New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-17
rHE manor SrfrRIGE NInoyIL.


The minority report OF the Senate Committee
on Elections i'll regard to the ahridgmcnt Of
the electoral franchise in Rhode Island has
lust been printed. OF course, the Republican
minority, composed of good lawyers and
sensible men, like Senator's Blair Teller and
Kirl.vood, were not led OF by tie Democratic
minority toward the absuId idea that
property qualification for suffrage brings
State under the penalties or The NlNth Amend
mcnt Their report disposcS OF that notion
in summary and conclusive way. 1nc
Democrats themselves could hardly refrain
from aurhng at the performance o. Senator
Wallacc's Committee in Rho1c Island They
knew ii was grotcsquc effort to gather
little political capitol to Offset the wholesale
cnltaiment Of the suirdg" in the South by
the systematic notification ~ fraud and force
of the coloYcd vote. The wisdom OF 4 property
qualification may well be questioned, but the
RIGHT Of Strte TO impose one without
running counter to the Nl|th Amendment Is
perfectly plain to any one who Will rake the
trouble to read the Amendment and who
understands the English language.
The minority report, written by Senator
Blair does not, however, stop ut the Rhod'
Island ease. Ii goes into clear ana
thorough discussion of the night OF suffrage,
which, it argues is Il right inherent in the
great body OF society, existing before the
Constitution was adopted. This right Tie
Matte undertook to protect when it adopted
the clause of the Constitution guaranteeing
republican form cf government to the States.
In the American sense, a government repub-
lean in form IS one where The people APP
point and control those who administer it.
To guarantee Il republican fern OF govern
mcnt j.. therefore, to guarantee suffrage to
the great body OF society. Ii any force within
n State should proceed ~ deprive the people
of this right it becomes the lu!y OF the Cen
cral Government to interfere. Does not
:" this imply" asks Mr.. Blair, the exercise OF
"an absolute national power within TIE ter
ritorial limits OF state az against what
lever force or cause may deprive the people
"or any portion of the people therein of the
"bcnclt5 of republican form of government
And if the causes which shall have deprived the
"pcoplc Of a state of republican ferns, shall
81 have been 80 .pcrvadiug and oyerwheim
ing as to have deprived her of TIE DISPOSE
"tOn or power - call upon the General Gov
Comment for the fuililmcnt of this highest
OF all guarantees through her accustomed
forms and existing authorities, how can the
National Government evadc the solemn duty
ito intcrpuse, with force and law, meet and
ample for the occasion, and rebuild govern
"mcnt republican i'll form, within that State
If need re from the foundation, in its own
discretion, subject to its own solemn inter
"pretation of the obligation imposed by the
Constitution alone I"
The Democratic theory that there is no Ma
tonal right of suffrage and no National voter,
aud that the franchise Is purely Il state affair,
subject only to the restrictions upon its
abrdgmcnt contained III the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments Is earnestly combattcd
10y the report. On thiS point Mr. Blair says:
BY the theory OF the minority, the very act which de-
sroys republican gov, u.ment IN STATE destroys the
republican form OF government To ho Nation, 50 far as
# goes because IT sld thar the Nation, such. has
no voter AT ALL Yet it claimed that the Nation, hay
ing no power to defend iae' must yet preserve the
state The Nation guarantee thnt To the people OF
state who are integral part OF Itself which IL has
no power to insure To itself What power mas the Ma
onal except such It derives. directly
indirectly, aud through republican forms that
H. from the great body OF society through their SUIT
fragcs I" None Whatever. II IL had power derived
| otherwise the National Government Itself would
no longer be republican ia form. Then it
follows. II the Nation has no voter OF Is own
from whom to derive II. that ii has no power of its
own and hence the destruction % the republican form
OF government IN State l. the destruction OF the Ma
tiona Govern also. Vel the men VINO hold TO
this absurd conclusion Will demand of the National Gov
ernmeut the exeton al rs force and tho expcndi-
OF last cent Of revenue 10 maintain the guar
Of the Constitution or the state, when iis own
has been destroyed already by the same process
which has made its iuerposton IN the State necessary
Since II first uttered there has never. until now,
| been such repetition OF the execrable taunL " lie