The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-08-29
WEDNESDAY. AUGUST %. 1000.
ON SUFFRAGE AS
AFFECTED By SUPREME COURT


DIlS4StCNc.
One OF the most eminent men in Viz
GINA has asked us to make fuH review
of the bearing that the decisions of the
Supreme Court of the United State have
upon the action that the coming Consti-
tutionaI Convention is expected to take in
respect to negro suffrage
So far as we know there are two and
only two propositions to be brought before
the Convention, one called the Mississippi
plan, and the other known as the grand
fathers clause. These are SO we'll known
that we simply mention them. When the
war ended three amendments We're added
to the Constitution of the United States
to secure the results of the war: the 18th,
18th and 18th. The 18th forbids slavery,
the 14th places the rights Of person and
property OF the citizen under the iorotec-
ton of the United States Government, and
the 18th forbds any person to be deprived
OF the right to vote on account of race,
color or previous condition of ssrvitude.
These amendments came before the Su-
preme Court for consideration in the
Slaustter-house cases. 10th Wallace, and
We're there collated and compared and ex-
pounded in one of the most luminous opin-
ions that ever emanated from any court,
and the doctrines announced have been
adhered to from that time as the funda-
mental law of the land. In going over the
subject the court says: The most cur
sorry glances at these articles diScloses a
unity of purpose when taken in connec-
ton with the history of the times, which
cannot fail to have important bearing
on any question Of doubt concerning their
true meaning. nor can such doubts, when
any reasonably exist, be ratioraly solved
without a reference TO that history" The
court than goes on to say that slavery was
the overshaduwing and efficient cause Of
the war, that il was waSed to end slavery
and place the negro in all respects upon
the same footing of citizenship as the
white man, and that the three amend
1nents named Were adopted to make 1t
certain that the negro would forever enjoy
every right of citizenship that the white
man enjoyed Concluding the review, the
court speaks thus:
They dhe negroes We're in all
those States denied the right of
suffrage The laws were administered
by the white man alone. II was urged
tina. race of rren distincdvely marked
as was the negro, living in the midst of
another and dominant race, could never
be fully secured in their person and their
property without the right of suffrage.
Hence the iath amendment, which declares
that the right OF a citizen of the United
states to vote shall not be denied or
abridged BIZ any State on account of race,
color or previous condition of servitude.
The negro having by The l4th amendment
beeu declared to be a citizen of the United
States is thus made a voter IN every state
of the Union We repeat, then, in the ligat
of this reorganization of events almost too
recent to be called history, but Which
are familiar to us all. and on the most
casual examination of the language of
these amendments. no one can fan to be
impressed with the one perNadlnS purpose
found in them all. lying at the fonndation
OF each and withou. which none OF them
would have been ever suggeSted: we mean
the freedom of the slave race, Inc security
and firm establishment of that freedom and
the protection of the newly made freeman
and citizen from the expressions OF those
VINO had formerly exercised unlimited do:ni-
nation over him. It is true that only the
18th amendment in terms mentions the
negro by speaking Of his color. and his
slavery. But IT is just as true that each
OF the other articles was addressed to
the grievances of that race and designed
to re1nedy them as the 15tt.''
It is plain then that the supreme Courts
Fundamental doctrine IS that the negro
was entitled TO be placed upon the same
eoot!ng as 8. citizen as white man. and
that the suffrage was the weapon with
which he was to defend his rights of citi-
zeraship This being the fundamental doc
fr.ne OF that tribunal, 1t must be plain
to every one that the mississippi plan
and the grandfather plan WI, have a ter
.sbie gauntlet to run when they are d.
rsctly challenged and brought in question
before the supreme Court Of the United
Sta.AL
IT,, u, aasn that Ne supreme Court