National elections. naturally. necessarily. include national voters. and the plain purpose indicated by this action of the Executive is to make the States conform to Federal authority as to the rule of suffrage. I ask Senators who now have in their States masses of unnaturalized citizens who are voting for members of Congress. whether they seek to disfranchise these voters or whether it is reasonable to hold that the Federal Government can.by its laws change the qualifications created and fixed by State constitutions? If Davenport could reject five thousand citizens in New York because of his allegation of nonnaturalization. why shall the twentyfive thousand in the Western Stateswho vote without naturalization be permitted to doso I Onlybecause the whole subject is under State control. It isnothard to understand the meaning of the declaration of the Senator from Vermont for "the universality of equal suffrage." if it be read in the light of 1799 and the tenets of federalism. It means a universal rule of citizenship for suffrage everywhere.
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naturalization