The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-20

either TO relapse into state OF paroafisln,
where that Infamous doctrine tnat ono
man can own another is to be rees'ao-
lished. or we are to establish that docsr,no
where every man governs himself, anu 10.
rights that are inalienable and atlons
these inalienable rights is the right OF unl-
versal suffrage, which no man sn" nossed
after. this generation snail Inv parelv
away, to dispute. we are noI Nv" wv lid
expollnding government We on nor
, ing. we are making nation VIC az foll;es
recting the injustice, the erlols, o.. hv ne
which we're heaped on othei 'inAo
! cessity. .ha following as o
substitute for the Dill o;+i
, Re il enacted, de-, That every ma'o Gro u Of
, zo-, of the United States above tuo ot,,-
twenty-one years, who was Doln y. ,o has
, ralized in the United States, OF WV notn-
declared his intention to Decono all
raIized. shall be entitled 10 Fo.o n onv
national questions that may aho all have
ctotn of the Union where no sua,l 49,. ,J
o'a :IaJ u for the time of thirty days ana
reSi 1ie,i,otion shall be made between any
~ . u" o;tigans on any account, except LOT
treason, felony, or oInet Infamous ..llo
not below the grade OF leiohy d. coininoii
law.
that the debate would not be closed with
ont Giving members of the majority an OPP
portunity of stating their objections to
The bill. He did not recognize its consti-
nationality at all, and did not want it to go
to the country that the House was pre-
pared to pass the bill. wish to remark
! that only last October I was called upon
as q citizen of Ohio to vote on the propo-
sition to amend the Constitution Of that
State by inserting right for the free black
to vote equally with the white. I not only
voted cheerfully for that provision as
amendatory of my State Constitution, but
! used all ny influence with the citizens in
my section Of the State to induce them to
engraft that provision on our State Con-
stitution. 1t was unsuccessful. We were
! in advance of the sentiment Of our people,
and they voted it down by 40, 900 majority.
| Now, I would like to see. the member
oil Congress from the State of Ohio
VINO would come here and have the
boldncss to vote for the passage Of this bill,
which cuts directly, in my judgment,
across the Constitution of the United
States, and really dcrides the action Of
the people Of my State, who have refused
to insert in their own constitution of State
government this general right Of suffrage
| for the blacks as well as the whites.
Sir, believe the day may come when
our Constitution, the great bulwark OF our
liberties, shall be so amended as that all
free people may vote at the polls. God
hasten the day when that right shall be
extended. But 50 long as the Constitution
remains as it is, will suffer my right arm
to drop from its socket sooner than vote
| for any such bill as that now before the
House. In saying this, am bold to affirm
| that speak the sentiment of large ma
iority of my colleagues on this floor, ire
| spectve Of party. | should regard the
passage Of this bill at this hour as the
| death krel of our hopes as a political
party in the Presidential canvass.
Mr.. KELLEY advocated the bill. He
said that his colleague Mr.. LAwRESCEl
and the gentleman from Ohio mr.. SPALD-
ISGl had fastened to announce that the
question Of colored suffrage was not
| party question. He admitted but de-
pored the fact, because the Republican
party rested or the theory of the equality
| of men before the law and he took it for
| granted that those members of the party
| who diSsented denied (as the leaders of
the Democratic party did) the humanity
and Immortality of the mass Of human
beings. The majority of the human race
were of that complexion and Of that cha
ractcr of blood to which they denied
equality before the law. He was fain to
admit that the Republican party had not
risen to the height Of standing calmly on
its principles and carrying them into exc
cution to the last result. He referred his
colleague from LuZernc Mr.. Woodward
| to & statement made by Mr.. Madison in the
| Virginia Convention in reply to q question
by Mr.. Monroe, as to the provision in the
| Constitution on the subject Of elections, in
which the following sentence occurred
"Should the people of any State by any
means be deprived of the right of suffrage,
it was Judged proper that it should be re-
mrdied by the General Government"
Mr.. WOODWARD asked his colleague |
what clause Of the Constitution conferred
on the General Government the right to
! interfere with suffrage in the States.
Mr.. KELLEY said it was that clause |
which gives Congress the power to regulate
the time, place, and manner Of holding |
! elections.
Mr.. WOODWARD remarked that that |
| related to the regulation Of elections, not |
| to the qualification Of electors.
Mr.. KELLEY declined to go into q con-
stitutonal disquisition on the subject, as
he had not time to do so.
Mr.. KERR addressed the House in OPP !
position to the bill. He agreed that it was
not yet party question, but he expressed |
| his belief that the moment the majority in |
the House felt it had the power to enact |
such a bill, it would do SO just as inevita-
bly, as that God existed. He held that the |
bill had no shadow Of legal authorization |
in the Constitution Of the United States,
and that, in the words Of the gentleman |
from Ohio Mr. SpALDlSC],i it ran directly |
across tho Constitution. But it was the |
fixed and cherished purpose Of the ma
iority to change the Federal Constitution |
of to-day, and then, under the somewhat |
atitudinarian language OF the proposed |
| fourteenth article, such a bill as this would |
be introduced and passed. The title of
the bill should he changed, and made to |
read {" An act to corrupt the blood and |
TO demoralize the mind of the American |
people, and to undermine their constitu-
tional government and civil liberty" AS
to the remark Of the gentleman Mr.. |
BRooMALLI that this was contest be- |
tween the Democratic party and the ne
gro, he did not know how to characterize |
that kind of political twaddle. The De-
! ,>,ooro+;, RI dow II boJ haan |