Year: 1868




unquestioned for thirty years.


Now, the present Legislature passed a
law known as "The visible admixture
law" which provides that any man hav-
ing visible admixture of African blood
in his veins shall not be permitted to
vote; and in order to test who it is that
has visible admixture of African blood
in his veins, that not being fact which
always appears on the surface and to the
naked eye-since compilations differ so
much-that law provides:


"That it shall be the duty of the judges
of election to challenge any person offer
ing to vote at any election held under
any law of this State, having distinct
and visible admixture of African blood,
and shall tender to him the following
oath or affirmation: You do solemnly
swear (or afirn) that you will, to the
best of your knowledge and belief, full
and true answers make to such questions
as may be putsto you touching your
qualifications as an elector,' and there
upon the said judges. or one of them,
shall put to him the following questions !:
l. What is pour age? 2. Where were
you born ? 3. Were your parents mar
ried, and did they live together as man
and wife2 A. Had your parents, or
either of them a visible and distinct ad-
mixture of African blood2 S. In the
community in which you live, are you
classified and recognized as white or
colored person, and do you associate
w itb white Or oo1orad ,oareone9 G Ara
there schools for colored children in op.
Grafton in the township, village, or ward
in which you live, and if you have chill
dren do they attend such schools, or do
they attend the common schools organ
ganized for white children under the law
of the State?


"SEC. 2. After the examination of the
person challenged, as provided in the
preceding section, the judges of election
shall, unless the vote of said person is
rejected, require him to produce before
them two credible witnesses, to whom
shall be rendered by said judges the
following affirmation You and each
of you do solemnly swear (or afirm)
that you will fully and truly answer all
such questions as may be put to you,
touching the qualifications Of (the name
OF the person challenged as an elector.'
Thereupon the judges, or one of them,
shall put to each person respectively the
following questions 1. Are you ac-
quainted with (the name of the person
challenged); if so, tor how long time
have you known him? 2. Do you
know when, where, and in what State
he was born =? 8. Were you acquainted
with his parents or either of theml If
yes, did such parents or either of them,
have distinct and visible admixture of
African blood, and were they married,
or did they live together as man and
wife Z"


"SEc. 4. No evidence shall be received
as to the admixture of white blood which
is based on the opinion of the person
challenged or of the witness testifying
in his behalf, founded merely upon ap-
pearance, unless the facts are fully stated
as to the parentage of the person chal-
lenged; and no evidence of reputation
as to the parentage shall be received,
unless the parties about whom such rep
utation exists are proved to have been
married"


Now, after this inquisitorial test,
which may be applied to every citizen
of the State, black or white, if he is
enabled to trace his pedigree, if he is
able to do more than wise children
usually can, and say, not only who was
his father, but who were his paternal and
maternal ancestors; if he can pass this
ordeal safely, he may then be permitted
to deposit his vote.


But the Democracy of Ohio did not
stop there. Knowing very well that
wherever patriotism and education are
paramount there is but small hope for
them, they passed law forbidding any
student in the colleges and academies of
Ohio, if not permanent resident of the
place where the institution is located,
the right the vote. Now, there are 30
or 80 colleges in the State of Ohio, and
it is very well known that nine-tenths of
the students in all the colleges, acade-
mics and high schools in the State. are
Republicans, and vote with the Union
party and this Democratic Legislature
have attempted to put out the light by
depriving the mass of Ohio students of
all share in the legislation of the State.


AS fit companion to this law, that
Legislature passed another which every
member of this House ought to know
The General Government has located at
the city of Dayton, Ohio, a Soldiers
Home, in which we have gathered, not
only from Ohio but from neighboring
States, large number of crippled, dis
abled soldiers. There are now nearly
one thousand such soldiers at that Home,
sustained by the Government of the
United States because of wounds and
disabilities incurred in the late war for
the Union.


Now, knowing very we'll that these
men would vote as the fought, that they
would stand with the same party when
they came to the ballot-box that they
stood with when they were in the field,
this Democratic Legislature has passed
law forbidding any inmate of the Sol
diers' Home from voting at any election
in the State. The Soldiers Home is to
be their home for life it is not mere
temporary residence. They are disabled
pensioners of the Government = kept
there in the Government asylum; and
this Democratic Legislature of Ohio says
that not one of them shall ever vote at
any election in the State. And the man
ayers of that Soldiers Home, one of
whom sits near me, are receiving letters
from soldiers in other States of the
Union, saying that they had intended to
apply for admission to that home in
Ohio but since this law has passed they
would prefer to beg their bread from
door to door rather than have their rights
as loyal voters of this country thus tram