Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-15
anterior to any State law on the SUBJ

7 - = - - ~&AsSN NeAsSl
| as such, to vote at some time, Ii
some way, at some poll or other, fol
some purpose or other. If, there il
such right, it must proceed npor
the idea that voting is a naturai
right. But if it is natural right
why confhe it to citizens of the
United States 1t is apparent, we
think, that the trainers of the amend
nnent used the term @right of citi-
zens Of the United States to VOTE .
as meaning to recognize or intro-
duce the idea that national citizen
ship eonfers a right of voting. But
this they have not said; and, there
fore, the question arises, what is to
be the operation of this amend
ment upon the previously existing
powers of the States over the quail
fcations of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude?
If the amendment had said "no
State shall refuse to withhold from
any adult male the privilege of
voting in any election on account of
the color of his skim" we could
understand it as striking from the
powers of the States all power over
the subject of qualifications so far
as qualification touches the matter
Of race. But the amendment has
done no such thing. Using phrase
which has very different meaning
from that of all persons, or all males,
or all adult males, it speaks OF the
''right Of citizens Of the United
States to cote" thereby cOmpre-
hending women as well as men;
and then it proceeds to lessen the
power of the States over this exist
ing right of all citizens of the United
States in one particular only, name
ly: color, race, or previous seryi-
tude, leaving the States at liberty to
exclude from the enjoyment of this
antecedent right of all citizens of
The United States those citizens of
the United States who happen to be
women, whether white or black.
We do not propose TO complain OF
this, but what we design to show is,
that this amendment, by the use of
a phrase which has a definite legal
and somewhat restricted meaning,
will introduce great confusion and
uncertainty into our political sys"
TEN, and finally will fail to amount
to anything.
The term "citizens of the Unite d
States has a fixed meaning. 1t
comprehends all those who, by
being born on the soil, or by force
of naturalization, or by being born
of American parents, domiciled
temporarily in foreign countries,
are entitled to claim the national
character. 1t embraces females
and infants as well as males and
adults. Beyond this the phrase has
no significance whatever. 1t com
prehends no right of voting, any
more than it does right Of marrye
ing, or doing anything else which
is exclusively regulated by the law
of each State. To introduce this
phrase, therefore, into the constitu'
ton, and to speak of the right OF
all these persons, male and female,
infants and indults, to rOte-for
they are all citizens of the United
States-is to describe a class OF
persons as possessing a right which
it is notorious that they do not
possess, by reason of their belong
ing to that class. Now, suppose
that this amendment having been
ratified, a State constitution should
admit all white adults to vote,
whether citizens in the United
States or foreigners.
Then comes the fifteenth amend
ment, which is designed to prevent
the exclusion effected by the word
,ohite; and Congress, by what is
called appropriate legislation has
made laws to tenforce" this nullih
cation of the State constitution
But" says the State, 81 do no
found my voting qualifications OF
national citizenship at all; / admi
all adult white males, native or Tor
zion; and therefore the supposed
right you describe in the fifteenth
amendment do not describe thos'
whom I exclude because they ar
negroes or Cinnamon" We thin
| it would be difficult to answer this
for when the amendment speaks o
the fright of citizens of the Unlte'
States to vote" it must mean eithe
that all citizens of the United State
have, as such, kind OF inherer
right to vote, or else it must mea
to describe those who, being CIT
zens of the United States, have a
ready had the right of voting col
ferred upon them.
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