Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-01-10

right to select your rulers, the right to
have a voice in choosing those whs are
TO make your laws, must necessarily re-
side in every person in the community |
over whom those laws are TO operate, so
long as that person entities himself by
obedience to the law, by making no
war upon his neighbor, by committing
no crime, to havea voice in the admins
tration of affairs.
do not mean by this to undertake to |
make any argument against the pro-
prlety of learning. That is not the |
point, The more we have of II, the bet !
ter we shall be of. But | do undertake |
to say that to make learning or color or
property or race test In democratic
! country of the right to choose its rulers,
! Is TO sap the foundation Of the very prin-
! ciple of the democracy upon which you
act In this body, by very large ma
| iority, we have agreed TO this PROPOSE
( ton, and discardng every test save cit
izenship and loyalty we have declared
that distinctions OF race and color or OF
learning have no place in the demo-
cratic theory Of this Government and
we expect to be obliged, gratefully
obliged it may turn out, to carry this
principle where Ter the Constitution
permits us to carry it, into more sec
tions of this country than 1T has yet
been carried by far.
Following upon that action OF ours In
this district, the people Of this Territory,
over which Congress has the same con-
troll, for which it has made laws and set
up institutions, and from which 1t may
take them today lawfully and consti-
tutionaly if it pleascS, come to us with
q constitution which has this inherent
and radical distinction. Wherefore is it
there 2
Mr.. Wade. If the Senator will allow
me, I wish to ask him a question. II
this amendment or any Otner amend
ment which may be made here should be
migrated ON the constitution which Ne
b braska has presented with her applica-
ton for admission, cannot the STAGE
after her admission, alter IL atany time
: Can we we make such q permanent reg
b ulation with regard to suffrage here that
e will continue against the will OF the
State after her admission 2
Mr.. Edmuuds. l am very happy &c
r answer the question Of my honorable
4 friend. Speaking for myself l have no
@ q particle of doubt that we can. If W.
; cannot, in what condition do we fine
4 ourselves If we cannot admit States
$ upon condition, what becomes of on
Y condition on the subject Of slavery |
: we have the power to provide that Kan
e sas or Nebraska shall never set VI
c slavery, have we not the power to pro
j. vide that she shall never set up any Othe
e arbitrary or unjust or unequal distinc
ton among her citizens?
e. Mr.. Wade. never supposed we cOuu
e prevent State setting up slavery un
t less by an alteration of the Constitution
J. Now, of course she cannot do it, becaus
is the Constitution forbids it. Before tina
/ time l supposed that she could.
o Mr.. Edmunds. l did not. Why, 81
d we have uniformly admitted States o
le conditions. Every State that has bee
le admitted, l think has been admitted Q
I ! some condition or other. We haN
n usually provided, it is true, that tn;
Is condition should be incorporated by a
N ordinance irrevocable in their cOnstit,
re ton, but so far as it derives its validit
Of from that constitution the people have
e. right to change it at any time. Their
&c lore, when YOU 90 back to the root
fit the matter, the binding obligation upC
II, these new States to adhere to the cond
nd tions which we impose and which TIT
o. agree to, grows out of the paramOu
l : and supreme power Of the will Of the
DO creator, the Congress Of tho Unit
Is States, exercising its functions under t
Sc Constitution of the United States, whi(
Ter declares that it's laws independent OF I
of State constitutions and State laws, shi
or he the paramount law Of the land.
n Now, Mr. President, to return to t
er point to which | was speaking; Whel
CIV fore is this distinction set up in
fundamental law which the people
nj this Territory have brought here a
no laid upon our desk My honorable tric
ct from Ohio, initiating distinguish
nit citizen Of Massachusetts,, who IS NJ
dead, in believing that the Declaratl
ru- of Independence was only Il soundi
no and glttering generality, tells US tn
as this is only mere technicality; it dc
the not amount to anything; there are
rtv ColOred men there, and we are rea
en- stitching in the bark" when we are {
pX- deavOrng to ingratt upon this COnstl
uts ton the perpetual and fundamental &C
no dition that equality among men shall
IN preserved there; that we are really /
to peding the progress Of Republican,
hat by being overnice about such little,
the material trifes as the right of men
the any particular race or color to exerc
no the full political privileges Of citizensl
tic to the exclusion of all others.
it, Mr.. President, do not regard it as
ret immaterial trine. If it was Of con
zee quence enough to be matter ofdeliber
of consideration in the territorial cOnv
on ton of the people of Nebraska, as l
the sumo that it did, fit was ofCOnseque
AXE enough to go into the fundamental
hey as one of the cardinal principles VI
which that free government is to be
he stituted, then certainly It's no such M
the thing as not to deserve consideration
ent debate from US; it is something m
ion than mere technicality, in the langu
nee of the Senator from Ohio; it is sol
the thing more than the sounding and g
, m tering generality that that eminent C