The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-09
Suffrage by an Act Of Congress.


The following remarks on Congress
sional action on the suffrage question,
are copied from the Chicago Tribune
of the 9Th:
There are those in Congress and
out Of it who affect superior statesman
ship by insisting upon the EXTREMIST
policy, regardless of consequences.
Mr. ThaddeusStevens was guilty ofthe
absurdity of stating that the Recon
structiOn legislation of Congress was
wholly outside of the Constitution.
His declaration has furnished the
Copperheads and rebels what they
deem to be an authoritative confess
sion that Congress and the Republi-
can party have thrown overheard the
compass and the chart of the Consti-
tuition, and are carrying the country
wherever the breath of passion may
blow it. The statement is grosslyincor-
rect; and the motive for making it is
to peryert reconstruction into pre-
cedent for an act that is Of doubtful
policy, and one, as we think, repug-
nant to the letter and spirit of the
Constitution, viz. an act of Congress
to regulate suffrage throughout: the
United States.
The Constitution declares that the
qualifications Of voters for Repre-
sentatives of Congress shall be the
same as those of voters for members
of the most numerous branch of the
State Legislature This qualification
having been fixed In the fundamental
law, can any inferior authority add to
or subtract from it? And If this
Congress may confer the right of suf-
frage on the colored men in Ohio,
may not the next Congress take it
away from them, and also from the
mulattoes who already possess it un-
der Sta laws? The answer of Mr..
Stevens and his partisans would prob
ably be, that the act of comforting the
suffrage is in the direction of guar
anteeing to each State republican
form of government, while the act
such government This is a very
pretty theory, but how will it
work in practice? In all probability
an act Of congress comforting the
right of suffrage on all adult males
followed by Copperhead triumph at
the polls, and this would assuredly
be followed by a repeal of the act.
In several Northern States man
hood suffrage has been adopted and
is the law; in other States an agita-
ton has been commenced which will
/ not end until that condition becomes
i universal An amendment to the
| National Constitution limiting repre-
sent2tion to suffrage, has been ratified
/ by more than half the States, and will
/ be part of the Constitution in less
than year. These steps toward i'm
partial suffrage have been rapid, and
are far in advance. of the most
saDguine anticipations of six years
ago. They are, moreover, per-
/ manent and irrevocable. They
are final as far as they go, and furnish
a sure foothold, from which further
progress may be made, either by
amendment of the National Constitu-
ton or by the enlightened action of
the States separately. Let US not i'm
itate the dog in the fable, who
dropped the meat from his mouth to
jump after the shadow in the water.
A Copperhead victory in the next
Presidential election, would put back
the work of the Republican party at
least four years That work is to Sc
cure personal liberty to all men. I'm
til this shall have been established
beyond peradventure (and the time
cannot be far distant let US not en-
cumber ourselves with the issue of
negro suffrage in the Northern States,
especially in the questionable shape
which Mr.. Stevens and Mr.. Sumner
| propose.