Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-10-10
From the N. Y. Tribune.l
Trumbull on Suffrage.

Senator Irumbull has puDllsneu Ill Inc
Aduance an article opposing the doctrine
of Mr.. Madison, the drawer OF the Constitu-
tion, that that instrument vests in Congress
the power to regulate the right Of suffrage
in the States, II is not very remarkable,
that Mr.. Madison never correctly understood
the clause of The Constitution ON which he
relied for this power, though he himselfw was
the author of it. But tits somewhat remark
able that Mr.. Trumbull should exhaustivcly
discuss those clauses of the Constitution
which have never been supposed to confer
this power, and maintain profound silence
upon the single clause which it is claimed
does confer the power.
The Constitution provides,
l. That electors of Members oil Congress
shall have the qualifications requisite for
| electors of the most numerous branch of the
State Legislature and,
| H. That Congress shall have power to
make or alter" the "regulations of the
States concerning "the time, place, and
manner of clecting Representatives.
| Mr.. Madison in the Virginia Convention,
| explained this to mean that while 1t was
| deemed desirable that each State should be
| in the first instance regulate the right OF
suffrage for itself, yet, to prevent the right
from being granted or denied in such man
ner as would endangcr the safety and per-
petuity of the General Government, it was
deemed advisable to invest Congress with
the ultimate or appellate power to alter or
amend the regulations of the State respecting
suffrage as it might be found essential to
| the national welfare He admitted, in re-
sponse to question adressed to him by MIR.
jefferson, that this clause would give Con-
gress the power even to pass national uni
form suffrage law, but affirmed that such
power might be necessary to preserve the
very existence of the Government. MIR.
Trumbull is not only silent upon the
authority in question, but upon the clause 1.
of the Constitution on which Mr. Madi-
son based his construction. In taking
the position that ga republican govern
ment does not depend upon the
"numbcr of people who participate il
'the primary election of representatives,
we suppose Mr. Tumbull would be under
stood to argue that the question whether 4
government is republican or not does moi
depend upon the number of people who arc
made voters. But this assertion, If true,
proves too much. We might narrow the
suffrage to one man, as is practically done
in all absolute despotisms, land yet this would
be republic.
Mr.. Madison defined the difference be-
J tween democracy and n republic to be tha
In the former s. the people meet and exer
:" else the government in person; in a re-
"public they assemble and administer il by
"their representatives and agents. IL
either case, it must be the people, .. G. the
whole people, !. G. all adult males not dis
franchised for personal causes, who taxi
part in the government. Whatever ma.
have been called republics centuries ago, to
! day history and usage have identified tn
word with those governments only whicl
+ are 'of the people, for the people, and b,
, "thc people.
Mr. Trumbnll attempts TO prove that in
t republic black citizens may be excluded from
Q the suffrage by citing the example Of variou
States. But this is assuming that thos
States, in that respect, have been republican
: which is begging the question. He NIGH
MS well prove that the black race in Americ
have always been free, by citing from Decla
ration of Independence that sall men ar
created equal, and have an inalienable rigli
n to liberty" The Slave State government
have no more been republican than til
, slaves have been free. There were section
: of territory and classes of people of the Uni
: ton nor the Declaration of independence
g had any practical operation; and if the il
spiration contained in those documents ha
been always 'cribbed, cabined, and confin
r cd within the brains of conservatives an
strict constructionists we doubt if either {
4 them would at present have any practic;
operation anywhere; some strict construt
ZIONIST would doubtless be presiding as til
Il Car over that kind of model republic whic
Mr.. TrumbuIl's airy imagination has devised
I and in which none but the Car would vot'