The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-06-24
Mr. MORGAN-Verv GOOD II

MI. MORGAE-very good. If the
s mple object of the residence is to ac-
quire an education, with the intention
to leave the place when the education
has been acquired, is the student then
a legal voter?
Mr.. GARFIELD-That is according
to the intention of the student. I now
wish to ask the gentleman, If his view
of the law be correct, then what was
the object of passing the law of this
year?
Mr.. MORGAN-Because e,rtain
persons have heretofore set the law at
defiance ; and to prevent that willful
and deliberate violation of law We have
passed an act which they cannot evade.
am very glad TO hear my colleagues ex-
PLANTATION Of this matter. This new
born zeal of the Democratic party for
the purity of elections is one of the
most beautiful chapters in the history
of that party. Viewing the whole ques
ton of the "visible ~admixture" W
the soldiers asylum law, the students
voting law, and the accompanying acts
ancillary thereto, it is certainly oEe OF
the most striking and characteristic
chapters in modern Democr tic h;sto
ry.
Now, In order to secure all the ben
eits of these laws for the next election,
SO that the Supreme Court may not re-
move them from the statute book on ac-
count of their unconstitutionality. a law
is now pending in that same Democratic
Legislature %forbidding the Supreme
Court to take up any case cut of its
regular order in other words, forbid
ding the Supreme Court to advance a
case on the docket; for if the court
should exercise this right which it has
exercised aver since the State was
founded, of advancing an important
case or the docket, and the gentleman's
party know right we'll that the students
voting law, or at least the visible adj
mixture law, would be swept at once
from the statute book as uDcon stitution-
al. By this means that Democratic
Legislature proposes to ride over The
coming Presidential election, well
knowing that both the law and the ma
kers of it will be swept away when OR
next election takes place.
Mr.. MORGAN-I desire to ask nv
sollea que one question. IF the Republi
can party. of which the gentleman is so
distinguished a light, desires hat the
elective franchise shall be conferred up
on the negroes-tLat the negroes Of
the South shall exercise political dom
%inaticn over the white men there-bew
comes it hat the people of Ohio, the
Republican party being In the MAORI
ty there. have, by a majority Of fifty
five thousand, decided that the negro is
unfit to exercise the elective franchise,
and refused to extend it to him ?
Mr.. GARFIELD-Mr. Speaker, l
am very glad that my colleague has
called my attention to that point. A
few timid members of the last Legisla-
ture of Ohio, whe had not quite nerve
enough to meet a great question on its
merits, framed that constitutional
amendment in such a shape that the
suffrage question was no. spuarely be-
fore the people.-They tackled on a
clause proposing to disfranchise desert
ers and those who ran away from the
draft. 1t SO happened that a great
many soldiers who were borne on the
rolls as deserters were only technically
deserters, not really so. Such men
felt the injustice of the d~isfranchising
clause and this single fact, I have no
doubt, turnad the scale on that ques-
ton.
But 1 call the gentlemanss attention
to the fact that, notwithstanding all
the clogs attached to hat amendment,
nearly thirty-eight thousand Of the
citizens of Ohio voted for it and I
have no more doubt that. a provision
~guarantying equal suffrage in that State
will. be ultimately adopted by Ohio
than I have that we eAallaarry through
the great measures TO- before this
body.
Mr.. M0RGAN-My distinguished
colleague has said that the reason a ma
jority Of fifty five thousand votes was
polled in the State of Ohio against
negro suffrage was that there were so
many desertors. BY that remark I nm
derstand him to imply that there were
in the Republican party fifty FIVE thous-
and deserters who would not vote in
favor of negro suffrage. because there
by they would ~disfranchise themselves.
daughter
Mr.. GARFIELD say no such
thing but I am perfectly free to say,
Mr.. Sneaker, that the Republican
party, like all other parties of virtue
and progI ess, has in its ranks here and
there weak and timid men, who cannot
quite come up to the measure ola great,
bold, righteous issue. IF the world
were a little better than it is, if we had
a little more enlight eminent throughout
the state of Ohio, if we had fewer men
unable to read and write, If we had more
men who have been in the army and
drawn in the inspiration of the great
war through which we have passed, if
if we had fewer Democrats to appeal to
the prejudices and interests Of the peo-
pie, fewer George 81. Pendletoes to
whisper in their ears fattering financial
schemes, fewer men TO offer them t. e
bribe of Indirect reputation SIS the
prospect of Democratic future, I adj
NIT that, with such advantages. we
should have carried the recent election
aud secured impartial suffrage in our
State in spite of ali the obstacles which
impend it.
Mr.. VAN TRUMP ask the gen.
tleman for tho proof that George Fl.
Pendleton is in favor of repudiation.-|
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