleton, and the party they lead,
arrayed themselves against that doc
trlne, they arrsyed themselves
against the Democratic creed as it
existed in the days of the founder of
their party. When the Constitution
of the United States was adopted,
the colored man voted in every State
save South Carolina. That is histo-
ry There were thirteen States, and
the free colored men of the country
were voters, in twelve of them. In
the Convention which framed the
Articles of the Confederation which
preceded the Constitution of the
United States, South Carolina intro
duced tive measures, each. of which
was intended to insert the word
white before freemen when charac-
terizlng voters. There were eight
votes against the amendment
There were two votes for it-South
Carolina and Georgia; for they voted
by States and not per capita. There
was one State divided SO that its
vote did not count, and two States
were not represented. Thus, it not
only depends upon argument, but
there is the fact that when the mo-
ton was distinctly made to limit the
suffrage to the white population,
only South Carolina and Georgia,
and one delegate from another State
(and the journal does not name that
State, voted in favor Of the social
ed amendment.
How well would it have been, my
fellow citizens, had that determine
ton, been adhered to. The free
black man, being voter in every
State where he was enfranchised,
could have then exercised his infu-
ence in behalf of the extension OF
freedom. Education would have
been extended to the colored child
rem, in the Southern States then as ii
is in the Northern States now, and
the colered people would have grown
up in intelligence; they would have
been voters, and they would have Sc
cured the gradual abolition of slave
ry. We would, by having done this
to them, have avoided war that
cost US, North and South, nearly q
million of men and countless millions
of treasure.
However, it was not done and
State after State deprived the color
ed men of the right of suffrage
South Carolina, slave State as she
was, did not do this until 1885
Maryland did it in 1888, Pennsylva-
mia in 1888, Connecticut, the only
New England State in which they
have not always been voters, to con
ciliate the South, did it in the ses
sions of 1917 and 1918. So that, in
asking you to give the colored man
a vote, I am but asking you to fall
back and restore the Constitution te
what it was at the beginning-te
plant yourselves firmly upon the
Democratic doctrine taught by JEFF
ferson and his compeers, and the
sound conservative doctrine recog
nized by W ashington and those who
with him, framed the Constitution ol
the United States. [Applause.