Year: 1869

4


The Pending Constitutional Amendment.


Universal suffrage is coming, or Qeaving


the women out in the cold) what is some


times called manhood suffrage or suffrage


to every male citizen of the United States


above the age of twenty-one years, irrespec-


tive Of race, kink, color or previous condition


Of servitude, any law in any State to the con-


trary Notwithstanding A proposed amend


ment to the cor ,titution, covering this ground,


from Mr.. Stewart of Nevada, has been made


the special order in the Senate for Thursday


next. When taken up the subject will proba-


bly, be debated for week or more and then


the joint resolution by the required two-thirds
of each house win doubtless be passed and


submitted to the Legislatures Of all the States;


and then, with the ratification Of the amend
ment by three-fourths of said Legislatures, it
will become, ito all intents and purposes"
part and parcel Of the supreme law of the land.


Meantime the same amendment, substan-
TALLY, has been up in the House of Representa-
tives, together with bill providing that s'no
State shall abridge or deny the right of any
citizen of the United States to vote for the
electors of President and Vice President of the
United States, or for Representatives in Con-
gress, or for members Of the Legislature Of the
State in which he may reside, by reason
of race, color or previous condition
Of slavery; and any provisions in the
law or constitution of any State incon-
sistent with this section are hereby declared
null and void" The bill further provides for
the enforcement of the first section, and fur
ther, "a penalty for the exercise Of any office
by any person whose disqualifcations for Office
under the fourteenth amendment have not been
removed" and the United States courts are to
have exclusive jurisdiction over these matters.
Mr.. Boutwell,, in support Of this bill on Sat-
urday last, made very ingenious and plausi-
BILE argument. He claimed the right of Con-
gress to legislate on the question of suffrage,
Independent of any action on the part of the
States that the government must have the
constitutional means to provide for its own
preservation; that if the doctrine that the
States have exclusive jurisdiction of the sub
ject were true, then the States might refuse to
choose electors of President and Vice Presi-





thus stop the action of the government He
further contended that in guaranteeing a re-
publican form Of government to each of the
States Congress had the power to enforce this
bill Of suffrage, and especially In the refrac-
tory negro citizen excluding States q Mary
land, Delaware and Kentucky and that Con-
gress had the power, moreover, in enforcing
the equal rights of citizens Of the United
States in all the States, to pass this bill under
the fourteenth amendment.


But why this double dose of constitutional
amendment providing for universal or man
hood suffrage and an act of Congress to estab-
lish the same thing? Mr.. Boutwell, explains =
"Our object is to secure universal suffrage to
the adult male citizens of this country. The
power is in our hands as Congress first, but
as party responsible for what this Congress
does. II we submit constitutional amend
ment alone we in certain sense admit that
the power for which have contended is want
ing. More than ihat there are but twenty-five
States to which we may look at the present
time for the ratification of this amendment.
We have, then, to secure three other States in
support of this proposition, and we enter upon
that work with certain amount of prejudice
of tradtionary opposition to negro suffrage.
Nine-tenths, donbt not, Of the republican
party Of the country favor manhood suffrage.
One-tenth do not, and they are q great OBJ
stacle in the way of perfecting this benign
measure. am in favor Of taking the respon-
sibility Of the position which ! occupy. We
are responsible for universal suffrage as one Of
the great crowning measures Of an adminstra-
ton of eight years duration, and which, by
judgment Of the people, is continued for four
years more. What the people expect Of US is
the consummation of this plan. If we submit
the constitutional amendment alone we en-
broil this country for two, three or five years,
or longer time, in the intrlcacies and difficult
ties of contest against the prejudices of
many. We have ct !s:s .s moment ooin right
and power on our side"


This plan, then, Is, by act OF Con-
gress, to enforce universal suffrage, ne
groes and oil, upon all the States, for the
present uses Of the republican party, and
TO follow 1t up as fast as possible with con-
sttutional amendment for future security, In
| view Of the fact that a nero law passed by the
| Congress Of to-day may be repealed by another
Congress tomorrow. This plan, then, Is
very shrewd one. We guess, however, that
this suffrage bill will fail in view Of the warn
ing voices on the subject from Ohio and New
| York in 1867 and from other Northern States.
One tenth Of the republican party, Mr.. Bout
we'll admits, Is opposed to universal negro
suffrage but probably he believes that II the
thing can be started under general law Of
| Congress Il will soon work its way into popular
favor