White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1869-01-21

session in 1853. From the recent publi-
cation Of this work. it is, of course i'm
possible to be thoroughly acquainted with
oil it's provisions. have therefore but
little change to recommend; in fact.
think the laws should ouly be chssged as
the necessity becomes evident. and that
the code should be thoroughly tried be.
fore extensive amendments are made;,
but csunot refrain from calling your
attention to the I'M scticsbili,y o'the pro
visions Of Section IS. Article VIII.
Chapter l02. relative to the publication
OF the Governor's Message. There may
possibly be q necessity f.r other changes.
but before proposing any. l woull rec
ommend careful examination of the Law
as it row exists. for. by making efforts
to meet every contingency. we may csuse
worse difficulties than thoss we attempt
to provide against. and each new act may
vsriously affect many preceding ones.
1t is inconsidersts legislation which 10.
wolves the necessity Of SO frequently re-
-sising and cod,fying the Ilws.
81 -. SUFFRAGE.
l have long been impressed with the
belief that Suffrage should be regulated
by uniform laws. enacted BY the National
Legislature that oligarcaicsl com bin atoms
may be restrained from using unreasona-
bls pfeiadices existing in some OF the
States to prevent the acknowledgment OF
worthy and loysl citizens. Impelled by
this view of the subject. recommend that
20 memoFiIlizs Congress to submit to the
State Legislatures, for ratification. an
smendDent to The Constitution of the
United States, authorizing Congress to
70 prescribe Uniform rules for the
qualification of voters throughout the
United States | believe this TO be the
only way in which the FIRST cIause oi the
Second Section OF Article Fourth of the
Constitution OF the United States can be
made properly effective. When this is
accomplished, und compromising e1pe-
dients no longer accord political rights
to favored classes OF citizens, and deny
them to others equally entitled to them.
then may We hope for reace and prosper
ity. The question Of equal human rights
will overshadow all Others. while it re
mains question, and rightly, too, for
personsl freedom and equal and exact
justice for sll, are indispensable to the
highest development. Therefore let our
sction be in the interest of individual
liberty and the vindication of the eqnal
rights Of all mankind, using the term in
its most comprehensive sense. Class
legislstipn is always and essentially IN.
Just; its tendency is to degrade both
classes; the governing and the governed;
it is also dangerous and extravsgant.
An attempt to nationslizs and psrpet.
uats an old and bsrbarous institution, es-
sentially at war with the spirit of the
sge. lately cost us the lives OF half mil.
lion OF our countrymen. and a national
debt Of nearly three thousand millions OF
dollars; surely, it is the part of economy.
Of prudence and true conservatism. to
Nttls all questions of equal human rights
promptly ani on the most liberal basis,
for ''to this complexion must We come
ct last" The tendency of this age is
towards a civil polity wherein political
rights will not be affected BY social or
chronological distinctions, and from the
moral nature Of mankind aud the expe-
rience OF States. we may infer that re-
strictions merely arbitrary and conveu-
tional, like those based upon color and
sex, cannot last much longer than they
are desired. aud cannot be removed much
sooner than they should be. This con-
sideration should give patience TO the re.
former and resignation to the conservs-
tive. Whenever a system no longer ac-
cords with the spirit of the existing age,
and is not adapted to the character of the
people sought to be controlled, that sys-
TEN must suffer change; for systems of
government. and all the offices connected
Herewith. are really snbservient to those
they profess to govern, and it is useless
to attempt the continuance of rigid and
unreasonable restrictions against the
popular will. True republicsnism stud
les the greatest possible good of ell man.
kind, and recognizes the fact that the
people are sovereign. james Madison,
the father Of the American Constitution,
speaking of true Republic. says: "Is is
essential to snch government that it be
derived from the great body of the soci.
ETY.. not from an inconsidsrable portion
or a favored class of il; otherwise q
handful of tyrannicsl mobiles. exercising
their expressions BY q. delegation of their
powers. might aspire to the rank OF Re
pnblicsns, and clsim for their govern
ment the honorable title of Republic"
Let us have true Rspublic-a govern
mint of thu people. by the people, for the
people," and we shall hear no more Of
the olisarchical cry Of csoaking couserv-
tism calling for "whits mans govern
ment"-sppealing by this. and like slo-
gans of class and caste, 10 tho lowest and
meanest principles of human nature, dan
gerous alike TO real republicsnsm and
true democracy. Expediency, thst great
pretext for the Infringement of human
rights. no longer jastifes us iu the reteu.
tion Of monopoly of political power in
onr own favored class of "white male
citizens"
Experience should teach US that o.
restrictions upon human liberty become
less justiiable in principle. they become
dangerous and demoralizing in practice.
Ths great writer on constitutional law
above quoted truly says: "Sanction is ss
necessary to the idea of law as coercion
is to the idss of government" and that
the "national authority should have com
plete control of all matters wherein uni