Year: 1869

MI Speaker, the resolutions now before
us for discussion are against the adoption OF
the XIV article of the Constitution of the
United States, which reads as follows:


:" Article XIV, Section l. The right of the
citizens of the United Suites to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United
States, or any State, on account of race,
color or previous condition of scrvitude."


Section 2. The Congress shall have the
power to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.


The first impressions felt on rising to dis
cuss the resolution is an overwhelming sense
of the momentous Importance Of the sub
jcc: in its consequence to this nation, and
the second is feeling of wonder and sur.
prise at the singular phenomenon that o
body claiming to be almost wholly Demo.
cratic should institute suck bitter opposition
to movement most essentially and truly
democratic in its character.


The gentleman who has preceded me in
his remarks (Mr. Paynter) has stated his in.
tention of making no speech upon this oc-
casion, for the reason that the whole ques-
tion has been thoroughly discussed by more
able men. l cordially agree with him in
this, on the main question, but there are
some arguments so peculiarly pointed as
respects the position of himself .and his
friends in the State of Delaware, that can
not allow this opportunity to slip by with
out referring to them. The constitutonality
Of the XIV article will not be discussed, for
the additional reason that we have the right
nrCgI1mn ri ia
recommended to us as it is by large ma
jority Of the Congress of the nation. The
Supreme Court of the United st lies, not
the Senate of the State of Delaware, is the
proper body before which to bring its con-
sti!uii0nality to final test


Neither will attempt to attack the long
hackneyed phrases Of the resolutions Just
introduced, in regard to State Fights and
ntdte Sovereignty. These form so much of
the stock in trade of our protested Demo-
cratic friends that itwould be pity they
should be deprived of them.


They are unable to see that their extreme
views on these matters have been found
wanting, after having been subjected to
every test that the American people can
bring to bear upon them, and lastly to the
arbitrament Of the sword. We must be pa
tient, and allow another generation to pass
before they will perceive that the nation has
progressed beyond them.


To come to the point, Mr.. Speaker,
take this position that The present political
stairs Of the protcssed Democratic party
IN DeidWdre, is a most capital iHustr1-
ton Of TIC propriety and necessity of The
ado1,ffon Of the proposed Ky Article.
What are now yosr avowed doctrines 10
regard to the right of suffrage? they are
these: "SuNrogc is not a political right,
but a political privilege!" 1t seems la
mentable to me that the leaders of the So
called Democratic party should have allowed
themselves TO be driven to such subterfuge
as this-io put forth doctrine containing
the very essence of aristocracy.


A political privilege, forsooth, to be
fixed and allowed by a ruling class. Let
this doctrine be carried out and it is death
TO all true democracy-all true republican
ism. What stronger inducement can we
have for the support of the KY Article than
this open avowa in our midst of views so
plainly at war with the very genius Of our
free institutions?


The gentleman from Sussex makes me
laugh when he quotes English and European
authority 10 sustain his position that the
right to vote is privilege.


did not say that the right TO vote was q
natural right but do say that il is poll
ticdt right based upon the corner stone laid
by our fathers, The corner stone is, that
"Governments derive their just poUer
from the consent Of the governed. "-They,
our fathers, came to this country fleeing
from the wrongs Of that aristocratic class
who considered the right to vote political
pritiiege. They came to found country
of equal rights and equal privileges to ali.
Little methinks did they suppose the time
would ever come when their degenerate
sons, in the garb of democracy, would refer
to the aristocracics Of the old world, for au-
thority to bolster up the cause of aristocra-
tic democracy in America.


call it political sophistry, Mr.. Speaker,
when the gentleman argues that because we
may, by legislation, deprive minors or Grim.
inals of the right to vote,w may with equal
propriety legislate for any other class. There
is here an essential difference. All minors,
or nearly all, are represented by parents or
other blood relations who exercise on their
behalf and extend over them the 9gis of suf-
frage until the proper age arrives for them
selves to exercise it, and the case with fe-
males is the same. But here permit me to
say it matters not to mo how soon the latter
lay claim to and obtain for themselves the
right.


Not so however with the millions of the
race proposed to be enfranchised by this
amendment. They are still in many places
deprived of the protection which the exer-
else of suffrage will throw around them and
are governed by an out side power without
their voice or consent.


So much weaker still is the gentleman ar
gument in regard to criminals that scarce
deem it worthy of notice.


Dc understand him to assume that be-
cause we may incarcerate citizen for crime,
that therefore we may imprison Race,
against which no crime is proved but the
color of the skin?


Mr.. Speaker, would vote most heartily
for the adoption Of the Fifteenth Article, and
earnestly plead with the Democracy of Della
ware to do the same, for more reasons than
have been stated. This right of suffrage to
the colored man is nothing new in idea or
in fact. That the Democracy of several
States of this Union granted him this right
in times past is an historical fact referred to
so often that the gentleman says he is tired
Tof hearing it-so also with the quotations
{I1,v4 oc Tnar&sax.. a. /.