134 



CONGEESS, UNITED STATES. 



sands of our sons under twenty-one years of age 

 are much better qualified to exercise the right of 

 suffrage than thousands of our fellow-citizens 

 fifty years of age. We must have some rule, 

 and we have fixed twenty-one years of age in 

 that respect as the wisest and best rule that 

 could be propounded. 



" Now, it strikes me that, looking especially to 

 the qualifications of the class of population in 

 this district to whom it is proposed to extend 

 the right of suffrage; looking to then- antece- 

 dents ; remembering who they are but a short 

 time taken from the worst and lowest type of 

 barbarism in all the world ; reflecting that they 

 hare been recently slaves; that they inherit 

 and still have in them the instincts of slavery ; 

 that they are ignorant; that it is impossible for 

 them (it is no fault of theirs, it is their misfor- 

 tune) to have a correct appreciation of the 

 duties devolving upon a man who exercises the 

 right of suffrage to understand fully the princi- 

 ples of our free Government ; I say, under all 

 these circumstances, it does seem to me that 

 wisdom dictates to us the propriety, if possible, 

 of fixing some rule by which that great right 

 shall be protected from abuse, some rule by 

 which we shall confine its exercise to those 

 who are competent to use it judiciously. 



Mr. Pomeroy, of Kansas, said : "I regard 

 this bill as important, in the second place, be- 

 cause it is a sort of model, to be copied and 

 patterned after by the States. In the North- 

 west I know there are States that have not 

 hitherto given suffrage to colored men, but 

 they are moving in that direction, and will 

 copy this very statute, if we make it one, foij 

 their law. That is a reason why I think we 

 ought to have the statute perfect here. 



" I agree with what the Senator from Mas- 

 sachusetts has said in regard to the require- 

 ments of reading and writing as a qualification 

 for voting. That might be entertained in a 

 State where all the people were allowed to go 

 to school and learn to read and write ; but it 

 seems to me monstrous to apply it to a class of 

 persons in this community who were legislated 

 away from school, to whom every avenue of 

 learning was shut up by law: 



" When the vote cornea to be taken I shall 

 vote to give the ballot to every man of the 

 prescribed age and of the proper residence 

 who has not been guilty of a crime, I care not 

 for his complexion or his nationality. I have 

 found that there are Americans who were not 

 born here. A man is an American if he has 

 got an American heart in him. Those of us 

 who were born here could not help it. The 

 man who is an American from choice deserves 

 a little something in addition to those who are 

 Americans from necessity. Therefore, I say 

 I would not disfranchise those who come here 

 joyfully to yield themselves to the moulding 

 influence of American civilization." 



The amendment of Mr. Willey was rejected 

 yea, 1 ; nays, 41. 



Mr. Cowan, of Pennsylvania, moved that the 



word " male " be struck out of the bill. He 

 said: "The proposition now before the Sen- 

 ate is to confer on the colored people of this 

 district the right of franchise ; that is, the ad- 

 vocates of the bill say that that will be safe and 

 prudent and proper, and will contribute, of 

 course, to the happiness of the mass of the in- 

 habitants of the District ; and they further say 

 that no reason can be given why a man of one 

 color should not vote as well as a man of an- 

 other color, especially when both are equally 

 members of the same society, equally subjected 

 to its burdens, equally to be called upon to de- 

 fend it in the field, and all that. I agree to a 

 great portion of that. I do not know and never 

 did know any very good reason why a black 

 man should not vote as well as a white man, 

 except simply that all the white men said, ' We 

 do not like it.' I do not know of any very 

 good reason why a black woman should not 

 marry a white man, but I suppose the white 

 man would give about the same reason he does 

 not like to do it. There are certain things in 

 which we do not like to go into partnership, 

 with the people of different races, and between 

 whom and ourselves there are tribal antipa- 

 thies. It is now proposed to break down that 

 barrier, so far as political power may be con- 

 cerned, and admit both equally to share in this 

 privilege ; and since the barrier is to be broken 

 down, and since there is to be a change, I desire 

 another change, for which I think there is quite 

 as good a reason, and a little better, perhaps, 

 than that offered for this. I propose to extend 

 this privilege not only to males, but to females 

 as well ; and I should like to hear even the 

 most astute and learned Senator upon this floor 

 give any better reason fdr the exclusion of 

 females from the right of suffrage than there is 

 for the exclusion of negroes. I want to hear 

 that reason. I should like to know it. 



Mr. Anthony, of Ehode Island, said : "I do 

 not contend for female suffrage on the ground 

 that it is a natural right, because I believe that 

 suffrage is a right derived from society, and 

 that society is competent to impose updn the 

 exercise of that right whatever conditions it 

 chooses. I hold that the suffrage is a dele- 

 gated trust a trust delegated to certain 

 designated classes of society and that the 

 whole body politic has the same right to with- 

 draw any part of that trust that we have to with- 

 draw any part of the powers, of the trusts that 

 we have imposed upon any executive officer, 

 and that it is no more a punishment to restrict 

 the suffrage and thereby deprive certain persons 

 of the exercise of that right who have hereto- 

 fore exercised it, than it is a punishment on the 

 Secretary of the Treasury if we should take 

 from him the appointment of certain persons 

 whose appointment is now vested in him. The 

 power that confers in each case has the right 

 to withdraw. 



" The true basis of suffrage of course is intel- 

 ligence and virtue ; but as we cannot define 

 those, as we cannot draw the line that shall 



