The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1942-12-12
THE FREE PRIVILEGE OF
VOTING

Whenever an Anti-Lynch Bill,
a Poll Tax Bill, or any other
bill purporting to secure for the
colored people their Constitu-
tional rights, is brought to the
attention of Congress, there is
always the f1libuster which takes
up weeks and months of the
Governments time, with Sena-
tors from the south attempting
to establish State Rights which
would leave them free to discri-
inmate at will against Colored
American Citizens.
This Government drafts citi-
zens from any state and sends
them to war. Any interference
by persons or states would be
violation of the Constitution.
The Federal Government also
confers on American citizens
the free privilege OF voting. Any
tyrannical interference with
that privilege is in violation of
the 18th, 14th and 18th and
18th Amendments to the Con-
stitution.
The Constitution provides
that: The Congress shall have
power to enforce these articles
of Amendment by appropriate
legislation.
When the south had its Rom
an Holidays. and lynching bees,
and the state authorities would
take no action to punish the
mobs it violated the 14th AM
mendment to the Constitution.
We were within our Constitu-
tional right to petition Cong
ress through Anti-Lynch bills
for appropriate legislation to
stop Lynching.
If state puts tyrannical OBJ
stacles in the way of cur free
privilege of voting: then We are
within our Constitutional rights
to petition Congress for approp-
rate legislation to remove such
obstacles.
These are our undeniable
Constitutional rights, and that.
not withstanding any Supreme
Court decisions or legal referen-
cCf used by filibusterers to the
1ntrary. The reason we have
made no more Progress is be-
cause of the great advantage of
tyrannial filibuSter permitted
by the rules of the Senate,
which prevents our petition
from coming to a vote.
Washington laid down the
doctrine that the Constitution
of the United States is the fin
al refuge of every right that is
enjoyed by any American citi-
zen. That all power should be
derived from the people through
the privilege of voting.
Until after the Revolutionary
War, colored people voted in
every state except Georgia, and
South Carolina. From that per-
led until the ratification of the
18th Amendment the right to
vote was a question of policy.
The 18th Amendment was in
tended to annul all state Con-
situations to the contrary and
make suffrage universal.
After resorting to every cow
ardly and contemplate means
to keep colored people from the
polls, Southern States revised
their Constitutions to annul the
18th Amendment.
DiSfrsnchisement started In
Mississippi in 1890: South Caro-
lima. 1925; Louisiana, 1872 8.
North Carolina, 1900: Alabama.
1901; Virginia, 1902, Georgia.
1908 and Oklahoma. 1910.
Previous TO the adoption Of
the 18th Amendment all states
in the Union had Poll Tax and
property requirements as a
qualification for voting. Since
then all states except the 8 in
question repealed such require
mentS to conform to the Con-
Stitution of the United States.
Massachusetts, repealed hers in
1891.
The 18th Amendment abol-
iSned slavery The 18th AM
mendment gave the freed slave
his citizenship: his right to
vote and MS right to life, lib
erty and the pursuit OF happin-
eSs." The 18th Amendment
his undeniable right to vote in
State and Federal Elections.
an dali of these without any
special legislation BY any state.
Senator Claude Pepper Of
Florida had this 70 say in de-
Tense of his Anti-Pon Tax Bill.
I an 4 southerner BY direct