The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-10

the laws tnat existed at the time OF Its
session, and such only having been
made as were suggested bythemselves,, II
the people of the District have not
sought by local legislature that which J
has generally been willingly conceded
by the Congress of the nation. As.9aa3
general rule sound policy requires
that the Legislature should yieldlto
the wishes Of 3 peopite5j 5 when l not in;
consistent with the Constitution and
laws. The measaEes suited to one
community might not be we'll adapted
to the condition of another, and the
persons best qualified to determines ld3'
such questions are those whose inter AR
ests are to be directly affected by any A+@H
proposed law. z..f7 ,o,v5uA
In Massachusetts,, for instance,
male persons are allowed to vote with
out regard to color, provided they
possess a certain degree Of intelli-
gence. In population In that State
Of l ,231 ,066, there were, by the census
of 1860, only 96,021 persons of color,
and of the males over 20 years of age ,g,g
there were 339,086 white to 2,602 col
ored By the same official enumera-
ton, there were in the District of Co
lumbia co. 764 whites to Il, 316 persons
Of the colored race.
Since then, however, the population
of the District has largely increased,
and it is estimated at the present time .Ed.T
that there are nearly 1000 whites to
10000 negroes. The cause of the igJ
augmented numbers of the lat
ter class needs no explanation
Contiguous to Maryland and Virginia,
the District ,duTng5 the war became
place. of refuge for those. who es-
capped from servitude, and it is the
abiding place ORA considerable pro-
portion of those who sought within its
benbe SPg a ad 5Tom O SnS Denied all ~
opportunity for mental culture, their, 1854
first knowledge Of Government was
acquired when, by comforting upbni
tor Of their race. Tfg te1t IF their
capability .fopodmprovbb ent began
when tor the first time the response
biIity office industry and the avenues ,sr9itON
Iee a3yants 20 s 5m
lmitedtime, the Observation-Disclosures
haps JisrIlaving entered during
the dattef lyearsmQfIT theTQ war,
we .tnay'well pause to inquire whether
after so brief az probationt they are, - Q 5G
as a class, capable of an Intelligent
exercise OF the right OF suffrage and
qualified to discharge the duties ofsan v &, So
Official position. -'''''' ''
The people who are daily witnesses
Of their mode 30f Hving. and who be
come familiar with, their habits of ,.,-..,.
thought, have expressed the convic-
ton that they are not competent TO
serve as electors, and thus become
eligible for office in the local govern
ments under which they live, clothed
with the elective franchise. Their
number is already largely in excess of tGG
the demand for labor, and would be
soon increased by an influx from the
adjoining States, and drawn from the
fields where employment is abundant,
they would in vain seek it here, and
80 add to the enlbarrassments already
experienced from the large class of -
die persons cOngregated in this Dis
,rict hF
Hardly yet capable Of, forming cor s.. ,.o
rect judgment upon the important
questions that often make the issues
Of a political contest, they could
readily be made subservient tothe ~tifr
purposes Of designing persons.
While in Massachusetts under the .,..
census Of 1860, the proportion of aa,at.I
white to colOred males over twenty fs-
Tears of age, was one hundred and
thirty to one, here the black race con
titutes nearly one-third of the entire
while the same class sur
POUNDS the District on all sides, ready
% change their residence at a mo-
nent's notice, with all the facility of CO.,
nomadic people, in order to enjoy
lere, after short residence, priv
ege they find nowhere else. 1t is
within their power in one year to
ome into the District in such num-
,ers as to have the supreme control
# the white race, and to govern them
" their own officers and by the ex-
rcise of all the municipal authority:
mong the rest, OF power Of taxation
'ver property in which they have no
interest In Massachusetts, where
hey have enjoyed the benefits OF
thorough educational system, e.
Qualification of intelligence is requiI
d. while here, suffrage is extended to
IL, without discrimination. as well
o the most incapable who can prove
residence in the district Of one year
S to those persons of color who, com
,aratively few in plumber, are perma
ent inhabitants, and having given
violence of qualification are recog
lied as useful and responsible mem
ers of the community. tvf
Imposed upon unwilling people,
laced by the Constitution under the
xclusive legislation of Congress, it
-ould be received as an arbitrary ex-
rcise of power, and as an indication
" the country of the purpose of Con-