The Portland daily press., 1868-03-20

The power Of Congress 10 regulate suffrage
Ia the several States was again brought to the
attention Of the House OF Representatives, en-
Wednesday. by the motion of Mr.. Broomall,
of PENNSYLVANIA, to reconsider the vote refer
ring his bill guaranteeing to each State re-
publican form of government. The hi forbids
any State to curtail the civil or political rights
of citizens on account OF race or color. The
motion led to an extended discussion, some
members on both sides. as on previous occa-
ons. denying the constitutiOnalify OF the blil.
Mr.. Woodward of Pennsylvania and Mr.. Ell
bridge OF Wisconsin were especially active in
OF. osing it. Dir. SpauldiDg OF Ohio, though
fyorjne the extension of tee franchise 10
blacks. thought it could only te done by tie
States themselves Mr.. Stevens OF Pennsyl-
vania offered a substitute for the bill which
we printed yesterday, and made the following
remarks:
This Mr.. Speaker, is a grave question. The
argument OF il is not question for dema-
gogues; the world is going on in its progress
OF human government, and IS every day adj
Yancing in the great science which is to make
man happy or make him miserable. we are
either to relapse into state of barbarism
where that Infamous doctrine that one man
can own another is 10 be re-establisbed. or we
are TO establish the doctrine that every man
governs himself and has rights that are inal-
ltnavie, aug among tnose lnalienable rights is
the right OF universal suffrage, which no man
snail dare, after this question shall have PASS
ca away, TO dispute. We are not now merely
expoundng government, we are correcting
Tue ln]ustlce, the errors, the tollies which were
neaped on other times by necessity. From
the dark ages up mankind has been ground
down by despots, who could not control the
people, and were unable TO form governments
such as ought to control them. Europe, Asia,
ana every other country in ths world, until
the last century, were bound in chains which
they could not break-in chains and vithes
winch they could not snap. But the period
arrived when Almighty God, the Governor of
the Universe, placed within the power of our
fathers both the knowledge and finally the
power to break those chains, and give to the
world an opportunity, II it would be free
When the dawn OF the revolution came, it
broke upon this world as new, mighty and
glorious reformation. That which never be-
lore had opened the eyes of mankind and
given clear insight into the rights of the hu.
man race, opened to the eyes Of our great and
| glorious faIhers, and taught them what we
| have TO carry out; and what, when we have
| carried it out, will make tyrants everywhere
tremble. Then Gemagoeues who talk to Us
| abont differences OF race, will be ashamed and
| will skulk away from the face OF man. What
| was that great right which they discover
ed? 1t was that all were born equal; that
black man who brushes my colleagues mr.
W0odward's boots, is just as much entitled to
every privilege as my learned friend myself
W noever undertakes to make distinction be-
tween colored men ard ourselves, because of
| tho color OF his own skin, or the formation of
| his body, has fol gotten his God, and his God
will forget him. In other words, you must go
back now to universal and impartial suffrage,
as the oaly foundation on which the govern
ment can stand. You must build all your sci
ence OF government on that; and when you al
tempt to depart from 1t you forget that you are
| man; then You become tyrant, and you de-
| serve the execration of the human race
| There is no other way but by universal suff-
| rage in which you and l and every man can
| protect ourselves against the injustice, the in
| humanity and wrongs which would otherwise
| be inflicted on us. We have got to the point
| IN tins nation when we can adopt that great
and glorious principle. What man dares
to say that we shall not adopt it? My
efforts Shall be to prove to this House.
not simply that we have reached that point
but that we have reached it by means Of the
Constitution, which we have not violated
although our fathers, who would have adopt
ed the principle, and who proclaimed it, could
not adopt it without violating the contract
which they themselves had made and without
destroying the great government which they
We're then building up. TRUST, therefore, that
[ shall be understood when say that my doc
trine now is that we have reached that period
which our fathers did not reach and could not
reach. l differ slightly from my respected
colleague from Philadelphia Mr.. KelleyJ on
that ground. We have reached period when
we may speak of universal suffrage, not as a
boon-not as gift, but an inalienable right,
which no man dares to take away, and which
no man can surrender. His God has foI bud
den 1.-THE science of government has forbid
den it; and hencetortb let us unders and, that
universal suffrage, operating in favor of man
who is to be governed by votes cast, is one of
the doctrines planted deeper than granite and
which our fathers laid the foundation of. Their
immortal work-the work of universal liberty
will last as long as that immortal doctrine
shall last and no long lnnper