Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-09-10
NO. 25
EXTRACTS FROM THE SPEECH
OF HON. JOHN A. BINGHAM.
Delivered at Alliance, Tuesday Evasaa
Ing Aug. 49, 1859.

p I ~
OF HON. JOHN A. BINGHAM
Delivered at Alliance, Tuesday Ewes
Ing Aug. a. 1859.
EQUAL RIGETs-IMPARTTAL SUFFRAGE
In this land of ours men and citizer
| were, by the corruptions Of the Eurt
pean system. made slaves, In the cor
| suming fires of the late great conflis
for Union and Liberty every feftc
/ binding human limbs was turned
dust, and to-day the Republic refuse
to bear upon its soil q single Slave.
1 This victorious people having atone
/ Tor this cr1Hae against humanity by th
sacrifice of blood, have, by a solemn
decree, declared by the amendment
OF tne1r fundamental law, first, tina
hereafter there shall be no slavery ol
involuntary servitude in this republi
except as punishment for crime, upoT
due conviction and, second that d,
state shall deprive any person of life
Iloerty or property without due process
OF law, nor deny to any person tht
equal protection Of the lawsS nor rlalre
nor enforce any law which shall abridRs
the privileges or immunities Of citizens
81 the United States, and that all per,
sons born within the Jurisdiction of the
Onlted States shall be citizens thereof
All this is part Of the Constitution OF
or consent of the Democratic party,
Right minded men must COncede thal
these amendments 70 the ConBtitu.
ton, sOlemuly ratified by the people o.
bne United States, do not take from tbs
States any OF the powers originalIYre-
served to them under the Constitution
but simply enforce in practice the or
iginal theory Of the Government Of the
United States, Citizenship entities the
person to equal protection, privileges
and 1mmunttiCs In every State Of the
Union. From the beginning, the
American people did declare by their
fundamental law that the privileges
ana tmmunitieS Of a citizen of the
United States were the blrth-riRht of
every Tree person born within the Uni
ted states, and under its Jurisdiction,
and might be conferred by law 'upon
all persons Of foreign birth resident in
the country for the time prescribed,
upon renunciation of all foreign Rlle-
giance to the United States.
To maintain and perpetuate these es-
sential principles of the Government
OF the United States, Congress has pro-
posed, Ia accordance with the Consgitu-
fion to the Legislatures of the several
States the 18th Amendment, which
provides that ''the right of the citizens
or the United States to vote shall not
be denied by the United States, or by
any state, on account OF race, color, or
previous condition of servitude, and
me Congress shall have power to en-
force this article by appropriate legis-
lRtion."
This amendment has already been
by the Legislatures twenty
one States, representing twenty-five
millions Of the American people.
Ihls Democratic party, Bo-callad, In
Ohlos protests against this amendment
!s It protested against the 18th and 14th
Amendments, and declares that 1t is
ytolattve of the reserved rights of
States for the Congress to propose, and
OF the Legislatures of three-fOuFths Of
ne States Of this Union, to ratify this
amendment. What is necessarily I'M
1lled in this declaration of the Demo-
ratio party 1. That citizenship is not
birth-rtght, and from this it results
hat the majority may rightfully, in the
several states of this Union, deprive
he minority of all the privileges and
"A muntttes Of citizens Of the United /
states.
I submit that no greater political
ltrOcity than this can possibly be COM
nitted by human agency.
Let t4e people accept this proposition |
ind they Will become the architects of
heir own ruin. Nothing can be clear
n than this, that under the representa-
i've system Of government the rights
u the minority are as sacred and in
as the rights of the majority.
Z the majority may rightfully cisfran-
'hise the minority of citizens on ac-
'ount Of race, color or former condition
# servitude, they may, with equal pro-
'TieGys oisfranchtse citizens for want
II stature or property, or on account of
laGlV1tys thereby presenting to the 4
world the miserable spectacle of a gov |
rnment VIII erein mere majority sub /
9ets to the absolute desDotism of their i
7ill minority of their fellow citizens. !
lmost equal In number to themselves,
nd Perchance, greatly their superiors
q all the attainments and virtues
Thich adOrn, or elevate, or ennob1e hu-
lan nature.
Let no one answer what have said
2 the stale cry, "This is a whites
lan's government I" Let il borne in
lind that this is the government of
len representing every people and
inbred and tongue under the whole
eavens. and that 10 the inception Of
ur national struggle for representa- 1
we government, in 1776, the declara-
on of the people was not that all
lhtte men are created equal, but that
II men are created equal, and endowed 4
y their Creator with the rights Of life
nd liberty.
Let it be remembered that By the
rticles of the confederation adopted
4 70, free persons, residents In these
tstes, were declared citizens Of the
United States, and entitled to all the
rivileges Of citizens in the several
tates and let it not be forgotten that
] the Congress Of rs il was proposed
D restrict the privileges of citizens of
he United States to lChite persons
hat the vote was taken in that Con-
ress upon inserting the word white
D the articles of confederation as q
Of citizenship; that of the
leven States then represented, eight
tafes, embracing three-fOurths of the
nitro population of the thirteen, voted
did against the infamous proposition,
nd that only two States voted for
!. This question was thenceforWard /
lOsed, and was never afteFWard even
by the great men who made
be Constitution, leaving it to the Dem
cratic party of 1869 to revive the afro
lous proposition that color shall de-
srmine the biFthright of citizenship.
{ does not require a very high order
{ intelligence, or an extraordinary
mount of intellect, to enable one TO ,
iscover that il logically results from
a
eny citizenship to a minority on ac-
ount Of color, that it may deny as we'll
be right of the minority to live on ac-
Ount of color.
=
Il is known the world over that the
American experiment Of representa- ,
i've government rested upon the great Z
let that all men, irrespective of race,
dior or origin, not by the edicts Of ty- ,
ants, or usurpers, or by the Constitu-
on Of States, but by the irrepealable .
ecree Of the God of men and nations,
ere equal in the rights of person, and /
pom the further proposition that the
hole body of the people Of like age
nd residence, and possessed Of sound
lind, have equal Fightand equal voice
d ordinary constitutions Of govern
tent, and comforting and prescribing i
be powers to be exercised thereby.
bis is the Democracy Of Ameriea-
be Declaration of America and the !
of America. Is It not {
'Titten in the Declaration that the /