Year: 1869

wants as they would be Independent of
our approval or censure. Yet i'll the
march to Capitalization this amend
ment is the greatest stride that has yet
been taken. Itstrikes at the very root of
state legislation. The right of each
State to regulate the qualifications of its
own voters is recognized in the original
draft of the Constitution and has been
exercised without question since the
foundation of the Government by every
State-no two Of which have probably
exactly the same requirements on the
subject. 1t lies at the base of all
legislation. If this sO-called amend
ment sought only to prescribe a uniform
rule as to voters for National offices
Presidents and Congressman, it might
not be SO unreasonable: but il goes fur
ther and vests in other states the right
of saying who shall vote OIL local ques-
tiOns in Ohio. Of what value is our
right to legislate for ourselves on State
affairs if our legislatures are to be
chosen by hordes of Chinese, made voters
by an external power without our con-
sent.


Another objection to this amendment
is that while it prohibits the States or
the United States from denying the right
Of suffrage on account of race or color,
it does not prohibit and by implication
will be claimed, to permit, the enact
ment under the clause authorizing Con-
gress to enforce this article by "appro-
pirate legislation" of laws by Congress
imposing property qualifications and re-
ligiOus tests, and any other conditions
they choose upon voters, save only on ac-
cunt Of race or color. The regulation of
suffrage once transferred to Congress
from the States they will not be found
slow to regulate II TO suit party exigen-
cles.


Buff this samendmentsOt termed were in
itself unobjeetionable, the means resort
ed to, to secure its adoption should alone
secure for it the condemnation of every
honest man, irrespective of party. It
/ is the creature of force and fraud. Sup
posing this to he a proper subject for an
amendment, the Constitution provides
that it shall only take effect when as
sented to by three-fOurths of the States.


But this amendment was proposed
and submitted with the full knowledge
that it could not receive such assent if
submitted to the free action of the States.
Ohio, Kansas, and Missouri had just
voted on negro suffrage and voted it
down. Connecticut had very recently
done the same. California was known
to be opposed to making voters of her
( Chinese population as was shown by
( her legislation. No State in the Union
which had any appreciable numbers of
negroes had given them the right of suff-
rage. Yet when it was proposed in Con-
/ gress to submit the ratification of this
amendment to legislature hereafter
to be elected that the people might
have Il chance to vote upon it, the pro-
position was voted down, and the ques-
ton sent to Legislatures elected before
this issue was before the people: and
thereupOn the old Legislatures of Kan
sas and Missouri and other states elect
/ ed long before, on other issues ratified the
measure their people had just voted
down. And not only this; the ratifca-
ton of this amendment was imposed on
Virginia, Mississippi and Texas as a
condition Of their being admitted into
the Union and released from the pres
enCe of martial law-a course Of action
which not only affects those States
but all the States Of the Union for it is
sought by these compulsory ratiicatiOns
to impose the measure on Ohio and In
diana as well as on Virginia and Texas.
1t is needless to say that by similar
means any measure whatever-even the
abolition Of our present form of Govern
ment and the substitution Of an empire
may be forced upon us under the guise
Of an amendment of the constitution.


The resort to such means for securing
adoption of an amendment are calcula-
ted to awaken the gravest consideration
of the people; they will if the amend
ment is declared adopted by them pro-
duce questions as to its validity; ques-
tions which are best avoided and set at
rest in advance by condemning the use
of means so questionable. This can be
done by eleeting a Legislature which
will not vote the consent of Ohio to the
measure, and this is the part of wisdom
and prudence. If the experience ofthe
future shows it to be desirable to make
citizens and voters of Africans and Chi
nese it is easy for the states to make
them so when they see proper. Atpres-
ent it is a mere experiment and one of
very doubtful wisdom. The eStatesshould
not hastily take position which they
may wish to recede from when it is too
late and they should not be compelled
to take it by external force and fraud.