The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-09

OT N UUlHT UTWU UtITFTDTF UTWUF ~ ""T M -
| the following oath or affirmation, shah 2 Q eh,
titled to all the privilege Of a freeman oI lhls
State: You soIenInly swear lor Sniam. unht
whenever you give your vote or sunIage, Ioucn-
Ing any matter that affects the state OF Nefmoht,
you will do Il 80 as IN your copscienCe you
shall Judge viii mo- S2ndlGe b 70 t he TonnsttItnl
ton without fear OF favor to any. man
Under this provision a man cohu SSVne
over from England, reside IN tne, otAte
{ OF Vermont for one year, aud cast "a ballot Tor
I the election Of Presidential electors ana mem
bers Of tongresS and stu owe Iul alieslan,e
/ 10 the British Crown. Perhaps the most UNIQUE
| aualinoation for the elective franchise Is found
In the chlyllrig state OF virginia, WheIe IN
addition TO citizenship IN the Ihltea ntsves,
! II IL necessary that tho voter snail be Tree from
| any participation In dIeling, either "a a prlhclpal
or a. an accessory before the fact Wisconsin
i satisfied TO- admit ioreign-porh persons VINO
! have declared their Intention, NJ Vel a. INDIANS
| and half-hreedg under RESTRICTIONS, similar 10
/ those OF Minnesota to the suffrage NihIc NSonl-
ing leads the way by granting NE suffrage
| States under the same terms and conditions
and she has since been followed by . tah ana
Colorado. Ru,Sell'- outline study OF Law, y,
90 MANY Of tho states likewise exclude from
the suffrage those who have been ConVicted OF
crime of various grades, and In the Stateol New
York bribery At elections IL punished ny as
franchisnment whenever % l. found possible
10 convict any one under "a provision whlGh
makes both parties to the transaction equally
In orr own state the franchise has been
extended and restricted in various ways from
| inc passage Ol me Z I1fleI ol l.lDfI " W lV"l
down 10 and including the last revision oil. ihe
Constitution in 1894, when II was provided
that the voter must have been a clIlI"h LOT
ninety days instead Of ten day- as previously
The Charter OF Liberties provided that every
freeholdcr within this province and Tree man
I'm any corporation shall have a free cholce,
and vote in the election OF representative,
and that by freebooter IL TO be ,understood
every ono who shall have forty Slilllngs per
H p Isn7 IN and rS Sas followed Iel' b S'' AN act Tesiauye
to the election Of Representatives NJ the nrst
session Of the seventh Assembly. In which we
find no provision for the free men OF corp2-
dents of the election district for AZ least three
months prior 10 the election and 10 be possessed
S2iathdaic. ''" Teqe NOT %"''T permitted l}'ts to vote,
nor to be elected 10 once, and
this restriction was, by reason Of tie 0ath re-
qIiroi. practically extended to the Qlakers
and Morlvians until q subsequent ap"ndment
permitted thcm t. make an affirmation, no
voting was rir0 rocc. and the first Constitution
adopted In IN. reluctantly provided for an
experiment TO be- made a. soon rs peace should
he declared permitting the Legislature 10 men
mss an act for tn" purpose " trying the Ntl-
lot II was provided that II tho experiment
failed, the legislature, by a two-thirdS vote
or It's members, might return TO the re roce
law Wiz PASSED in l77S authorizing thense o'
the ballot In elections for Governor ana leu
t"nant-Gov"ruor, ry,ainlng, i,r .,,g 'ig, 81
wa fIHII. done away with bN an act passed
I'm ~. md ul elections have continued 10 ~"
bN hnlIUf, with me exception OF MUSE VI If''il
years in which the ballot machine has come
into usc to some extent
II ga notir,rhlo tact that while the trainers
Of the original Constitution az this state adopted
n clause that .wIn-oa- wc are required by the
benevolent prluoiute~ Of rational liberty not
on.y 10 rNpcl oiyt. tyranny, but also 10 guard
nncrr 'rrrwitu trc hlCotrN amt ambition of weak
an : wirkr . priests a. d princes ha\" sco'irged
mankind 'tl"r"fore The ire" exercise ana enjoy
mont Of religious profession OF worship, Win
ont determination Of preference, SHAH forever
hereafter bc allowed Wl'Nlu ms stat" 10 all
mankind tloy lid not hesitate To exclude
frou tho r~rfyileEe of office holding al
! ministers aud priests. AMI this restriction was
not dropp"I from tho Con-t,uilun untll th"
! the Governor, li"u'eHan'- q Governor and senators
were cuo-en hv lre"uoldcr-, being actual re>l-
dents. and Wo-o>-'a Of 'reo,oliS 81 ne YAM"
! of CluO over and above All reht~ charged There
on. while the UCWNer- OF Assembly
we're elected by the male iuhabillnts who T"-
sided within one Of he counties ot the state ioT
thev owned. within the county. a freehold Of
twenty pounds. or p1ld a y"trIy rent ui forty
| s%hilliugs and we're rlt,d ana lciIiiy pald tAIr>'
| II was this practic" or w'ki'S DISTINCTION De,
| tween the electors Of members Of Assembly and
| the Senator'S and executive officers in the var
! found in tho Federal CONSTITUTION. that the quail
| ilcatknn for electors ~ members Of Congress
shouN be the same as thai required Tor he cleo
Legislature. No discrimination was made In
this pioneer among IA" constitutions ~ the
states against blacks or mulatto"s, except that
they were required to present authenticated
| certificates Of freemen. II WAS also provided
that persons who were freemen Of the city Of
Albany At the time Of the adoption, Of the Con;
| s%titution. or who were fre"mcn Of the city of
New York. oct. "a, i775, were entitled 10 vote
Tor members of Assembly without property
| qualifications
The constitution Of 1921 extended the cleo
tive franchise for the white men, permitting
every male citizen Of the age OF ~ years
who had resided In the state one year
preceding an election, and who had paid taxes
within the wear, or was EXEMPT from taxation,
or had performed military duty or was a Ere;
in tho state three years and had performed
highway labor within the wear, or, paid an
equivalent therefor to vote for all officers
however, was not permitted to vote unless he
had resided IN the state for three wears, and
$3.50 over and above all debts and incnmbrances
thereon, and had paid a tax on that amount,
This was a decided discrimination against the
| coiorei. and although the Constitution was
amended in reference TO the suffrage in iNlN,
giving the white man M manhood surrage'
NAMED the same up to the time OF the meet
ing 81 The Tbsr. CONSTITUTIONAL WS4 an sSSnTen''2 q
but the convention evidently feared
TO risk the fate of its laborS upon the
revised Constitution and the, proposition fol
the equal suffrage OF the colored mar were
! svhnittp1 separately, me latter receiving
~ sOs votes in It's favor, with 223, S3i against H.
/ Tho onStitution of ls46 made some restrictions
upon the white male citizen, by requiring
that he should not have made any BET. or wager
upon the result Of the election, and that he
should not have been convicted of an Infamous
crime. or. II convicted. that he should have
been pardonci. this restriction falling. of course
witt alual weight upon tho cplored brother
Another effort In behalf of the equal suffrage
of the CO!orel race in the state Of New YORK
was made in lSGD, and although the effect Of the
anti-4layerv agitation was manifest in the vote
the proposition failed before tie people one
rel and live of the qualified e~,eCtOrs sup
ported the measure while a37, 934 voted
In the negative The matter came ur
for consideration soon after the war
the constitution Convention Of 1897 bel ng
petltioned for and q glinS' the proposition To
! remove the property publication for the colored
man. The convention dropped the property
/ qualification from the suffrage article. making
manhood the STANDARD, with restrictions a. IA
caution 70 provide that 90 tho gen oral election
Of 1883 the following u lrstion shall be sub
mitted 10 be voted upon by tho qualified cleo
tors. viz. Shallthereb be y this state a property
qualification for any class OF voters2 II a
| majority Of the voters voting on that question
shall vote IN The Affirmative. the provision oi
the present Constitution "a to a property
qualification shall he inserted in tho ConSti-
tuition The Thirteenth and Fourtre"tl
amendments. aholiSling slavery and declaring
al persons horn or natIralllcd in IN" United
arc citizens Of the United States and NJ tho
state wherein they reside had boon passed.
and the Fifteenth Amendment had been sub
nittcd TO the several States by the Congress