The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-11-28
polHitol.
From the Washington Clrosicie.
THE POWERS OF CONGRESS
OVER SUFFRAGE.

!
because tho power was expressly
claimed by Madison and other advo.
Gates Of the Constitution; when that
instrument was assailed by its oppo.
nents because it granted the power.
We advocated the passage of such a
bill by Congress because the time
had come when il was requisite for
the peace of the country, that the
determinations growing out of the
institution of slavery should cease;
and it was manifest that the people
would willingly accept such an act
when fat accompi precisely as they
had accepted the emancipation Of the
negroes. Once passed, it would have
been recognized as an act of simple
justice, and acquiesced in as the law of
the land. 1t is only in the process of
achievement that just acts arc difficult;
when accomplished, their very enc.
mics applaud them. Nor is slowncss
Of popular endorsement even in the
agitations of reforms always evidence
of intrinsic unpopularity. There are
thousands of people who are timid
and opprchensive of the effects Of
anything, however just and simple,
that may be stigmatized as an limo.
walton. These are willing enough to
let Others bear the responsibility they
shirk from, and hence they loitcr on
the way or lean to the conservative
side in the midst of agitation.
Congress ought to pass a universal
suffrage law as an act Of justice to
the people of the country and in vim
dicatiOn of the principles of the De
claration of Independence. 1t has
the right under the guarnty clause
to declare that no government is re-
publican in its form which makes
color disqualification for the elec.
tive franchise, and vacatiug so much
of the Sta'e laws as establishes such
Determinations. BY the second Sec
ton of article one of the Constitu.
ton of the United States, it is pro-
vided that the Representatives in
Congress shall Re cle,.ed by the pco.
pie, "and the electors in each State
shall have the qualifications requisite
for electors of the most numerous
branch of the State Legislature"
and by section four Of the same arti-
Gle, "the time, place, and manner Of
holding elections for Senators and
Representatives shall be prescribed
In each State by the Legislature
thereof, bit The Congress mag at any
tin,c, By la@, ntakc or alter mch regu-
latioas, crccpt as to the place Of choos.
ing Senator'S"
The power was violently assailed
by the enemies of the Constitution in
the Virginia Convention, and was as
earnestly contcnded for by its friends.
The latter claimed that it was abso.
lutely necessary for the perpetuity of
the Government. because State Leg
islatures might be inimical, and fail
or refuse to provide for the necessary
elections, aud the Government there
by cease to have representative
body. In regard to the control of
Congress over the qualifications of
voters, Madison said;
"Some States might regulate the
elections on the principle of equality,
and others might regulate them 9TH
erwise. 4 < i Should the peo-
pie of any State, by any means, be
deprived of the right Of suffrage it
'eas judged proper that IL should be
rcmcdied by he General Government
X i 4 If the elections be regu-
lated properly by the State Legisla-
ture, the Congressional control will
probably never be exercised. This
power appears to be satisfactory, and
unlikely to be abused in any part of
the Constitution. - Elhots De-
;: ,:..as, = vol. iii, p. 3l7.
Because this power has never ovcu
exercised, or because some the North
ern States have failed to do justice at
the ballot box, is no valid reason why
Congress shall not act upon the pow
er so expressly conferred by the Con-
stitution. In addition, however, to
the powers originally conferred upon
Congress by the Constitution, we
have the power conferred by the 3rd
article of the 18th amendment,
which, after providing that neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude
shall hereafter exist in the United
States, empowers Congress to enforce
it by appropriate legislation" This
in addition to the general provision
authorizing Congress to make all
laws necessary for carrying into effect
any powers granted by the Constitu-
ton, certainly gives the ampleat au'
thoritY to that body to do whatever
its discretion shall determine to be
necessary to secure republican gov
ernments aud popular liberty in the
States. Andrew johnson in his FIRST
annual message to Congress, said 3