The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-06-16
Restrictions on Suffrage.

During the long wrangle in the Sem
ate, in which almost everything had
been talked about except the business
| for which the Senate was called to-
gether, several Republican Senators
pointed to the practical denial at the
South of free ballot and an honest
| count in respect to colored voters.
Some. of these, speeches presented a
strong array Of facts showing the ex-
| tent to which and the methods by which
the colored vote has been virtually an
| initiated in, at least, some of the South
ern States. This is particularly true of
the speech of Senator Frye, having ref
erence to the last election, and sup
ported by facts and statistics largely
gathered from the Department of JUS
tic. Ex-Attorney-General Devens, in
his last annual report, recommended
Congress to provide by law that all
olsctAsns for members of the House of
Representatives should be under the
direct and exclusive supervision of
Federal officers, thus dispensing with
State officers altogether. We have no
doubt that the picture, as drawn by
these Republican Senators, is substan-
TALLY true. Senator Hampton admitted
this in respect to South Carolina. &
The Southern Democratic Senators
made two replies, one denying the
statement and charging gross misrepre-
sentation of the South; the other point
ing to the election laws of some North
ern States, particularly Massachusetts
and Rhode Island, in which large num-
bers of male adults are dis:ranchised.-
The Constitution OF Massachusetts ex-
cludes all persons from voting who can.
| not read the Constitution of that State
in the English language and write their
names. The Constitution of Rhode Is
land excludes all persons who do not
own real estate to the value of Sl34
over and above all incumbrances on the
same. In the one State we find the in
telligeuce qualification, and in the other
the property qualification, and in both
the exclusion of large number of per-
| sons who would otherwise be qualified
| to vote. A man may pay taxes on q
million of dollars in Massa husetts, yet,
| if he cannot read the Constitution of
that State in the English language,
and write his own name, he has no
right to vote. So one may have any
amount of intelligence in Rhode Island.
yet, unless he owns real estate to the
value of one hundred and thirty -four
| dollars. he has no right to vote. Not
half of the male adults in Rhode ISL
anu, ucluS VI iHc pIOpcE aye anu nav
ing the proper residence, can vote.
and in Massachusetts some thousands
of such adults are excluded from vot-
ing. "a
The plain truth is that the wrongs
against the elective franchise at the
South ought to be admitted and cor
rected- There is no use in denying
them,. since the evidence of their ex-
istence is overwhelming, and they can
not be justified. The Constitutional re
strictions in Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, to which the Southern Senators
have referred, ought also to be correct
ed. They are unfair and unjust to a
large humber of persons otherwise
qualified to vote. They are behind the
age and contrary TO the general senti-
ment of the American people in regard
to the elective franchise. We protest
against the wrongs on this subject which
exist at the South, and equally against
the Constitutional exclusions in Massa-
chusetts and Rhode Island.-M. Y In
| deDendeIlt