Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-12
President and vice.president Of the

f)r President aud Vice-President OF the
United States, representatives IN Con-
gress, the executive and Judicial officers
OF State, or the members OF the ie-
gislature thereof is denied TO any OF the
male Inhabitants Of said States, bring |
twcaty-onc years Of age and citizens OF |
the United States, or in any why
abridged, except for participation III re,
bellion or other crime, the basis OF
representation therein shall be reduced
ia the proportion which the n"moer
of such male citizens shall 5cor TO nc |
srhoLe number Of male citizens s~e'fg'
one years Of age in SAID STAT"
Here it is said by unavoidable Impli-
cation that male "inhabitant OF
State may or may not be twenty'one
years old, and may or may not be
"citizen" of the United States. Amale
"inhabitant may be disfranchised II
he is not twenty-one years old, or IL no
is not citizen Of tho United States
There is no penalty. But If any male
inhabitants" are denied the elective
franchise who are "citizens OF the
United States. then the basis OF repre-
sentation shall be reduced. Butin what
proportion? Read for your youeseh
In the proportion in which the number
of male citizens SO DISTINGUISHED shall
boar TO the whole number OF male clti-
zens twenty-one years of age in the state
so DISTINGUISHING citizens OF the United
States. We do not understand how 1t IS
that there can DO two opinions on THIS
point, the language of the Federal Con
stitution being so plain that it can bear
but one construction. Or We should
rather say 80 it seems to us.
A Senator or Representative in Con-
gress must therefore be simply an "in-
habitant" OF the State from which he
is elected-that is, must be resident
at the time of his election. He must be
nm "inhabitant at the time of his cleo
ton and If he ia not also a citizen must
have become an "inhabitant with the
inteptioz OF becoming a "citizen ;
must have removed into the State amino
monendi. This we understand to be
the requirement OF the Federal Constr
Triton. which in the case OF members OF
the House OF Representatives provides
as follows:
"No person shall DO representative
who shall not have attained the age
of twenty-five years, and been seven
veo-s a citizen of the United States, and
who shall not when elected be an ID,
habitant of the State IN which he shall
DO chosen
Is there any ambiguity here? lsntit
plain that GEORGE WISE could represent
any congressional district in Virginia II
elected so to DO? He is twenty-five
wears old. has been q citizen OF the
United States seven years, and an "ln-
habitant" of Virginia for thirty years or
all his life. He need not reside IN the
district for which he is elected but
may represent any district. In word,
he must DO an inhabitant OF the State
mot of any particular congressional d's-
trict) of the time OF his election.
So as to United States senators. The
paragraph last above quoted from the
Constitution is word for word applied
to senators except that thirty" is sub
stituted for twenty-five" years OF age,
"nine" for "seven" years of residence
or inhabitancy, and "the State for which
he shall DO chosen" for "the State IN
which he shall be chosen.
So it would seem that senator repre-
sents the whole State, whilst member
of the lower house represents only the
congressional district in which he is
chosen. Anyhow, our contention is
that Mr.. CALVIN S. BRICE, though o
resident of New York in October, 1889,
became an "inhabitant of Ohio within
the meaning of the Federal Constitu-
ton, Just as soon as he changed his
residence to the latter State with the In
tention of becoming citizen OF 1t. Ot
course, then, he was eligible to the
United States Senate when the Ohio
Legislature met month or two after
| wards.
The judicial power of the United
States extends to controversies between
Z" citizens of different States. Surely
the word "citizens does not here mean
inhabitants, seeing that the four
teenth amendment tells US in plain Ian
guage that an inhabitant may or may
not be a citizen.
The Federal Constitution provides thai
the citizens of each Stateshall be entitled
TO all the privileges and immunities O.
citizens in the several States. Underline
fourteenth amendment does that require
ment extend to all "inhabitants"
The Federal Constitution requires tn
President Of the United States to be
, | citizen of the United States. Are al
inhabitants Of the United States eligi
BILE to that Office
But enough. Our Lynchburg con
temporary will see that there is some
thing TO be said on our side of the ques
ton under consideration.