Mr. KASSON. I hope the Gentfrom Pennsylvania, [Mr. KELLEY] if lie must interrupt me, will at least confine his interruptions to the point under debate. I will trust that much to his courtesy. He is entirely wide of the point of debate now. I will come presently to the principles which ought to be applied. The colored residents of this District are composed of 2 classes. One, the old residents of the District, and the other the class of immigrating blacks who have come in mostly from the States of Maryland and Virginia. Now, I do not deny for a moment thata black, intelligent, able to read and write, and payin taxes, has a right to be represented. But whi e the principle upon which a great fundamental privilege should be conferredwill result in the admission of a portion of the black race to the exercise of the right of suffrage, let us also adopt a policy statesmanlike and safe for the interests of our country. The safety and wellbeing of the blacks themselves depend u n your admitting them to the exercise of this right by deees, and basing their exercise of the right of suffrage upon their intelligence. Much has been said here about the right of suffrage being a natural right; that it is a right pertaining to humanity to enable it to defend itself in a free Government like ours. Icall the attention of gentlemen upon this floor to the fact that if it be a natural right, indispen sable to the preservation of the freedom of the individual, and the preservation of equality before the law then it is our duty to extend it much beyon any reposition that has been yet presented to this House. So conscious of that was that eminegit and admirable orator and logician, who spoke in this House some time ago, as a representative of the Freedmens Aid Commission4 refer to Rev. Henry Ward Beecherthat he was obliged to go beyond the question now before this House and declare that women ought to be permitted to vote, because it was necessary to the exercise of a natural right. He went the whole len th and I maintain that any gentleman of this House must go the whole length, or else:1 cc with me that we have the right to qualify teelectoral system by declaring that certain qualification! should exist in the electors of the country. Now, sir, in prescribing these qualifications, ifyou will look to the history of the country, you will find that women have not been permitted to vote, even after the have attained the age of 21 years, although the might be unmarried, are taxed and even hol Offices under the Government of the U.S., and are, in all other respects equal before the law with the men. You will find that equality before the law does not mean the exercise of the right of suffrage. Even service in the Army of the country does not give this right, for one 4th of the gallant men composing the armies of the U.S. at one time were men of less than 20 "one years of age. If qualification to exercise the right of suffrage is to be determined as a natural right, and to secure equality before the law, you must let all of them vote, whether 21 years of age or not. For a man old enough to fight for his country ought to be old enough to vote for his country. Now, sir, I have for myself thought it proper that we should fall back upon the declarations of Mr. Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson upon this subject. Mr. Lincolns opinions are well known, that the intelligent nc reand the fighting negro, of preperage, should be allowed to vote, the 1st for his intelligence, the 2nd for his Military service. 2ndly, I would add the tax payer, because with taxation should go representation. Here the hammer fell.]