Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-11-13
RAnInAI Innrn


THAD. STEVENS has lately written o
long letter, ia which he thus argues
Disarm a community, and you rot
them of the means OF defending life
Take away their weapons of defence
and you take away the inalienable right
OF defending liberty. This brings Il.
now directly to the argument by which
we prove that the elective franchise is Q
right Of the Declaration, and not merely
n privilege, and is one Of the rights and
immunities pronounced by that instru'
ment to be ~"inalienable." IT, as or
fathers declared, "sll just government
is derived from the assent OF the gov
erued - IL 10 Federal Republics that
assent eau be ascertained and estaolsneu
only through the ballot, It follows that
to take away that means of communities
tiou is to take away from the citizen his
great weapon OF defence, and reduce him
to helpless bondage. Il d%eprives him of
an i~naliensble right. This clearly proves
that the elective franchise ranks with
"life" and Liberty " in its sacred in
aliensble character.
But while the Declaration clearly
proves what the intention then was, the
action of the Convention in framing the
Constitution Of the United States, 1t
seemed to me, barteTed away, for the
time being, some of those inalienable
rights, and, instigated by the hellish in
stitutiOn of slavery, suspended u Of the
muniments Of liberty. Having thus
shown that the elective franchise is one
of the ~iHalienable rights Of man, without
which his liberty cannot be defended,
and that it was suspended by the Rrbi.
trary Constitution of 1889, let US see il
that suspension has been removed, so as
to leave our hands unrestrained in restor-
ing its full vigor, while still acting under
the Constitution. The right ap~pert2ins
10 every citizen. But while this suspen-
sion existed, the natural love of despot-
ism induced communities TO hold that
each State might fix the qualifications,
rights and ~deprivations of its Own citi.
Zeus.
No one can be expected to reply argu-
tentatively to such stuff as hat. 1t
ought to make the cheek Ofevery honest
man in the North burn with shame. The
ballot in the hands ofthe ignorant negro
is as much a weapon of offenceas a knife
in the hand of a lunAtic. The right to
vote is not one of the inallensble privi-
Of q citizen. Eight thousand white
men are deprived OF it in Tennessee
lawfully, the Supreme Court of the State
decides. It has been always held that
it is not n Of the privileges and inn
munities of s citizen which the COnsti-
tuition guarantees TO the citizen Of q State
in every other State. The Declaration
Of Independence is no part of the law or
Constitution of the United States, any
more than the addresses of the Colonies
to the Crown, or the resolves of q town.
neetingin Boston in IVA. When the Con-
stitution was made, the right OF suffrage
restricted in almost every State, and
nobody ever imagined that TO require a
property qualification was anti. Republi-
,an or contrary eve to the Declaration
Of independence.
We can make a more suitable reply by
these lines OF MOORE, changed somewhat
to suit the subject and the men.
so, seek for some able defenders OF wrong,
And spare Us Thad. Stevens's paltry pre-
are down, troadupon US! We're weak, you
Be content viii success, q pretend not to
sense.
G, the words OF the wise and the generous are
II Truth by the bOwstIing must yield up her
breath,
mutss do the ohice-and spare her the pain
ora C0iisN "a boutwell, 70 Jalk her to death.
;hain, prosecute, plunder-do all that you
But save us. at Ieast, the dull hypocrite's lore
II a Logan, who gaboing o. 10y ally ssh,
Is al once the ~ nuIsauces, mar AID bore.
.et your henohmen still vote-lf theyU ony
Ue mute
And array their thick heads against reason
ike the kor1an Of old, Of historic rspute.
Who with droves OF dumba animals carried the
hgnt.
sendus, wherever they plumber can ind,
Your leeches and cormOrant-, greedy and
Who, ,apo Tor all %JOb-work, no matter its
FIN consciences far less convenient than
can't
on may buy some recruits, who as J~uvenal
Are the Servants of MammOn. whereys r they
7ho in EnraPe would be the base tosdiss OF
kings.
And II ssmbo were Monarch. would worship
cen MIN.
And while, OF the one SIDE, each name Of re-
BOWn
nIumines and blesses your land is com
hined,
the good and the true on your tyranny
frUwn, .
And moErn for a country to ruin consigned,
ct Stevens and Wade snow their tsOops on Z
the other, :
And counting sfuoses the qusntum desired, l
y out, Ike the Graccht'- ilustIious mother,
!" Come forward, my JeUels It's all that's
required,
Id tnuE 1T your farce be hereafter conducted,
Indignantly pefaeluee,o outlaw and chain 9
70 your negfo5s TO murder aHd rob he in. 4
sJructed, y
But lei Stevens not venture to reason again. .