th a view to strengthen my argument
I ask the Clerk to read the report which I send to the desk. It
is very brief; and I beg leave to say now that it is well known
to the Senate and must be known to the country that this
committee embraces the ablest lawyers in this country on
constitutional law.

The CHIEF CLERK read the following report submitted by Mr.
EDMUNDS on the 26th of May, 1870:

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the
petition of citizens of Rhode Island setting forth, by
reference, the XIV. and XV. Articles of Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, and stating that, "the
State of Rhode Island, notwithstanding the provisions of the
above-named amendments, persists, in and by the first
section of article 2 of the constitution of said State, in
denying and abridging the right of about 10,000 citizens of
the United States to vote at any and all elections holden in
said State," and praying that Congress will "pass such
appropriate legislation as may be found necessary to obtain
for, and secure to, the citizens of the United States
resident in Rhode Island all the rights, privileges, and
immunities guaranteed to them by the Constitution of the
United States," respectfully report:

That the constitution of Rhode Island, adopted in 1842,
prescribes two alternative classes of qualifications for
voting. The first gives to _all_ male citizens of the United
States of a certain age, etc., the right to vote, if they
own real estate of the value of $134, or which shall rent
for $7 per annum. The second gives to every male _native_
citizen of the United States of a certain age, etc., the
right to vote, if he pays a tax of $1 a year, etc., although
he may not own real estate. No man or party has ever
questioned the right of the people of Rhode Island and of
every other State to establish such a constitution of
government as maybe agreeable to their views of the public
welfare in that State, although its provision as to suffrage
may not conform to the opinions of other States. At the time
when this constitution of Rhode Island was adopted the right
to re