earnestness to educate the people into the idea of universal
suffrage.

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON.

NEW YORK, _December 26, 1865_.

[52] From the _New York Evening Express_.

SCENES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.--_Negroes are to Vote--Why not
Coolies in California--Indians everywhere, and First of all, Fifteen
Millions of our Countrywomen._

The following occurred in the House, Tuesday, upon Thaddeus Stevens'
resolution, from the Reconstruction Committee, to deprive the South of
representation, unless the South lets the negroes vote there....

Mr. CHANDLER, of New York, having the floor for an hour, said: Before
proceeding with my remarks, I will yield the floor for ten minutes to
my colleague [Mr. Brooks].

Mr. BROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I do not rise, of course, to debate this
resolution, in the few minutes allowed me by my colleague, nor, in my
judgment, does the resolution need any discussion unless it may be for
the mere purpose of agitation. I do not suppose that there is an
honorable gentleman upon the floor of this House who believes for a
moment that any movement of this character is likely to become the
fundamental law of the land, and these propositions are, therefore,
introduced only for the purpose of agitation. If the honorable
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Stevens] had been quite confident of
adopting this amendment, he would at the start have named what are
States of this Union. The opinion of the honorable gentleman himself,
that there are no States in this Union but those that are now
represented upon this floor, I know full well, but he knows as well
that the President of the United States recognizes thirty-six States
of this Union, and that it is necessary to obtain the consent of
three-fourths of those thirty-six States, which number it is not
possible to obtain. He knows very well that if his amendment should be
adopted by the Legislatures of States enough, in his judgment, to
carry it, before it could pass the tribunal of the Executive Chamber
it would be obliged to receive the assent of twenty-seven States in
order to become an amendment to the Constitution. The whole
resolution, therefore, is for the purpose of mere agitation. It is an
appeal from this House to the outside constituencies that we know by
the name of buncombe. Here it was born, and here, after its agitation
in the States, it will die. Hence, I asked the gentleman from
Pennsylvani