Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-09-11
The Georgia Legislature tho Right Of the
Negro 60 Hold OHlce.

Ihe Georgia Legislature tho Right Of tho
Negro 20 Hold OHlco.
The Empire State, ever active and jealous,
has raised an important question "a question
of much interest to all tho States at the South,
and acted upon it with the promptucss and
activity characteristic Of this State The ne
gro members of tho Legislature have been do
cidcd by the body to be Ineligible to hold
Office; and have bcon expelled from tho House
of Representatives, to thclnumbcr of twenty
five. There are four othors who have hero
toforc claimed to DO colored men, these arc
equally camorous that they belong to the
white race. Their identity has to be proved.
When tho vote was taken on the question,
the white carpet -baggcrs and scallawags voted
against the negroes. The plot thckcns, and
the whole matter is getting littlo more COM
plicated. The poor negro can now very plain
y sec that he has been shamofully, wofuly
dupcd by his white Radical friends, who do
sert him when most needed. Discussions
have arisen to the legality of this proceeding
by tho Legislature of Georgia, whether or
not negroes under tho Constitution or laws of
Georgia or under any law paramount thereto
have right to hold Office. IF they have this
right, it has certainly been conferred by the
-. -.o,-.--...,- x .cu,.uii uIuuutIcnv
some Of tho reconstruction acts. Wo eau
conceive Of no other possible source from
which this right could be derived BY MI of
these it is conceded he is made citizen, and
is given all that is comprchcndcd in tho tech.
nical phrase, "privilogcs and imnunitics,'
and the specific right to vote il given him by
the franchise article of the Constitution
Neither in the opinion of the Constitution of
the United States, nor in tho opinion of the
recent Georgia Convention, OF in any political
theory Of tho Republican party, does citizen
ship carry with it the right to the negro cMo,'
to votc or hold office In the second aoction
of tho 18th amendment, it will be seen, that
whenever the right to vote is denied to any
male inhabitant OF q State, Of the age of twcn.
y-onc years, then the representation in Con
srcss Of such State to be reduced. This very
clearly gives the rights to tho individual
States to confer, or dcny the right of suffrage
and q tortiori the right to hold Office The
negro is as much to-day citizen of Now
York and Ohio as he is Of Georgia or South
Carolina. Tho civil rights bill and l4tl
amendment passed by Congress apply equally
there as here. by virtue of his citizenship
does he vote or hold Office in either of those
States Ohio last year denied him tho righ
to vote by forty thousand majority, and he
never presumed to seek office. New Yorl
still denies him the right to vote. But doc
the right to vote carry with it the right t
hold Office? IF it docs, every voter is cnti
tied to hold office, and if eligible to ono Office
why not 10 all 2 DO wo not all know tina
there arc laws limiting certain offices to par
ticular classes of yotols, GoTernots, Judges
&C., for example. That cortuin quallno.:t!'on
rs to ago, residence, 60, arc prerequisite K
these. Undcr this GLASS Of citizens, arc com
priscd females and minors, and those who
havo but recently como into tho State will
tho intention Of remaining. These ccrtainl,
have not tho right to vote or hold Office
Much less thon the colorcd man who was borl
without legal right, and thoro was no way te
give him those rights, save by special logisla
ton.