The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-03-09

admit that the States, the grand, glorious |
States of this Union, the very pillars upon
which the Union is built, and by which it |
Is upheld and sustained, are sunk so low,
have become 50 Insignificant, as to be
trihed with and humiliated and contemned
as by this bill7 Is there any one in this
House or elsewhere to stand up and assert
the right of the Federal Government-to
lntermeddle as proposed IN the registration
of the citizens of the States ? Is there @
statesman in all the land who will attempt,
under our Constitution, to defend the
wanton and arbitrary arrests, arrests with
out complaint and without warrant, pro-
vided for by this bill Is it pretended that
our bill of rights is repealed by the "Fif
teenth Amendment ?" Has the adoption
into our Constitution (even If it were le-
gally and validly done, which deny) Of
the declaration that ''the right of citizens
of the United States to vote shall not be
( snied or abridged by the United States,
or by any State, on account Of race, color,
or previous condition of servitude," gwen
authority to the United States to arrest
any and all citizens without warrant and
imprison them without trial or hearing?
In giving the right to vote to the negro,
have We subjected every citizen of the
United States to the indignities and out
RACES provided for by tins bill, In attend
ing the polls for the mere purpose of try
| ing to vote? |
By conferring suffrage upon the colored
race, have we lost the rights our fathers
secured to Us by the Constitution 2 In'giv-
| ing freedom to the slaves, have we become
slaves ourselves? 1t must be apparent to
all that the language of this pretended
| Fifteenth Amendment convers no power
upon Congress to pass such measure as
this bill. 1t is at most only prohibition
upon the United States and the States as
such-upon them IN their legislative capa-
city, the only capacity in which they can
prohibiting them from discriminating
against any citizen on account of race,
color, or previous condition of servitude." !"
1t makes void any act of the United States,
and the States that should make this dis
elimination. ----.---.-
The power to punish individuals and
impose penalties for the violation of law
or obedience to State laws, must be found,
II at al, IN some other provision And,
SIR, is 1t possible that any one will be
found bold enough to attempt to defend
the eoRstitutionality of this measure under
section 4, clause l, of the Constitution?
''The times, places and manner OF holding eIee-
tions for Senators and Representatives shall be
prescribed in each State by the Legislature there
of; but the Congress may at any time BY law make
OF alter such regulations, except as to the places
ofchoosing Senator'S"
Congress may at any time make or alter
such regulations. Can arbitrary arrests
and imprisonment, without trial or war
rant, be justified under this provision ?
Can State officers, for obedience to State
laws, not altered by any act of Congress,
be made criminals and subjected to the
penalties of this bill 2 Can the army and
navy be placed under the command of any
Marshals deputy and marched indiscrm-
inately against the citizens and officers oi
1 States on a bare suspicion that they con-
template resistance TO some outrage OF
such Deputy Marshall VIII any gentle
man argue that under this provision OF
any other provision of the Constitution
the United States may take possession oi
the registration as we'll as the elections oi
the States, determine who is qualified and
who not qualified, who shall and who shall
not register, to the exclusion of all State
authority, as provided by this bill that
the Governors of the States and all Other
State officers can, under penalties, be re-
quired by the Federal Government to serve
as its officers, and do its bidding2
Sir, the proposition, and all such pro-
positions are too absurd and prepesterous
for candid answer There is no eonsti-
tutional warrant for this measure It is
rank usurpation and revolution it is ar
!, insult to every citizen OF the Republic
it is hostile in every feature to liberty, anc
violates every fundamental idea of fRepub.
lican Government; it will bring war and
{ bloodshed; it ia intended to awe the free
man Of the States and drive them from the
polls. They will not submit without 6
struggle. There will be many man, &C.
customed to cast his vote without hind.
rance or molestation; many a good and
true citizen, faithful, law-abiding and pa.
, triotic, who will feel more like firing
bullet than casting ballot through thc
, spy and informer paid from the peoples
treasury, which this bill places before anc
, behind the ballot box, to obstruct, not tc
facilitate, voting. The hyPocritical cry o.
Let US have peace" will not avail in the
face of such measures as this. The people
can not be humiliated much further they
will soon have borne all they can, they
will ere long assert their sovereign right
and power to be free; and they will teacl
Congress, too, that its members are tn,
servants, not the masters, of the people
, and that the people have, under our sys
: tenn, the right TO govern themselves.