Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-05
What Is an "Inhabitant?"

We would say to the Lynchburg Vtrgi-
man that in 1869 not only did the Wing
favor the election of HORACE GREELEY to
be United States senator from Virginia,
but the Dispatch favored the election to tho
same high position of General WILLIAMS
of the United States army. We have no
doubt whatever that the trainers of the
Federal Constitution meant what they said
when they inserted in that instrument the
following section:
"No person shall be a senator who shall
not have attained to the age OF thirty years;
and been nine wears citizen OF the United
States. and who shall not, when elected. be
an inhabitant of that State for which he
shall be chosen"
Here a clear distinction is made between
"a citizen" and "dn irhabitasd." If the
trainers of the Constitution had intended
TO require that q United States senator
should be a citizen of the State which he
was elected TO represent, they would have
had no difficulty in expressing their Will IN
words. He must be "ciiizen" of the
United States---why must he not be
"oitizen" of the State that he is chosen TO
representf 1t is incredible that the men
who wrote the lnimitable English in the
Federal Constitution should have adopted
word of doubtful meaning in this place.
They would surely have written:
"No person shall be a senator who shall
not have attained TO the age of thirty
years, and been nine years citizen OF the
United States, and. when elected, cltl-
zen of that State for which he shall be
chosen
Why was the word "inhabitant en-
ployed rather than the word citizen up
MIR. CoNKLISG said once that at certain
place the Federal Constitution turns as
back" upon the theory that the President
Of the United States Senate has the right
TO count the votes for President and Vice
President Of the United States. The Ian
guage of the Constitution IS that the cer-
tifcates shall be opened by the President
of the Senate, and 1.-THE votes shall then
be counted clearly not by the President
Of the Senate. So here it is required that
a senator shall be citizen of the United
States, but the very fact that he rs not re-
quired TO be a citizen OF his State strongly
implies that he need only be an "inhabi-
tant" of the same.
The fathers of the republic knew that IN
England members of the House of Com
mons were elected to that body without
regard to their place of residence. And
in fixing the qualifications of representa-
tives they significantly used the same
word "inhabitant that is applied to SEN
ators, and left our people almost as much
liberty of choice as is enjoyed by the peo-
pie of England in the case Of members Of
the House of Commons.
The same question was raised in Ohio at
the last election of United States senator
for that State. 1t was seriously contended
that the man elected to take Mr.. PAYSE's
place was not eligible, he being a resident
of New York State. When his credentials
are passed upon by the Senate we shall
have an authoritative exposition OF the
meaning of the word "inhabitant" as 1t Is
used in the Federal Constitution.
But the elections are over, and the ques-
ton is not pressing for decision. We con-
tent ourselves with the few preceding COM
ments.