Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-12-24
What doe. the Fifteenth Amendment mean

hnaI does AnN IIEGtNln tulah
1t would seem that any amendment to the
Constitution, and certainly one Of such m
trinsic Importance and adopted after such
prolonged discussion as the Fifteenth, ought
finally to pass into the fundamental law Of
the land in a shape to be fully understood
by all But the full and final ratification Of
the Fifteenth Amendment If going to bring
up at once an important question in regard
to Its meaning. The Amendment torblds It.
strictions upon the suffrage, on account Of
color, race or previous condition of servic
tude, and in most Of the States probably its
understood as opening the franchise -oall mai
citizens upon the same conditions. But
this If not the way in which it is Understood
in Rhode Island. In that State there is
property restriction upon foreign born eiti-
zens. The foreigner must not only become
naturalized, but must be an owner Of real
estate to d small amount, before hetan vote,
and there il great unwillingness on the part
Of the yoters-including many Of the foreign
born landholders-to throwing open the
franchise to all citizens They argue that
the State Is Of such limited territory and
population, and the foreign population 80 az
grega,ed in the manufacturing centres, that
if allowed to vote, the foreigners by birth
would elect the delegations of Providence
and other large towns TO the General Assem- .
blv, and through them would control the .
legislation of the State Many OF the most .
intelligent citizens consider the existing re-
striction essential TO good government. 1t .
was this condition of things which caused .
the delay in the ratification of the Amend .
ment by the Rhode Island Legislature, only .
one branch of which has as Yet acted on the .
Amendment. We Judge from the discus
sions in the Rhode Island papers that the Re
pubhcans OF that state have generally SET
tied down in the determination 10 ratiiy the
Amendment but to do - understanding IL
to permit them still to retain the existing rc-
stricuon. They say that as originally in
troduced, the proposition OF amendment for
babe determinations among citizens of tie
States on account Of &c color, race.
property, education or religious be-
lief, - and that IN that shape both the Rhode
Island Senators voted against it. But after
the word - nativity 50 had been stricken out,
with the others following, they voted for 1t,
because as the Providence journal, Senator
paper, says, it then no longer in
terfered with restrictions on account of Ma
iivity and property, and when folly IA fled
t will still permit to Rhode Island her zee
liar suffrage.
The real question il, what does race 80
mean in the text of the Fifteenth Amend
nent? Is it the fact that the incorporation
f that Amendment into the Constitution
Till forbid the exclusion Of any citizen be
ause he happens to be Of Saxon or of Celtic
ace. but will still permit such exclusion, ?
hen he happens to be Of foreign Jirth2 y
'lainly there Is such question, and it Is a l
retty important one. The Amendment is Il
ow soon to be adopted, and the point Will l"
robably 60 to the Supreme Court for de- a.
if that court is to be still per II
tilted, as we suspect it will be, to decide III
institutional questions. =