Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1867-01-16
THE NEBRASKA ELL.

j. Wednesday for the admission OF NeDras
!, ka as a State, "with the fundamental am
perpetual condition that within said Sta
G of Nebraska there shall be no abridg
t ment or denial of the exercise of the cleo
e tive franchise, or of any other right, t
: any person by reason of race or color, ex
! cepting Indians not taxed" it was sup
) posed that the House would immediatelv
ratify their action. The question which
has so long kept this bill in debate hal
, been in regard to impartial suffrage. Tx
, Constitution Of Nebraska, under which
J she wants to become State, contains tn,
word "white" in it, and it was for tht
sake of multiplying the effect of that linn
itation in the Constitution that Senator
Edmunds of Vermont introduced a sec
tion containing the condition we have
quoted above. This proyiso was satisfac.
tory to Senator Sumner and others whc
had most strongly objected to the exclu-
slveness Of the Constitution, and the Ne
braska Senators and others who had teen
active In working for the admission Of
fseir Territory as State, were also CAD
to gain admission on those terms. The
questions of the right of Congress to an
mex such condition to the bill, and
whether such condition could control
the future action of the State after the ad.
mission has been consummated were dis
cussed by some of the Senators, but the
burden of argument seemed to be ia ia
vor of the right of Congress to impose
such condition, and that it would prove
as effective in controlling future action as
though 1T was part of the Constitution
itself. The affirmative view was taken
and strongly supported by Senator Ed
munds OF Vermont, Senator Sumner of
massachusetts,, and Senator Brown of
Missouri, while Senator Wade of Ohio,
Senator Howard of Michigan. and Sena-
Pomeroy of Kansas were doubtful of the
authority oil the part of Congress to make
such condition, and of It's efficiency in
securing the end desired. Senator pome-
roy regarded the Edmunds Constitution
as not worth the paper it was written up
on, and thought the only way to settle
the matter was to send the Constitution
back to the people of Nebraska for a
mendment in that respect.
The members of the House looked crit.
lcally at the bill as soon as it was brought
before them for action, aad the friends of
the measure were unsuccessful in all their
Efforts to secur its passage. Mr.. Dawes
Of this State Mr.. Garfield of Ohio. MIR.
wilson of Iowa and other Republican
members doubted the validity of the bill
As 1T had been passed by the Senate, and
'eiused to vote for Its passage on the
ground that if negro should want to
'ote In Nebraska, the Supreme Court
would have to decide whether the Ian
,uage of TIE State Constitution or that
Il the Congressional bill of admission
would have to be followed, IF the decis-
on should be in favor of the State Con.
tltutlon the negro would find himself dis
ranchised, and the purposes of the Con-
residual majority would thus be defeat.
o. The raising of this legal question G
MI lengthen out the debate upon the bill,
nd it will probably be some time before
he bill is passed, if it shall finally be |
uccesstul. So far as negro voters in Ne l
raska are concerned it makes but little :
tactical difference whether the Constitu- t
ion contains the word white" or not. e
here are but few negroes there, and their D
lumber is not likely to be very rapidly !
lcreased. The action of Congress, how. r
YER, shows that both the Senate and the t
Iouse are determined. to have the princi- I
Ie OF impartial suffrage recognized wher- .
'er they have the power to make it so.-
he Senate lawyers thought they had
una WY for securing its establish .
ent 10 Nebraska and Colorado, but the
ouse lawyers are not satisfied that the .
enate plan will stand the test of time
I'd the courts, and so they refuse to ad- Y
't it until it has leon more carefully 0
ld critically considered. The purpose u
both branches is unmistakable, and it :.
arks an era in our political history u
he plain indications Of the action of Il
'ngress thus far upon the admission of Il
ebraska is that she will not be admitted
the Union until there is assurance that
Tor Will form no basis Of restriction in
Q rights and privileges of American :
Ilzens. If it is decided that the copdi v
IN OF the the Senate bill will not secpro n,
e 9, OBJECT desired, the Nebraska people 10
II have to act again upon constitution :
lich shall prove more liberal in princi &c
than the one under when she now al
'AS -.'uission to thes Union. - Bos,o,, Of
arnal. '"' ~'"s'o" !,
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DECISION RELATIVE 10 TIT ADDrT1oNAI,