Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-06-30
Universal Suffrage.


MIR. Daniel W. Voorhees, recently delivered
speech at New Albany, Ind, in which he
expressed his views on the suffrage question,
as follows:
II am one of those persons that hold, 1rst,
upon the question Of suffrage, that it is not
question Of Federal politics at all. | take it
that no man OF honesty, no man of common
intelligence, believes that Congress has the
right to force code Of suffrage on the State
OF Indiana. Has Congress the right to en-
force negro suffrage everywhere? L will read
the Chicago plattorm-that transparent fraud
upon the question-directly. They say they
have the power to enforce it over ten States,
but not power to enforce it over the rest. 1t
is a question for the States, and the States
alone. II the people Of any State desire to
incorporate the negro race into their voting
population. That is their business not mine.
But | should never do it, and | will give you
my reasons why. If the people Of State
desire to do it, they have the power to do it,
however unwiSe that act may be !; bat the
power Of Congress does not extend to that.
No question Is palmer; and the Democratic
party stands UPON that doctrine. But we 20
further. We hold that the attempt to min
gle and comminge two separate and distinct
according to history, resulted fatally to the
government that attempted it. | have no
prejudIces against the black man. | have no
prejudices against anything that God has
made. What right have The humblest
and lowest thing Of animated creation has my
sympathy and respect. because God made it.
1T is not because | would tramplc upon
the black man that | would deprive him OF
the right OF suffrage il this country because
the right CT suffrage in his hand is an eleme-
mcnt Of his own destruction as well as yours.
| would give the black man every civil right
known to the law. Suffrage is not Il right
it is social arrangement. would give the
negro the right to hold property. the right TO
make contracts and enfurce them, collect his
wages sue and be sued. testify in cUurts-IOr
[ would illustrate truth from any source. and
weigh the character Of the witnesses, aud let
their evidence 90 for what it is wurrh-but
when you ask me to take that race into p9lit-
ical partnership with the great white,
Quer!ug race, to whose hands, and to whose
hands alone, your fathers gave the govern
ment of this nation, then, | say, a sacrIlige
is attempted, and | rccoil from it. Ap-
plause)
x = But if it is the right Of the nego to
VOTE it is inalIenable ; and why hasn't he the
flSnJ 10 NOte III luullna ana ONO as well as
in Georgia? Yet last fall the question of
negro suffrage was submitted to the people
Of Ohio, and they voted it down by nearly
fifty thousand majority. 1t was submitted to
the people Of Michigan, aud it was voted down
by forty thousand majority. But they da!e
not submit the question to the people Of In
diana, and they dare not do it at the South.
but they enforce it South by legislative pro-
ceeding in Congress, supported by the bayo-
net, for which you pay out Of your hard
earned taxes. Negro suffrage there is good
thing. What is this but party trick What
is this but spotted and pieoald platform
If it is right for negro to vote there. it is
right for him to vote here. Why do this par
ty not stand up like men and advocate the
doctrine logically? No meaucr, no more
cowardIy, no more pitiful, no more evasive
dodge, was ever placed before the American
people in political platform than that second
pitiiul plank, white North and black South.
TChcers."l