CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1869). 



129 



In the Senate, the House resolution consid- 

 ered, 137; amendment moved, 137; amend- 

 ment and resolution substantially the same, 

 137 ; why is it necessary to insert these words, 

 " or previous condition of servitude ? " 138 ; 

 another amendment moved, 139 ; why amend 

 what is already sufficient? 139; difficulties in 

 the way of ratification, 139 ; power given to 

 Congress to regulate elections in States, 140 ; 

 can color be a qualification of a voter ? 140 ; 

 if the color of the hair, or eyes, or skin, dis- 

 tinguishes one race from the other, then the 

 Legislature has a right to make it a qualifica- 

 tion, 141; all the power of Congress on the 

 subject, 141 ; this general doctrine compre- 

 hends woman as well as man, 141 ; principles 

 and doctrines of predecessors, 142 ; proposal 

 to submit the amendment to the several States, 

 142; facts in regard to the last amendment, 

 142; an amendment proposed to Legislatures 

 or to conventions for ratification, until ratified 

 by three-fourths of the States, is, of necessity, 

 in its very nature, a simple proposition, 143 ; 

 an anomaly in the Constitution of the United 

 States, 143; impossible so large a portion 

 should remain a long time without suffrage, 

 144 ; meaning of the Chicago platform, 145 ; 

 under the Constitution no State has the power 

 to deny suffrage on account of color, 145 ; the 

 amendment contains a grant of power to Con- 

 gress to set up other tests for voting and hold- 

 ing office, 145 ; the Republican platform, 146 ; 

 the question of suffrage belongs to the people 

 is it right for Congress to take it away ? 146 ; 

 two constructions put upon one clause, 146 ; 

 what limit is there to the power of the people 

 to change the Constitution ? 147 ; a grave ques- 

 tion, 147 ; it is averred that the President may 

 be displaced, and a king established instead, 

 147 ; where does the power of the people to 

 amend or change the Constitution end ? 117; 

 you change the nature of the Government, 148 ; 

 the case of McCullock vs. State of Maryland, 

 148 ; is it wise to extend suffrage to the col- 

 ored people? 149; some do not want the 

 Chinese to vote, 149 ; exclusion on the ground 

 of religion, 149 ; position of the Senators from 

 the Western coast, 150; historical references, 

 150; the heresy of secession is not dead, 150 ; 

 does the Constitution say how far you shall 

 amend it? 151 ; State sovereignty denied, 151 ; 

 State sovereignty and Federal sovereignty are 

 the two ideas planted in the Constitution, 151 ; 



we must maintain the rights of the States un- 

 der the Constitution, 152 ; just as necessary to 

 insist on the rights of the States as on the 

 rights of the Federal Government, 152; can- 

 not find a word in the Constitution which 

 makes a limit on the power of the people to 

 amend it, 152 ; what right has any State in 

 this Union but that which it gets from the 

 Constitution? 153; is the opinion of Congress 

 supreme on all constitutional questions? 153; 

 the judicial power of the court does not con- 

 tain political power, 154 ; when the court as- 

 sumes the power to declare an act of Congress 

 unconstitutional and void, then begins the 

 struggle in this country, 154 ; the sovereignty 

 rests with the people, 155 ; the sovereignty not 

 delegated is reserved to the States and to the 

 people, 155 ; the government of the States is 

 as essential as the government of the people, 

 156 ; an amendment to abolish the government 

 enacted by the Constitution exceeds the pow- 

 ers of Congress, 156 ; what the people of a 

 State have the power to organize and institute 

 they have the power to maintain, 156 ; is the 

 denial of the right to do one thing an affirma- 

 tion of the right to do another? 157 ; the four- 

 teenth amendment has undertaken to secure to 

 citizens all the privileges that belong to citi- 

 zens, 157; extent of its provisions, 158; the 

 extent of the name of citizen, 158 ; an exceed- 

 ingly erroneous and detrimental view, 159 ; 

 privilege of a citizen to vote, 160; the key to 

 the question, 160; such construction cannot be 

 maintained, 161 ; occasion of the first section 

 of the fourteenth amendment, 161 ; motion to 

 adjourn, 162; lost, 162; amendment lost, 162; 

 further amendment considered, 162; it declares 

 exactly that we mean to enfranchise the Afri- 

 can, 163 ; it will leave out the subject of 

 Chinese immigration, 163 ; amendment lost, 

 163; another amendment, 164; causes of ex- 

 clusion from voting, 164; the rule should be 

 universal, 164; objections urged, 165 ; amend- 

 ment lost, 165; other amendments considered 

 and lost, 166-168; resolution passed, 168. 



In the House, the amendments of the Senate 

 considered, 168 ; House refuse to concur, 169. 



In the Senate, a committee of conference 

 moved and lost, 169 ; non-concur in the action 

 of the House, 169 ; another resolution of 

 amendment considered and adopted, 169, 170; 

 amended in the House, 170 ; conference held, 

 170 ; result, 170. 



