The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-02-04
Suffrage Amendment Passed the House.

On Saturday last the Suffrage
amendment as reported to the House
of Representatives of Congress, By:
Mr.. Boutwell,, the Chairman of the
Reconstruction Committee, passed
that body by vote of $50 ayes to 70,
nays, three Republicans, Messrs. Brig
ham, Baker and Hawkins, voting with
the Democrats against it. Every ef-
fort to amend the report of the Com
mittec was voted down. The measure
will now go to the Senate where an
effort will be made to crowd It through
at an early day. The following is the
proposition as it passed the House:
Be it Resolved, Two-thirds of both
Houses concurring, that the following
article be proposed to the Legislatures
of the several States, as an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States, which. when ratified by three
fourths of said Legislatures, shall be
held as part ofthe Constitution, name
ly: i.-e,4.f
| ARTIcLE, SECTION 1, The right
of any citizen of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States, or any State, by
reason of race, or color, OF preVions
condition of slavery of any citizen or
class of citizens of the United States.
SECTION 2. The Congress shall have
power to enforce by appropriate legis-
iation the provisions of this article.
1t is the purpose of the Radical
Rump through the votes of the fiaudu-
lent carpet-bag governments and the
New England lords of the loom to
force the people of those states who
have rejected the negro suffrage and
negro equality by unmistakeable ma
jorities, to surrender their reserved
rights under the Constitution to con-
troll the question of citizenship and
suffrage for themselves. This ,ques-
ton fairly submitted to the, people of
the several States would stand not
the least possible chance of being car
ried; the recent expression of the
people of several of the States has
demonstrated thatfaet. Still the Rad
ical destructlves are determined by
force and fraud to compel the people
to submit. With Congress creating
and controlling banks, railroads, tele-
graphs, Insurance companies, suffrage
and all the relations of the citizens,
here are those who porfess to be aii-
able to see that the Government is in
atransiti0n state fromla Federal Union
of coleqnal States t0ithat of o eonsoli-
dated, centralized ,Governinent-ades-
potism-so much dreaded and So ear
nestlv and successfully resisted by the
founders of the Republic. When all
this is accomplished, when the resefV-
ed rights of the States are all swallow
ed up by this great National monster,
what further nse can there be of keep
ing up and carrying on the expensive
machinery of State governments? FL
q Inicase the Senate, by two-thirds
vote shall concur with the lHeuse,
then this proposition will go to the
Legislature of the several States for
their ratification or rejection. If
those bodies reflect the willofo their
constituents this proposition cannot
obtain the approval of even a majority
of The States, and if submitted to fair
vote Of the people, uncontrolled by
Congressional iiiterfererice and uh-
awed by the bayonet, it could not ire-
ceive the endorsement Of i've States
in the Union. But under the tyranny
and fraud that rule the country no one
can foresee the result. fio .'f9a GadB