Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-11-15

stitution, in declaring that the United
States shall guarantee to every State in the
Union republican form of government,
afIirms aud secures the practical observance
of the doctrine of the Declaration of Inde-
pcndence, that Governments derive their
Just powers from the consent Of The gorcrn
cd. Can that be said to be republican
form of government which rcpndiates this
normal principle of American republican
ism-which instead of leaving the right to
govern with the people, ordains that it
shall be exercised by part only of
the peoplc--by men of blue eyes. or yell
low hair, or white skins only; by clergynlen,
lawyers, or mcrchants--by men of Saxon
descent. or Celtic, and no others! Is that
arepublican form ofgovernment, one rest.
ing upon the consent of the governed, in
which all Jews, Catholics, or Presbyteri
ans. all naturaized foreigners. or colored
native born citizens shall have no voice +!
Would it not be clearly the government
of a caste, class or race-in other words,
an aristocracy, and just that talse and hate
full thing which the government has been
fighting against these four years
If State should persish in maintaining
constitution which in vital respect was
anti republican, that excluded loyal and
good citizens from the exercise of the right
of suffrage upon gro nds of caste or color,
merely. or should transfer political power
from the majority to the minority, to a
few families, to Directory or Dictator
ship. the exigency would arise i'll which in
terventon would become the immediate
duty of the United States.
Regarding sections2 and 4, article I,
above cited, l cannot do better than quote
from recent number of the New York
Tribune.
MIR. Madison, in the Virginia Conven-
ton explained this to mean that while ii
was deemed desirable that each State
should i'll the first instance regulate the
right of suffrage of itself, yet. to prevent
the right from being granted or denied in
such manner as would endanger the safe
ty and perpetuity Of the General Govern
ment, it was deemed advisable to invest
| Congress with the ultimate or appellate
power to after or amend the regulations OF
the State respecting suffrage. as il it might
/ be found essential to the national welfare.
! He admitted, in response to question ad-
dressed to him by Nr. jefferson, that this
clause would give Congress the power even
tc pass a national uniform suffrage law,
but affirmed that such power might be
necessary to preserve the very existence
of the Government. Mr.. Trumbull is not
only silent upon the authority i'll question
but upon the clause of the Constitution,
on which Mr.. Madison based his eonstruc,
ton. In taking the position that arepuh-
liean government does not depend upon
the number of people who participate in
the primary election of representatives,
we suppose Mr. Trumbull would be under
stood to argue that the question whether a
government is republican or not does not
depend upon the number of people who
are made voters. But this assertion. il
true, proves too mnch. We might marrow
the suffrage to one man. as is practically
done in all absolute despotisms, and yet
this would be a republic.
REPUBLICAN.