National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-04-08

State and personal creditors if he
paid his debts, would be written
down "pauper' under such criterion
as that set up by the Lynchburg
Tir7inidR But, if the editor of that jour
nal, Notwithstanding the awful contingent
oies stated, is correct in his avermcnt Of the
State laws on pauperism and his criterion of
paupers, how-pardon our desire for inlor-
nation, but we and many creditors of the
Old Dominion would really like to know,
you lznow-how you manage to have any
elections at all in that Commonwealth.
How do you do it, il non-papment of taxes
or other public debts constitutes the free
mau-mayhap the State hersell--a pauper?
Now really, how did that respectable female
(Virginia) manage to poll such large vote
at her last general election?
We think our seeming Ignorance existed
only in the too redundant and not over
logical imagination of the Lynchburg I'ir-
ginidp The REPUBLICAN used the phrase
fright to vote in discussing the polltax
found it in the fourteenth amendment of
the Constitution of the United States,
which might be held by anybody but a Nir-
ginian as sufficiently good authority for the
use-"But when the right TO vote at any
election = q & is denied or
in any way abridged" &c. The amend
ment is part Of the supreme law of the
land, and sets at naught all minor organic
or statutory laws and all learning and
| lcxicography that might presume to contro-
| vert its terms. This amendment either
grants the right to vote TO male citizens of
or else it assumes the existence of that
| right, and forbids any State TO deny or
abridge it, under penalty of reduced repre-
sentotion in Congress. But, whether the
| right to vote has been granted TO citizens
| by the people of the United States, by their
amendment to the Supreme Law, or whether
they have merely exercised their august
prerogative to forbid State to deny or
abridge the right or privilege of voting,
the State of Virginia is estopped from pre-
scribing a poll-tax qualification, because
Article III of the Constitution of Vir-
ginia of 1870 imposed no poll-tax quail
| fcation for voting, and because the Legis-
lature elected under that constitution,
which ratified the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments of the Constitution Of the
United States, was elected by citizens who
had q right to vote without payment oi
poll or other tax. The section Of the con-
stitution quoted by the Lynchburg Trginidil
was an amendment of 1876, and n fragrant
attempt at breach of faith, on the part oi
the State, under the terms Of its admission
to representation in Congress after the re-
bellion, as set forth by tho act for her admis.
sion, approved January 2G, 1870 This act
after approving the constitution submitted
THAT of 1870 as republican in form, made
it primary condition of representation il
Congress, that " the constitution of Nirginif
"shall never be so amended or changed a.
ito deprive any citizen or class of citizens
"of the United States of the right to rot,
"who are entitled to vote by the constitu'
" ton herein recognized, except as pun
"ishment for such crimes rs are made felo
"nies at common law, whereof they shall
"have been duly convicted under law
equally applicable to all inhabit
"ants of said State The object of th
Virginia amendment of 1876 was to depriv,
the poor man of his right to vote, and in
tended TO be enforced only against the poo
colored man. Yet, prominent Virginian
will 90 on to talk their bosh about the sa
, credness of constitutional rights, and theil
, respect for solemn obligations, and their re
gard for the colored man, for labor home
! rule, and free representative government
THE REPUBLICAN, as an OJter dicttn, with
/, out relevancy to the constitutional questio
Of reduction of Congressional representation
: in proportion to any abridgment of tn
right to vote on account of other cause tina
crime, said, without tie mature delibera
q ton it would have given to the subject ha
n it been relevant, that the validity of Stat
@ law which prescrbes payment of poll-ta
, as qualification for voting, depended o
: the constitution of the State in wnic
: it had been prescribed. This was a
4 admission which of course did not af1et
our argument an iota. We are now di'
e posed to withdraw that dctum from our dc
e cision, as irrelevant, and probably, most pro'
S ably, an error Of Judgment which we ma
e take pains to correct in future article.
n And now we hope we have satisfied til
= curiosity of the Lynchburg EHginian, an
4 shown that Old Virginia does not understan
4 her own business half so well as she think
Y she does, with regard to her alienated rgl
IS to deny or abridge the sufirages of Unite
: States citizens within her borders.
" rItIr nrTII nnK