The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-03-30
BY TELEGRAPH.
Citizenship Defined by the Supreme
Court or the cd States.
THE RIGHT OF WOMEN TO VOTE NOT CONCEDED
By THE CONSTITUTION.

ihE hISHE VI WUhEN To VOTE NOT CONCEDED
BY THE CONSTITUTION.
WASHINGTON. March 29.-Supreme Court.
Turner Is. Rotfersott. Error to the Supreme
Court of Missouri. This is the cise present.
| ing the question whether, according to The
| fourteenth amendment, woman who is
citizen Of the United States and of State
is voter in the State Notwithstanding the
provisions Of the Constitution and laws of
that State coDiDe the right of suffrage to men
alone. Il is said that women are citizens.
They are persons, and therefore under the
fourteenth amendment declared TO be citi-
zens Of The Stste wherein they reside. But
it did not require that amendmentto make
them such. They were before persons and
people, and were not in terms excluded from
citizens by the Constitution.
The Federal Constitution was ordained by
the people of the United States composed of
the people Of the several States, and who
ever at the time Of its adoption was one of
the people became citizen. All children
born OF citizen parents within the jurisdic.
ton are themselves citizens. The naturalizq-
ton laws are reviewed to show that women
have always been considered citizens the
same as men ; also the laws giving jurisdc.
ton in Federal cases. II is then said that
the fourteenth amendment did not affect
the citizenship of women any more than i,
did Of men, and thus minors rights do not
depend upon it. She has always been citi-
zen from her birth, EMIT ed to all the privi-
leseS, immunilits, &C.. of citizenship. The
amendment prohibited the State in which she
lives from abridging any of those rights.
The right of suffrage is not made 10 terms
one of the privileges of the citizen. The
United States has no voters, aud no one can
vote for Federal without being com.
pe,ent to vote for State officers. The e'ec-
tive Officers of the United States are chosen
direc ~ or indirectly by the voters of the
States. The amendment did not add to the
privileges or inmunities OF the citizen. 1t
simply furnished additional guaranty for the
| protection OF such as already had The right
| OF suffrage, co-eXteDsive with the citZeu-
ship OF the States. When the Federal Con-
stitution was adopted all the States but
Rhode Island had constitutions Of their own,
in not one Of which were all citizens recog.
nized as entitled to this right; and, under all
these circumstances, it cannot be for me-
mint doubted that if 1t had been in.
tended to make all the citizens of
the United States voters the trainers
of the Constitution would have so expressed
that intention, and not left so important
change in The condition of citizenship Us it
then existed, TO implication. But if further
evidence is needed it is to be found in other
provisions OF the Constitution. II suffrage
is part of citizenship. then that provision
of the Constitution which gives citizens Of
each Slate all the privileges and immunlies
of the citlZans in the several States would
entite the citizens Of each State to the right
| to vote in the several States precisely as the
citizens oil those Safes are. Other provisions,
among them that relating to the appointment
OF representatives, were cited to the same
points, but still, again, after the adoption OF
the fourteenth amendment it was found ne
ceS>ary TO use in the fifteenth amendment the
| following language: "The right Of citizens
of the United States, or Of any State,
on account Of race, color, or previous
condition Of Seryitude." The fourteenth bad
provided against any abridsment Of the pri-
vlcges or immunities Of citiZsns; and if the
| right Of suffrage is one of them why amend
| the Constitution further to prevent it being
denied on account of race, color, &c.1 The
duty of the United States to guarantee 10
the States q republican form Of government
is discharged in protecting those govern
ments which were recognized as being re-
pu 1licau in form by the Constitution when
adopted. The governments oil the States being
then accepted it must be assumed that they
are such As are to be guaranteed. The adj
mission OF new States is then considered, and
it is found that there is nothing to favor the
idea that suffrage is right OF citizenship. but
everything TO repel it also the restoration
Of the States to the Union after the war. nope
of them having provided tor female suffrage
Besides, person who has simply declared
his intention to become citizen of the
United States may vote under certain cir.
cumstances in Missouri and other States,
and this could not be if suffrage depended
upon right Of citizenship.
The court are unanimous in the opinion
that the Constitution Of the United States
does not confer the right Of suffrage upon
any one, and that the constitutions of the
several States, which commit that trust to
men alone, are not necessarily void. ttirmed.
the Chiei.Justice delivered the opinion.