The Portland daily press., 1870-05-27
WASH INGTON.

PERMISSION TO RECEIVE DECORATIONS.
WASHINGTON, May 26.-The President to-
day signed the resolution authorizing the pay
ment of the full salary of Gen. Hovey, Minis
absence from s post He also signed reso-
luton authorizing Lieut.. Commanding Arthur
A. Yates, SurgaoDAlbert l. Gibson and Assis-
tant Surgeons Chas. II. White and Jerome u.
L. Kidder, of the navy, to accept decorations
from the King Of Portugal in recognition of
human services.
SUFFAGL IN RHODE ISLAND.
The Senate judiciary Committee. in their re-
port dismissing the petition of Oneil Larkin
and others of Rhode Island, say no man or
party has even que.tion the right OF Rhode
Island and of every State to establish
such constitution of gov nment as may be
agreeable to their views o. public welfare; and
that State, although its provision as to suffrage
may not conform to the opinions of citizens of
ether States at the time when the Constitution
of Rhode Island was adopted, the right to reg
uate the quallfic atoms of voters belonged ex-
clusively to the respective States The petit
ton under consideration fully recognized this,
but it raised the question whether, by the 18th
and 18th amendments to the Constitution of
the United States, natives Of foreign countries
who become citizens of the United States are
entitled to vote in Rhode Island without
gard to qualifications imposed by her Const-
tation. The committee are unanimously of
the opinion that this question must be an
swered in the negative. The privileges and
immunites of citizens of the United States
mentioned in the petition as secured by the
18th amendment do not include the right of
SUFFRAGE if they did the right must necessarily
exist in all citizens of the United States from
the mere fact of citizenship. 1t is within the
power of any State or of Congress to abridge
the same in any degree, and in such case
therefore no qualification of any kind could be
imposed, and all persons being citizens, male
and fenales, infants, lunatics and criminals,
without respect to age, length of residence or
any other thing would be entitled to partici
pate directly in all elections. Every provision
in every State which experience has proved to
be essential to security and good order in So
ciety would thereby be overthrow. 1t is
enough to say that the rights secured by this
amendment to the Constitution are of an alto
gether different character The 18th amend
ment does apply to the rights of suffrage, and
to them only. By it the State of Rhode Is
land, in common with every other State, is for
hidden to deny or abridge the right of the citi-
| zens of the United States to vote on account of
race or color or their previous condition of
servltude. But it is plain that the Constitu-
ton of Rhode Island does not preclude any
cHlZen from voting on either or any of the
grounds thus prohibited. No fact of race or
Color or previous condition of servitude pre-
vent any citizen from voting in Rhode Island.
When the 18th amendment was under consd-
Grafton by Congress it was proposed to en-
brace in it the prohibition of any denial of suf-
frage on account of nativity, and this propCs-
| ton was not agreed to, for the reason that
Congress did not think it eXpedient to restrict
the ancient powers of the States in these re-
| spects any farther than to appeared to be need
| full to secure to the whole people the great re-
suits OF the overthrow of the rebellion.
OFFICIAL VISIT.
Spotted Tail, with his Indian companions
aud their interpreter, called on Gen. Sherman.