The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-05-30


their representatives in Congress and one
of their rights is that when Ignotus un-
dertakes to quote the Constitution on that
subject he shall quote it correctly My
copy of the Constitution says not OIL ly that
''thc House Of Representatives shall be
composed of members chosen every second
year by the people" but also that the
members shall be chosen "by the people OF
the scrcrol States and [thot] tie electors Il,
each State shall hare the qualifications re-
quisite fos electors Of the most numerous
Jranch Of tie State Lcgi<lcture." SO
carefully does the Constitution imply the
reserved right of each State to have its
own law conferring and limiting the cleo
tOral franchise. That right is also one of
the rights which ''the people of the sever.
al States" have sin that matter"
s. Ny friend goes on to ask a string OF
questions, following directly upon the one
last answered:
''If they have, what are they. and who
is bound to ascertain and secure those
rights and all other rights under the Con-
sttution Did the people 'ordain and es-
tablish' their government for any such
purpose, and give the power to make and
execute all laws necessary and proper for
that end ? Is there any duty upon the
government to administer and execute the
Constitution, to defend the rights of the
people, and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity| If the
government owes any such duty to the
people, what relation does it bear to their
elective franchise, their right Of suff-
rage or their fight to vote for such Oil
GERS as, under the authority of the Consti-
tuition are referred to the choice of the
people? Can the government protect It,
or must it be left to be violated BY any
body that is strong enough to violate it =
There is short answer to all these ques-
tions. Let Ignotus remember that the
national gore nD,cM Of this country IS not
an absolute government, but only (n time
of peace) government of very limited
powers. The people of the United States
have not committed to that government
the task of ascertaiaing and securing 'oN
the rights of citizens in the several States
They did NOT ':ordain and establish their
government for any such purpose nor did
they give that government ''power to make
all laws necessary and proper for that end. p"
Doubtless, there is duty upon the ma
tional1 government to administer and exc
cute the national] Constitution; but to
defend the rights Of the people in the
several States is a duty which the people
of the United States have reserved chiefly
to their several State governments instead
Of committing it absolutely to the nation
al government. We have indeed ordain-
ed and csta 3lishcd the Constitution Of the
United States, to ''sccure the blessings of
liberty to ourselves and our posterity," but
the way in which the Constitution under
takes to secure and perpetuate the bless
ings of liberty, is chiehy-not to say en-
| tircly-by taking away from the several
States all power Of encroachment upon
each others rights, and by guarding them
against foreign powers. Is Igrctus 50 ILL.,
informed as not to know that in Massachu-
sets, or whatever State of the Union lie
resides, there are two governments, rcith-
er of which can legitimately meddle with
any of the duties incumbent upon the 9th
err Does he not know that in Massachu-
s,tts the national government has 30 pow
er to punish theft, or breaches of the peace.
or murder-no POWER to punish any forge
ry other than the forgery Of the United
States coin or sccuritics-no power to
punish any robbery except robbery of the
mails Or other property belonging to the
nation Can he not understand that the
same government which owes to the people
of his State the duty of protecting their
lives against the murderer, their dwellings
against the incendiary and the burglar,
and their purses against the highway rob
Der, owes to them also the duty of rcgula-
ting and protecting the elective franchise?
The elective franchise, in each State of the
Union, is not "left to be violated by any
body that is strong enough to violate it,"
but is left to be protected by the same pow
er that protects life, personal liberty prop
erty, marriage and AL hu.:ian rights, both
individual and domestic
Allow Inc to say that when such views as
those implied in the questions of Ignotus
arc published in a journal SO influential as
the CongrcgGtiotalist, they are evidence of
tie progress which certain portion Of the
people (Shall | say a certain portion of the
Republican partyO are making toward
doctrines and measures which threaten the
entire loss Of liberty. Think of it. Here
is proposal that Congress shall enact a
law to define and regulate the right Of yot-
ing, not in States that have just been con
qucred from the enemy, and in which GOV
crnments loyal to the Union and adequate
to the protection Of the people are 10 be
reconstructed, but i'll all the States Sup
pose such law be enacted, how shall it be
executed ? The national government has
undertaken to determine who shall vote
and who shall not in Massachusetts,
What next? TIE national government
must make registration of voters, Gas is
now being done in the Southern States, by
officers Of its own. What next? The
national government must take care that
20 man whom it invests with the right of
voting is in any way restrained from vot-
ing; and therefore the ballot boxes must
be under the inspection and in the custo-
dy Of the United States officers, and Unit
ed States policemen or soldiers must keep
order at the voting places. The national
government, having taken this matter in
hand, must 20 through with it, and must
take care that no mans vote is thrown out
in the counting, and that the returns are
made or the result declared correctly; and
this too, it must do by its own officers. n
few years experience of elections, con-