Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-08-28
Heavy Expenditures of Rebel Gray
Matter al Last Rewarded by
an Idea.
Congress Gravely Declared to Have
no Control Over the eX-Secesh
States.
Mississippians May Now Boldly Pro
ceed 10 Deprive the Negro of the
Ballot.

vention has submitted It's report. 1t Is
signed by Wiley Z. Harris, chairman
Tie report saws III part:
The committee TO which was referred
the resolution requesting that the jucicl-
airy committee be requested to Tei e a
special report at as early dav as possible
upon the effect of the acS of congress re-
admitting Mississippi into the Union,
limiting the right OF the state of Missis-
sippi to impose certain restrictions upon
the right of franchise, and otherwi,e pro-
hibiting the state from changing the con-
stitution of the state of Mississippi adopt
ed in 1869 so far as the said act shall a.
feet the work of this convention, beg
leave TO respectfully submit the following
report:
Without venturing to decide what con-
gress might possibly undertake. 10 do by
assumed authority, your committee pro-
ceeded at once to consider the legal question
submitted. In the federal constitution
there are several provisions which relate
to the elective franchise. The first is see
ton 2 of article |: The house of repre-
sentatives shall be composed of - mem
bers chosen 10y the people of the several
states; and the elect 1rs Ia each state shall
have the qualifications requisite for ele>-
tors of the most numerous branch OF the
state legislature. 1t will be noted that
this section does not prescribe, or indeed
contemplate, uniform qualification in all
the states. The entire subject of the
franchise as to who shall have it, and the
qualifications of the electors, are left to the
absolute and unrestricted discretion of the
state As might be expected when the
constitution was framed and adopted each
state had a rule of its own. There was no
uniformity then, there was not in 1870.
the date of the readmission act, nor does
it exist now. The fourth section of article
II is us follows: 1.-The times, places, and
manner Of holding elections for senator's
and representatives shall be prescribed in
each state by the Legislature thereof, but
the congress may at any time by law
change or alter such rules or regulations.
as TO the place of choosing senators. The
power conferred by this section is confined
to a change by congress of the time and
place and manner of holding an election
for representatives, as determined and fix
Ell by the states. COMPRESSION ma APP
point time and manner for COMPRESSION
al and senatorial elections.
But who shall vote at the congressional
elections-w whether both sexes, or one. and
whet her the electors shall own prop
erty. whether educated or not-is left pre-
cisely where it was placed by the second
section of the same article a.. The four
teenth amendment in terms recognized the
right of the state tc determine who shall
vote-those classes which reduce the rep
resen:ation, if any male citizen of the
United States and of the state are exclud-
ed from the franchise as a class. 1t is
plain, in the opinion of the committee,
from this section of the constitution, that
congress cannot confer suffrage, cannot
make voter. and that we must look to
the several states and their laws and con-
stitutions to ascertain who are loyalty
competent to vote for federal elective Off
GERS. The fifteenth amendment has but
one operation, and was engrafted in the
constitution for the single purpose of lay
ing an inhibition on the state as discrim-
mating against the coored men, because
of race or previous condition of servitude.
The state has jlst as large discretion in
regulating the franchise as it has before
its adoption, with the single limitation
that the regulations which it prescribes
shall apply alike to both races. If a prop
erty qualification shall be thought wise
or expedient, or the payment of taxes. or
a longer residence in state or county
should be deemed ex oedient either one may
be adopted, provided they are applied
alike TO both races.
IAN important question directly con-
nected with this investigation, is, What
was the status of Mississippi at the close of
the civil war? More especially, what was
the conception of congress, and on what
promises proceed in the measures and
scheme of the reconstruction? 1t must be
conceded on all sides that the state had
either severed her connection with the
Union, and bad placed herself outside of it
or that her acts, in concert with other
states, in like Circumstances, had so far in
terrupted and displaced federal authority
that she had lost her federal relations as a
state in the union congress accepted the
latter view. The reconstruction acts, and
indeed the series of measures cognate
thereto figuring in the readmission of 1879.
are predicated on the idea that the state
had lest republican form Of government
in the sense of the guaranty clause of the
constitution of that subject, and that it
was the duty of congress in the exercise of
political powers to assure to her such
government; that new states admitted to
the dignity of statehood in the Union have
the same degree and measure of sovereign
ty as did any one or all Of the original
thirteen states, and that this independence
and sovereignty was necessarily guaranteed
by the federal act. Whatever may
have been the effect of the action of the
southern states. denominated either seces-
sion or rebellion. and of the reconstruc-
tion acts viewed as judicial or political
questions, and without enumerating the
diverse opinions on these important
questions we are of the unalterabe opin-
ion that readmission of this state into the
Union fully and forever settled the status
of the state thus readmitted and that the
thereby lost all control or juris-
diction over the matter. and the states thus
into tbs Union became at once
ipso facto under the constitutional rein
vested with all the sovereign powers pos
sessed by any and all the other states.
No action was taken on the report, and
after discussion of routine business, the
convention adjourned.
A Boston boatman who received So
cent piece for saving four men from drown