Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-05
UNIVERSAL NEGRO SUFFRAGE.

reported as being opposed to the
proposition to secure uniformity of
negro suffrage by an amendment Of
the constitution. He is reported |
by correspondent of the New York
Herald as saying that he could mot
see its practicability;;" that as "uni-
versal suffrage has been voted down
in a good many Of the Northern
States" he supposes at would be
out of order for the Legislatures of
those States to accept the proposed
amendment against the will of the |
people; that "the Legislature of
New York could vote in the affirma
tive on the amendment, for it is
under no implied pledge given in
the expressed vote of the people on
the question )" but that the Legis-
lature of a State like Ohio has
heard the verdict of its citizens on
negro suffrage, and it must feel
bound TO act in accordance there
with" when the proposed amend
ment should be presented to it.
Senator Morgan appears to have
great reverence for the will of the
people in the Northern States, but
he has never once protested against
forcing negro suffrage upon the
people of the South, to whom it was
natural TO suppose it was more re-
pugnant than to the people Of the
North. 1t was forced upon them
by act of Congress, and now when
it is proposed to make negro suf-
frage universal by nearly the same
prOcess-that is, by an amendment
to the constitution proposed by
Congress-it is seriously objected to
on the ground that the majority of
the people of the North are opposed
to enfranchising the few negroes
among them. The negroes in New
York may come down to Tennessee
and after the required residence
here will be entitled to vote and
upon application to Registrar will
be furnished with certificate guar
anteeing that right or privilege.
But white citizens of New York,
who come here, if they happen not
to be Radicals, will have a merry
time in getting to vote, if they are
accorded that privilege. A negro
who is by the laws of Tennessee a
legal voter, may remove to New
York and unless he owns property
of the value of two hundred and
fifty doIlars-and there are com
paratively few negroes in this State
who do own that much-he will be
as etfectually disfranchised there as
the "Rebels' are here, while every
white man going from Tennessee to
New York will be entitled to vote
upon completing the required term
of residence in that State This
state of the case will apply equally
to any Southern State as TO Ten
nessee. Yet the constitution Of the
| United States declares that 'the
citizens of each State shall be emit
tied to AL privileges and immu
mites of citizens in the several
States If it was right that the
negroes of the Southern States
should be clothed with the privilege
Of voting, it is certainly equally so
that those of the North should be
without imposing upon them the
necessity and expense of removing
to one of the Southern States.
Touching the reference of Sena-
tor Morgan to Ohio, the Cincinnati
Chronicle (RadicaD admits that
what the:present Democratic Legis
lature Of that State would do on
the subject, is of course not an open
question" and that journal tacitly
admits that 4 Legislature could not
be elected in Ohio, even with its
10000 majority for Grant, favOra-
bic to the ratification ofthe proposed
universal negro suffrage amend
ment, with the issue directly pre-
scented before the people at the next
election" The Chronicle states
that it has already expressed a
doubt Of the ratification of the pro
posed amendment by the present
(RadicaD Legislature Of Indiana"
and it is not certain that the ease
would be any more hopeful in Hi
nois" The Radicals in these States
clamored vociferOusly for negro suf-
frage in the South, but they will
have none of it at home, where the
negro vote could effect nothing at
best
The New York TTbune is dis
gusted. II says "either the gov