The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-05-31
The New Inv for Enforcing the Con
sIitntional Amendments.


The law just passed by Congress, entitled
"An Act to enforce the rights of citizens OF
the United States to vote in the several
States of this Union, and Tor Other purposes
is practically n law to carry into eflttt the
thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amend
mcnts Of the Constitution. at The first blush
this net will seem to carry the power Of Con
Frcss to an extraordinary extent, and it will
undoubtedly cloeh with our oldfashioned,
hereditary ideas. especially on the subject of
tho enjoyment Of the right of suffrage, and
the exclusive control of the States over that
matter.
But the powers exercised by Congress dur.
ing the war and the reconstruction Of the
Union, almost without question, have so ac-
customed the people to novelties in legisla-
ton, that we doubt whether any serious issue
can be- raised upon the main provisions of
this act That some Of its clauses are of
rather doubtful authority 3 quito possible !;
but the practical answer 20 this objection is,
that it will he worry difficult TO prove that
any Of them stand in the way OF the honest
exercise of the elective franchise md the
abuses which have stealthly crept into the
exercise of this right have become So euor.
nous, that the friends of representative gov.
nrnment and Of pure elections will consent to
almost anything which tends 10 extrpatc
them.
This act, if vigorously executed. will oper
ate 10 punish and thus prevent the shame
less frauds upon the ballot-boxes which have
characterized the recent elections in this and
some other States of the Union, and whose
tendency is to sap the foundations Of popu.
lar institutions. To that extent every good
citizen VIII yield to lis provisions, while at
the same time ii will be regretted that there
liz any necessity for the passage OF so unpre-
cedented and stringent n statute.
If riGidly enforced in the city and State Of
New York, the law will more seriously affect
our politics and our parties than even the
Fifteenth Amendment itself II will on
every alternate year at least, cut up fraudu.
lent registering and repeating by the roots,
and render Daliot.box stuffing, and the null.
tiform practices whereby our elections have
lecome Kissing and rclroach throughout
the Union, very hazardous and costly entcr-
prises to those engaged in them
These three amendments of the Const tu-
ton and the law lust ;g,;cssed to enforce them.
with other laws enacted not by Congr IS
only, but by some Of our STATE Legislatures 5,
not excepting that OF New York, demon
strpte that the government of this country
is undergoing a gradual change by the al
sorpton Of an amount Of authority into the
Legislative department which never was
contemplated and would never have beer
tolerated ty our revolutionary fathers, no,
oven by the Statesmen of both parties whc
played their parts in the later era of adams
and JACKSON.
There is one consolation left to the peopl
in this gradual change in their form of gov
eminent. They choose the legislators aut
if they can Lave honest and fair elections
and will faithfully exercise the right of sui
frage, they can control the sources OF an
thority and power.