Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-03
THE sUrrRAaE AnENDnENr.
TIE proposed fifteenth amendment
to the constitution of the United
States reads as follows:

states READS as iOllOW5
"The right Of citizens of I'll
United States to vote and hol
office shall not be denied or abridge
by any State on account of rae
color, nativity, property, creed {
previous condition of servitude."
This last innovation is a bite
pill for many of the Republican,
Some of them quote the Chicag
platform against it, and very col
rectly too, for that platform reads
"The guarantee by Congress G
equal suffrage to all loyal men a
the South, was demanded by ever
consideration of public safety, G
gratitude and of justice, and mus
be maintained while the question
of suffrage in all the loyal State
properly belongs to the people o
those States"
The Providence OR. 1. Journal
edited by Mr. Anthony, one of tn
United States Senators from Rhod
Island, says "This is the doetrin,
on which we went before the coun
try, with Grant for our candidate
This is the pledge on which W,
carried the country. OF course any
departure from this is an act of baC
faith"
Of course the Chicago platform
reads one way, and the action Of
Congress another. The proposed
amendment regulates the suffrage in
the so called "loyal States" which
the Chicago platform declares to be-
long to the people of these States
alone. 1t takes from the States and
consolidates with the other powers
of the general government the whole
question Of suffrage. The Journal
forcibly asks:
Suppose it had been moved, in
the Chicago Convention, to amend
the platform by adding to the por-
ton which we have quoted, at the
head of this article, a recommends
ton that the constitution should be
amended in the exact words of the
amendment proposed by the House
of Representatives. How many
votes would the proposition have
received? And if it had been
adopted, how many States would
the Republicans have carried? We
leave these questions to be answered
by any candid man."
The sweeping changes that, in
other respects than negro suffrage,
wipe out provisions which all the
States thought necessary for the
protection of their suffrage, it also
held, have never been demanded !;
and it is plain that they can
be adopted in no other way than
by the instrumentality Of State
legislation that will not risk the
submission of the question to their
constituents. This is not the proper
way to amend the constitution. This
is not the basis of popular consent,
on which the fundamental law should
repOse. The vote of the United
States Senate, when a similar propo-
sitiOn was before it, was remarkable,
considering the discussion, as will
be seen by the following
FROM MR.. TRUMBULL OF ILLINOIS.
1t abolishes the constitutions of
perhaps all, certainly of half, the
States of the Union. Should we
amend the constitution of the United
States, except to remedysome defect
or some evil ? Is anybody complain
ing in Maine of the constitution of
that State, which prescribes certain
qualifications for the Governor q?
Does anybody complain in New
Jersey or in Iowa or in any Of the
other States of the qualifications
which the people of those States
have prescribed for holding Office
there, is this respect2 l have heard
of no such complaint, and / think
we should not amend the constitu-
ton of the United States so as ruth
lessly, without cause, to Overturn
the constitution, perhaps of every
State of the Union.
FROM MIR. CONKLING OF NEW YORK.
Has the Senate considered how
far this may revolutionize and undo
the constitutions, the enactments,
and the customs of the States : Take
the test of property. No discrimi-
nation in the exercise of the elective
franchise in case of any election
shall be made on the score of prop.
erty. What becomes of all the cleo
tons held under provisions of mu,
nicipal charters, which are partici-
pated in by freeholders or taxpayers
alone2 What becomes, in the cities
of the State of New York, of whole,
some restrictive provisions in mu.
nicipal charters, restraining the ex.
penditure of moneys beyond Ger.
tain sum, unless a majority or two.
thirds of the taxpayers of the city,
that is to say, the stockholders in
the corporation, at an election to be
held for that purpose, shall author
ize additional expenditure ? Is there
anything in the history of the las
few years which demands of thi:
body a proposition to modest safe
guards such as these?
Suppose the State of New Yorl
requires that naturalized citizens
shall produce their certificates o
naturalization when their names g
down upon the registry, and whel
their ballots go down into the box
Would not that, 1 submit to Sena
tors, be a discrimination touchin!
the exercise of the elective franchis
on account of nativity? fit woul'
not, why not? All naturaliZed per
sons being required to produce proc
of their naturalization-required,
you please, to produce proof no
| demanded of other citizens of tn
place where they live, of the lengtI
Of time for which they have live,
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