Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-12-25
A QUESTION OF THE PRESENT.

who assembled twenty-six years ago, in
corporated in the first section OF the suff-
rage article of that instrument, the fol-
lowing proviso: " ProUjded, that moth
ing herein contained shall be construed
to prevent the Legislature, by a two
thirds concurrent vote, from admitting to
the right of suffrage, Indians, or the de-
scendants of Indians, in such special
cases as such proportion of the Legisa-
tive body may deem just and proper."-
This portion ofour organic law has hith-
erto remained dormant t, at least we have
no recollection of any attempt having
been made to apply it to the passage Of
any special law. But there exists, in
many parts of the State condition Of So
ciety which would seem to indicate that
the period for which the convention Of
1S49 made contingent provision has ar
rived.
In this county, in Shasta, Humboldt,
Mendocino and many other counties,
there is a class of people whose political
condition is such as needs to be defined
by legislative action, This class is the
children of white fathers and Indian
mothers. BY the laws of the State those
| of one fourth or more Indian blood are
cassed as Indians, and hold the political
condition of that people. Their mode Of
life, their sympathies, their aspirations
and hopes are with the white race but
politically, (more so than socially, they
are not within its pale. Their parents
desire to see them hold the same status
among their fellows which they them
selves occupy, and to this position have
endeavored to qualify them by giving
them the benefit OF all the educational
advantages at their command What
exact status this class of people now holds
cannot be determined until it is made the
subject of legislative action, or judicial
investigation. But the general opinion
obtains, the condition of the child follows
that of the mother, and she being of a
race which has 10 political rights, can
transmit none. Nor does there appear to
be any method, Except through the Leg
islature), for them to acquire full citizen
ship. They have no tribal allegiance to
renouncc, and whatever form of govern
ment may, at one time, have been
acknowledged among the Indian tribes
of California, has been long since dis
placed, as the tribes we're .subdued and
their power broken by the whites, long
years ago, and to day their descendants
are very parahs in the land Of their
birth.
Toward this class Of people we have n
Christian duty to perform. The spirit of
the age is to build up rather than destroy,
to elevate rather than degrade. That du-
ty is to extend the helping hand to those
who need its friendly grasp to aid them
to recognition and fellowship. The ques-
ton will soon be presented to us to an
swer, whether this class of people, who
are white by education, by inclination
and sympathy and mode of life, are to be
recognized as such, or told to take rank
with the diggers. There should be but
one reply to this question. Any foreign
er, no matter what his previous condi-
tion or character, who lands upon our
shores, no matter whether educated or ia
miiar with our language or not ; can, in
the few years prescribed by law, attain
every right and privilege of citizenship.
The past ten years has witnessed the en-
iranchisement Of nearly million OF me-
groes, ignorant, servic, and but little fit
ted for the responsibilities of citizenship
And with class born and reared among
us, Of our own blood in great measure,
natural to our language ana mode Of life,
and thoroughly desirous of assimilating
with their fathers people, there should
be no hesitation in according to this peo-
Pile the same political standing which we
grant to all others with the single ex,ep-
ton Of Chinese. We are to make men
and women of them-to have them feel
that they are recognized as such and
thus bring out the good, rather than force
out whatever of bad may be in their ma
ture. There are some who believe this
has been already done by the amend
ments to the Federal Constitution. We
do not think so /; it was contended by the
Republicans when the Fifteenth Amend
ment was under cons liberation, in this
State, that it created no new class of cit
zens but simply defined the rights OF those
whose citizenship was already established
and this we believe to be the core ct
view.
Many children of this class are now at
tanning the ages of manhood and woman
hood. 1t would seem desirable that the
special cases" provided for should be
made subject of legislative action at no
distant day. 1t is clear that the constitu-
tional provision contemplated no such
thing as wholesale enfranchisement OF
Indians, nor is such action desrable.-
Nor does it seem desirable to have the
special cases provided for made the sub
ject of special legislation. The better
way, if it can be done, would be to have
power to act in such applications vested
in the local courts, which have already
Jurisdiction in matters of naturalization ;
and which could readily conceive the
spirit of any act which the Legislature
might pass with view of delegating its
power in the premises. 1t should be our
policy to hold out the inducemenL of citi-
zenship in all deserving cases, and many
such exist. Many Of the girls when they
grow to womanhood marry white men
and maintain a respectable position in
society many of the boys set examples
of propriety of conduct and habits of in
dustry which could be initiated with
profit by some of their young white broth
ers. The question is attracting some at