The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-04-08

! Suffrage Not a Right of fCit1zenship.-Who
Controls 1.-THE Decision of the U. 8.
Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, March 29.-The fol-
lowing. opinion was delivered in the
Supreme Court to-day:
No. 1S2-Miner VS.. Hoppersatt er-
, rOr to the Supreme Court CT Missouri.
This is the case presenting the ques-
I ton whether under the fourteenth
amendment woman, who is a citizen
of the United States and Of State,
IS c voter in the State, notwithstand-
ing the provisions of the Constitution
AND the laws of the State cenfine the
right OF suffrage to men alone. 1t is
said that women are citizens. They
are persons, and there, under the pro-
visions of the fourteenth amendment
4 declared to be citizens OF the State
wherein they reside. But il did not
require that amendment to make them
such. They were before persons aud
people, and were not in terms exclud-
ed from citizenship by the Constitu-
ton. The Federal Constitution was
ordained by the people OF tha United
States, composed of the people OF the
several States, and whoever at the
time of the adoption was one Of the
people became q citizen. All children
born OF citizen parents within the 'ju-
FrIsdiction are themselves citizens. The
naturalization Laws are reviewed te
show that women have always been
considered citizens the same as men !;
! also the laws giving jurisdiction IL in
! hQHApal 1t is i'll that th n
4 fourteenth amendment did not affect
eihe citizenship women any more
than it did of men, and thus minors;
rights do not depend upon il. She has
! always been a citizen from her birth,
entitled to al the privileges, imrauni-
| ties, NC, of citizenship. The amend
ment prohibited the State in which
she lives from abridging any of those
rights. The right OF suffrage is not
made in terms one of the privileges of
the citizen. The United States has no
voters, and no one can vote for Feder-
al without being competent to vote
for State officers. The elective officers
of the United States are chosen di-
rectly or indirectly by the voters of
the States. The amendment did not
add to the privileges or immunities of
the citizen; it simply furnishes all
additional guarantee tor the protection
of such as he already had. Nor is the
right of suffrage coextensive with the
citizenship of the States. When the
Federal Constitution was adopted all
the States but Rhode Island had con-
situations of their own, in not one OF
which were all citizens recognized as
entitled to this right. And under all
these circumstances it cannot be for
moment doubted that if it had been
Intended to make citizens of the United
States voters the trainers of the Con-
stitutiOn would have so expressed
that Intention, and not have left so i'm
portant change in the condition of
citizenship, as it then existed, to i'm
plication. But if further evidence is
needed it is to be found in the pro-
visions of the Constitution. Ii suf-
frage is necessarily part OF citizen
ship, then the provision of the Consti-
tution which gives citizens OF each
State all the privileges and immuni-
ties of citizens in the several States
would entitle the citizens of each
State to the rig ht to vote in the several
States precisely as the citizens Of those
States are. Other provisions, among
them that relating to the apportion
ment OF representatives, were cited to
the same point. But still again, after
the adoption of the fourteenth amend
ment it was found necessary to use, in
the fifteenth amendment, the follow
ing language: 1.-The right OF citizens
OF the United States 10 vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of
race, color, or previous condition of
servitude." The fourteenth amend
ment had provided against any abridg-
ment of the privileges and immuni-
ties Of citizens, and if the right OF
suffrage is one of them, why amend
the Constitution further te prcventits
being denied on account of race, color
sc. ? The duty of the United States
to guarantee to the State republican
form of government is discharged in
protecting those governments which
were recognized as being republican
in form by the Constitution when
adopted. The governments Of the
States being then accepted it must be
assumed that they are such as are to
be guaranteed. The admis sion of new
States is then considered. aud it is
the idea that suffrage is right of cit
iLcHoHlp, bd6 cSCi liiiuS " icpCi II
also, the restoration Of the States TO
the Union after the war, none of them
having provided fox female suffrage.
Besides, a person WHO has simply de-
clared his intention to become citi-
zen OF the United States may vote un- !
der certain circumstances i'll Miss ouri
and other States, and this could not
be. if suffrage depended upon the
right of citizenship. The Courr are
unanimous in the opinion that the
Constitution ol 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. Affirmed. The Chief-Ju uslice
delivered the opinion.
Adrift on the Ice.-A Touching Tale of
Suffering and Death