hom they conferred the
right of suffrage.

"The President, in this connection, expressed the opinion
that the agitation of the negro-franchise question in the
District of Columbia, at this time was the mere
entering-wedge to the agitation of the question throughout
the States, and was ill-timed, uncalled for, and calculated
to do great harm. He believed that it would engender enmity,
contention, and strife between the two races, and lead to a
war between"them which would result in great injury to both,
and the certain extermination of the negro population.
Precedence, he thought, should be given to more important
and urgent matters, legislation upon which was essential for
the restoration of the Union, the peace of the country, and
the prosperity of the people."

"This," said Mr. Stevens, "I take to be an authorized utterance of one
at the other end of the avenue. I have no doubt that this is the
proclamation, the command of the President of the United States, made
and put forth by authority in advance, and at a time when this
Congress was legislating on this very question; made, in my judgment,
in violation of the privileges of this House; made in such a way that
centuries ago, had it been made to Parliament by a British king, it
would have cost him his head. But, sir, we pass that by; we are
tolerant of usurpation in this tolerant Government of ours."

In answer to those who contended that Congress should regulate the
right of suffrage in the States, Mr. Stevens said: "If you should take
away the right which now is and always has been exercised by the
States, by fixing the qualifications of their electors, instead of
getting nineteen States, which is necessary to ratify this amendment,
you might possibly get five. I venture to say you could not get five
in this Union. And that is an answer, in the opinion of the committee,
to all that has been said on this subject. But it grants no right. It
says, however, to the State of South Carolina and other slave States,
True, we leave where it has been left for eighty years the right to
fix the elective franchise, but you must not abuse it; if you do, the
Constitution will impose upon you a penalty, and will continue to
inflict it until you shall have corrected your actions.

"Now, any man who knows any thing about the condition of aspiration
and ambition for power which exists in the slave States, knows