CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



100 



force to public opinion it is essential that public 



: laould >>o enlightened." In his first ttiinnul 



naiMgo to < 'lio Biuno views aro forcibly 



presented, and tiro again urged in bis eighth message. 



.at that tin- adoption of the fifteenth aiiu'ii-l- 



< "n>tituti<m completes the greatest civil 



and constitutes the most important <.. i.t 



n oi'iMirr.-d MIK-O the nation camo into lit'.-. 



inu"' will bo bonefloial in proportion to the 



it is given to the urgent recommendations 



of Washington. If these recommendations were 



,::it then, with ft population of but a few mill- 



bow much more important now with a popu- 



"f forty millions and increasing iu a raj>id 



ratio ! 



>uld therefore call upon Congress to take all 

 .111* within their constitutional powers to pro- 

 mote and encourage popular education throughout 

 iutry ; and upon the people everywhere to see 

 t > it that all who possess and exercise political rights 

 shall have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge 

 which will make their share in the Government a 

 lik's-ing and not a danger. By such means only can 

 the benefits contemplated by this amendment to the 

 Constitution be secured. U. S. GRANT. 



HAMILTON FISH, Sec'y of State of the United States. 

 To all to whom thete presents may come, greeting : 



Know ye that the Congress of the United States 

 on or about the 27th day of February, in the year 

 1869, passed a resolution in the words and figures 

 following, to wit : 



" A resolution proposing an amendment to the Consti- 

 tution of the United States. 



" Betolvedby the Senate and House of Jtepresentatfves 

 of the United States of America in, Congress assembled 



% 



two-thirds of both Houses concurring). That the fol- 

 lowing article be proposed to the Legislatures of the 

 several States as an amendment to the Constitution 

 of the United States, which, when ratified by three- 

 fourths of said Legislatures, shall be valid as part of 

 the Constitution, namely : 



"ARTICLE XV., SEO. 1. The right of citizens of the 

 United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged 

 by the United States, or by any State, on account of 

 race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 



" SEC. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce 

 this article by appropriate legislation." 



And further, that it appears from official docu- 

 ments on file in this Department that the amend- 

 ment to the Constitution of the United States, pro- 

 posed as aforesaid, has been ratified by the Legisla- 

 tures of the States of North Carolina, West Virginia, 

 Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Maine, Louisiana, Michi- 

 gan, South Carolina, Pcnsylvania, Arkansas, Con- 

 necticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Now York, New 

 Hampshire, Nevada, Vermont, Virginia, Alabama, 

 Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Minne- 

 sota, Rhode Island, Nebraska, and Texas in all, 

 twenty-nine States: 



Ana further, that the States whoso Legislatures 

 have so ratified the said proposed amendment con- 

 stitute three-fourths of the whole number of States 

 in the United States j 



And further, that it appears from an official docu- 

 ment on file in this Department that the Legislature 

 of the State of New York has since passed resolutions 

 claiming to withdraw the said ratification of the said 

 amendment, which had been made by the Legisla- 



ture of that State, and of which official notice had 

 been filed in this Department ; 

 And further, that it appears from an official docu- 

 ment on file in this Department that the Legisla- 

 ture of Georgia lias by resolution ratified the said 

 proposed amendment ; 



Now, therefore, bo it known that I, Hamilton Fish, 

 Secretary of State of the United States^ by virtue 

 and in pursuance of the second section of the act of 

 Congress, approved the 20th day of April, in the 

 year 1818, entitled "An act to provide for the publica- 

 tion of the laws of the United States, and for other 



purposes," do hereby certify that the amendment 

 aforesaid has become valid to all intent* and pur- 

 poses as part of the Constitution of the United 8taten. 

 In testimony whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand 

 and caused the seal of the Department of State to be 



ttllixed. 



l)no at the city of Washington this 80th day of 

 March, in the year of our Lord 1870, and of 

 f i.. s.l the independence of the United States the 

 ninety-fourth. HAMILTON FISH. 



In the House, on May 16th, Mr. Bingham, of 

 Ohio, from the Committee on the Judiciary, 

 reported the following bill to enforce the fif- 

 teenth amendment to the Constitution, in the 

 nature of a substitute to a bill referred to 

 tlicin : 



Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert 

 the following : 



That any officer of the United States, or of any 

 State, Territory, or district^ and every officer of any 

 city, county, town, township, borougn, ward ? parish, 

 or hundred, in any State. Territory, or district, who 

 shall by any official act whatever, or by the omission, 

 neglect, or refusal to perform any official act or duty 

 whatever, whether under color or pretext of anv 

 provision of any State constitution, or any law of 

 any State, Territory, or district whatsoever^ or of 

 any local, municipal, or other law, rule, or ordinance, 

 deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United 

 States to vote, on account of race, color, or previous 

 condition of servitude, at any Federal, State, county, 

 municipal, or other election, shall, upon conviction 

 thereof, be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and 

 shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than 

 one year and not exceeding three years, or by a fine 

 not less than $500 nor exceeding $5,000, or both such 

 fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. 



SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That all colored 

 citizens of the United States resident in the several 

 States of the United States shall be entitled to vote 

 at all elections in the State, county, parish, town, 

 township, ward, or hundred of their residence, sub- 

 ject only to the same conditions' which now are or 

 may hereafter be required to qualify white citizens 

 to vote therein. Ana any person who shall, by force, 

 fraud, intimidation, or other unlawful means what- 

 soever, prevent any colored citizen from voting at 

 any such election, who possesses the qualifications, 

 except in respect of color, requisite to enable a white 

 citizen to vote thereat, shall, upon conviction thereof, 

 be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be im- 

 prisoned not less than six months and not exceeding 

 one year, or be fined not less than $100 nor more than 

 $1 ,000 ? or be punished by both such fine and imprison- 

 ment, in the discretion of the court. 



SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That, in case the 

 constitution or law of any State shall require the 

 assessment or payment of a tax as a qualification of 

 an elector, if any assessor or other officer elected or 

 appointed under the laws of such State, and author- 

 ized or requirediby the laws thereof to make anv 

 assessment of persons or property for the purpose of 

 such taxation, shall refuse or wilfully neglect to 

 assess the person or property of any colored, citizen 

 of the United States qualified as aforesaid, and resid- 

 ing in the town, hundred, borough, township, parish, 

 county, ward, or district, for which said assessor or 

 other officer shall have been elected or appointed a* 

 aforesaid, ho shall, for every such offence, forfeit 

 and pay the sum of $500 to any person who will sue 

 for the same, and shall for cverv such offence bo 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be fined not less 

 than '$500, and be imprisoned not less than one month. 



SEO. 4. And be it furtlur enacted, That in case the 

 constitution or law of any State shall require the 

 assessment or payment of a tax as a qualification of 

 an elector, if any officer or member of any levy court, 

 or other body of officers authorized or required by 

 the laws of such State to make or correct any assess- 



