Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-08
The AppOrtiOnment Bill.

ing their large salaries, still further to
fritter away the time of Congress by
obstructing the passage of the appor-
tionment bill, now under consideration.
They are reported to have declared that
no apportionment shall be made at all
by tle- present Congress. and none at any
time until there has been an investiga-
ton into the alleged Acknowledgement of
the colored race in the South-a deter
mination taken with view of cutting
down, if possible, representation in this
section. In other words, they are bent
on having an apportionment bill passed
which will defraud the South as much
as possible, while being as favorable to
themselves as il can be made.
The requirement of the payment of
capitation and other taxes. before being
permitted to exercise the elective fran
chise, is the main point upon which the
stalwarts in Congress rely for reducing
the representation in Southern States in
which such requirements exist. This
they claim is an abridgment of
the rights of voters, and therefore
comes under the provisions of the four
tenth amendment to the Constitution,
which provides that "when the right to
vote at any election for the choice Of
electors of President and Vice President
of the United States, Representatives in
Congress, the executive and judicial Off
GERS of a State, or the members of the
Legislature thereof, is denied to any of
the male inhabitants of such State, being
twenty one years Of age and citizens Of
the United States, or in any way abridged,
except for participation in rebellion
or other crime, the basis of representa-
ton therein shall be reduced in the pro
portion which the number of such male
citizens shall bear to the whole number
of male citizens twentY-one years of age
in such State
This claim, however. is simply
absurd. The requirement of a poll
or other lawful tax as a condi-
ton precedent to voting, cannot possibly
be construed either into a denial OF an
abridgment Of the right of suffrage 1t
is not q denial, for it is direct recogni-
ton of that right, and only makes it
obligatory that certain duties of citizen
ship shall be complied with before man
can enjoy the rights of citizen.
Neither can such requirement possibly
be construed into an abridgment of the
right of suffrage, for it is a provision of
law which applies to all classes
in general, and to no one class
in particular. Every citizen of State
in which such law is in force can vote
if he takes the trouble to comply with
the law, and if he does not, he is not dis
franchised by the law, but by his own
free viii and voluntary act. The law
does not deprive him of the right of
suffrage He deprives himself.
In recent speech on this subject in
Congress, Hon. s. S. Cox showed up
the absurdity of this Republican posi-.
ton very forcibly. He took the mani
festly correct ground that if the impO-
sition of capitation tax as a condition
precedent to voting was an abridgment
of the right of suffrage, inasmuch as
the law applied to all voters without
| distinction it was an abridgment
of the rights of every one, and, there
fore, if representation was to be affected
in State for this cause, under the terms
| of the fourteenth amendment, such
State was really not entitled to any rep
resentation in Congress whatever
Hence Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia
and other States which require the pay
ment of capitation tax of voters before
they can vote, must be wholly unrepre-
sented in Congress hereafter.
The Republicans cannot hope to main
tain their ground in advocating such an
absurdity, and the fact that they have
announced their intention to filibuster
against the apportionment bill, and so
carry it over into the next Congress,
should make the Democratic majority
of the present Congress determine to
pass the bill now before the House at all
hazards. The session is fast drawing to
a close, and if the Democrats permit the
Republicans to succeed in their
designs, not only will an extra
session of the 47th Congress be neces-
sary, but an appropriation bill as
sectional and unfair in its provisions as
it is possible to be framed, may be the
result. Apart from this, too. it is time
that the arrogant minority in the present
House were forced to respect the will of
the majority. The power they have dis
PLAYED TO hinder and Obstruct needed
legislation reflects no credit upon men,
bers of a majority who permit it through
negligence of the interests Of their consti-
tuents, and carelessness in the perform
ance of their duties.