The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-05

bill had met tremendous opposition in the south, and it was determined to declare ''once and forever that the emancipated slave was citizen of the United States
 Senator. Dixon from Connecticut argued that the state legislatures had not been chosen to consider the proposed fifteenth amendment. In Pennsylvania, for ex- ample, the article would add 15,000 votes to the poll lists, in the negroes. In Ohio and other western states many thousands of negroes would be added. He moved to substitute state conventions, to be chosen, for legislatures already chosen as the state authority for considering the ref erence of the new article for ratifca- ton. He was voted down.
 Senator Davis from Kentucky argued that the power vested in Congress to pro- pose amendments to the constitution was limited. Amendments proposed by Con gress must be correlated to the funda- mental propositions of the original in strument. Amendments must not work revolution of theory nor effect the over throw of the structure which the original had set up The government of the United States was a part of a system; the government of each separate state was correlated and conjunctive part of the same system. They could not be marged. two into one, as the pending ar ticle proposed, without annihilating the whole. Senator Buckalew from Penn sylvania protested against transmitting to the several state legislatures so impor- tant matter of consideration without previous preparation of the people of the states to consider it. Congress should not
 In haphazard way send forth eonstitu- tional changes. He would announce to the states that the fifteenth article of amendment would be submitted to them after the next election of the most num- erous branch of each. Senator Hen dricks from Indiana said he wished to remind the senators of the dominant party in whose interest alone the pro- posed fifteenth article was urged. that the na tional republican party of 1864, the last. had announced by its platform of prfnci- pies that the "loyar' states should not be molested in their laws and customs regulating the suffrage, but that Con gress might take from the states in re- bellion as soon as they were conquered that same ancient right. The manifest object of the platform was to strengthen the republican party by the negro vote in the south, while the northern states would not be offended by forcing the ne- gro vote on them where 1t had always been renounced. The senator argued that the African race had never brought to the community life in this country any substantial increase of virtue and inteli- gence. In it's whole history shat race had not lifted itself up. The degree of culture it had attained to was initiative only. The tendency of the race every where was downward and not upward and self sustaining. He could not consent to the introduction of. such people into the electorate of the states by force. If any state in full exercise of it's rights, should confer the suffrage upon the ne- gro that would be it's discretionary right
 Senator Bayard from Delaware moved to limit the change from state control of the suffrage to federal control 10 the choice of presidential electors and repre- sentatives in Congress, but his motion was voted down. Arguing further, the senator from Delaware said: "I am sat- isfied no argument will avail in this body to prevent the passage of this amendment in some form. or as to effect it's particular object the grant of the franchise of suf- frage to the negro race
 Senator Sumner. seeing that his substi- tute act of Congress would not succeed, moved to amend the article by striking out from the line, "the right of citizens of the United States 10 vote, the word citizens He said he had letters from the south, fin great numbers" assuring him that large immigration of negroes from Brazil and the West Indies would settle in that part of the country If they could be assured of the blessings of life under the Declaration or Independence Immigrants of that race had no benefit from American naturalization laws and therefore could not become "citizens )f the United States He was anxious to populate the low country of South Caro- lima with rlore desirable class than had ever lfved tnere. He felt assured that the Brazilian and West Indian immigrants
 lfxx.r r~.1 fr. r.f.. md n1 manifest their acquisition would be of great advantage to the country at large
 The Senate debated 90 consecutive hours Senator Stewart from Nevada averred no two senators held the same views on any one of the many motions made.
 While the debate fingered the Senate passed a resolution for sixteenth article of amendment, sent it to the House. where it failed. This sixteenth article compelled each state to chose its electoral college by popular vote. leaving with Con- gress authority to determine whether the vote should be taken by districts or by the state at large.
 The fifteenth article was finally matured by a conference committee of the two houses. On Thursday. February 20, 1869, the conference report came up in the House The yea and nay vote showed that one name more was necessary to give the required two-thirds majority. Seeing this. Speaker colfax gave the cast ing vote. Congressional Globe. third ses- sion, Fortieth Congress. p. 15s4.)
 On Wednesday. February 26, the same conference report of the article came up in the Senate The President of that body. Senator Wade from Ohio. announced the vote-yeas B. nays 13: one more yea" than the necessary two-thrds.
 Senator Garret Davis from Kentucky Instantly took the floor to deny the cor rcctness of the announcement from the chair. He read from his place Article V of the constitution. that Congress. when ever two-thirds of both houses shall deem