The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-10-19
suffrage IN the State of Michigan on the
said 5th day of April, 1868.


said 5th day of April, 1868.
When the House joint resolution de-
nouncing Congress for the reconstruc.
ton acts-and for which Mr.. Neal
voted-went over to the Senate, the
Copperheads and disguised rebels there
amended it and made it stronger. They
sent back an amendment, which Mr..
Neal seems to have been in favor of,
though as no roll-call was had on the final
question of agreeing to the amendment
it can not positively be asserted that Mr..
Neal voted in favor of the amendment
as it stood. The amendment was as
follows:
RESOLVED, That the bill Just intro
duced into the Senate of the United
States by the Hon. John Sherman, one
of the Senators from this State, declar-
ing the pretended Constitution of the
State of Alabama ratified, after it had
been rejected by majority of the voters
of said State. under the provisions of
the Law under which it was submitted,
is another proof of the utter want OF
good faith on the palt of the friends of
the so-called Congressional system of
reconstruction. and is an additional evil
by force or fraud the Constitution of
the United States and establish in its
stead the government of an irresponsi-
BILE Congressional Directory, backed by
the bayonets of a military chieftain.
RESOLVED, That this General Assem-
bly, protests against this forcing on q
sister State of Constitution disfran-
chising everyone who refuses to take q
test oath in favor of negro suffrage;
and that we will never recognize as le-
gitimate any State government SO es-
tablished by Congressional usurpation,
and our Senators in Congress are di-
rected and our Representatives request
ed to vote against said bill.
To this reasonable screed an amend
ment was offered by DR.. Scott of War
rem county by eliminating the words
land will never recognize as Legitimate
any State government so established by
Congressional usurpation." A roll-call
was taken ON the amendment and Law
renee T. Neal voted No. He was op-
posed to it.
A substitute for this wicked thing
was offered by Republican member,
which contained, among other things,
this provisions;
! WHEREAS, Said Constitution con.
tains all the safeguards against future
rebellion by the State of Alabama and
all the guarantees of her future allegi
ance to the Government of the United
| States etc.
On that proposition Lawrence T. Neal
voted No.
AS has been shown, when the resolu
tion of Congress proposing the Fifteenth
Amendment to the Federal Constitution
vas offered to the Legislature Mr. Nea
toted against the Amendment. If any
one doubts this let him secure copy o
the House Journal of 1868 and look a
page 500. He will there see that Mi
Neal voted No on tae proposition 0
adopting the Fifteenth Amendment
Then, to make sure of the matter, MI
Neal voted for a bill prohibiting anyon
in whose veins there flowed drop @
negro blood from voting. This bill be
came law, through the grace of tn
Democratic Legislature, on April II
1868. 1t was as thorough law as coul
be framed, and only got through tn
Legislature after the Democratic negro
haters had all had whack at it an
fixed it up SO that there was no possibl
way in which anyone having any negr
blood in him could manage to exercii
the right of suffrage. 1t required th
election judges to challenge every ma
offering to vote who might be even su
pected of having'an admixture of negI
blood, and, placing him under oath, [
ask If his parents were married and
they lived together as man and wifi
, whether either Of them had - visib