zens, as such, to vote,
is an existing right. Mr. Richard Grant White, in his late work
on "Words and their Uses," says of the word citizen:

A citizen is a person who has certain political rights, and
the word is properly used to imply or suggest the possession
of these rights.

Mr. Justice Washington, in the case of Corfield _vs._ Coryell (4
Wash. C. C. Rep. 380), speaking of the "privileges and
immunities" of the citizen, as mentioned in Sec. 2, Art. 4, of
the Constitution, after enumerating the personal rights mentioned
above, and some others, as embraced by those terms, says,

To which may be added the elective franchise, as regulated
and established by the laws or constitution of the State in
which it is to be exercised.

At that time the States had entire control of the subject, and
could abridge this privilege of the citizen at its pleasure; but
the judge recognizes the "elective franchise" as among the
"privileges and immunities" secured, to a qualified extent, to
the citizens of every State by the provisions of the Constitution
last referred to. When, therefore, the States were, by the XIV.
Amendment, absolutely prohibited from abridging the privileges of
the citizen, either by enforcing existing laws, or by the making
of new laws, the right of every "citizen" to the full exercise of
this privilege, as against State action, was absolutely secured.

Chancellor Kent and Judge Story both refer to the opinion of Mr.
Justice Washington, above quoted, with approbation. The Supreme
Court of Kentucky, in the case of Amy, a woman of color, _vs._
Smith (1 Littell's Rep. 326), discussed with great ability the
questions as to what constituted citizenship, and what were the
"privileges and immunities of citizens" which were secured by
Sec. 2, Art. 4, of the Constitution, and they showed, by an
unanswerable argument, that the term "citizens," as there used,
was confined to those who were entitled to the enjoyment of the
elective franchise, and that that was among the highest of the
"privileges and immunities" secured to the citizen by that
section. The court say that,

To be a citizen it is necessary that he should be entitled
to the enjoyment of these privileges and immunities, upon
th