Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1870 — Enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment. [ARTICLE]

Enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment.

The following are, in substance, the srevisions5 revisions of the bill recently passed by (ingress and signed by the President, to secure the enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment: 1. All citizens of the United States otherwise qualified are allowed to vote at all popular elections, without distinction ol race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 2. Persons who, under color of any State law or constitution, prevent qualified voters from voting, shall pay the party aggrieved fSOO, and be fined not less than SSOO, or imprisoned not less than one month or more than a year. 3. Where the laws or constitution of a State require anything to be done before a party can vote, and he has been prevented by threats or intimidations, he shall be entitled to vote the same as if he had done what is required. The parties preventing are punished as in the former case. 4. Penalties are provided expressly against those who hinder one who has the right to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment; and a conspiracy of two or more persons to violate the provisions of the act is severely punished 5. Jurisdiction in such cases is given to the District Courts of the United States, and directions for the government of its officers in the premises are laid down inHhe act. 6. Se- tion 13 of the law provides that it shall be lawful for the President of the United States to employ Laval or military force to aid in the execution of judicial process issued under the act. 7. District Attorneys are directed to proceed by writ of quo warranto against persons holding office contrary to the provisions of the third section of the Fourteenth Amendment, and such persons are made amenable to fine and imprisonment. 8. The right of all persons to make and enforce contracts is set forth in strong language, and protected by stringent penalties. 9. Sections 19 and 20 of the act provide against fraudulent and double voting, and registering at or for any election where a member of Congress is to be chosen. The remaining sections of the measures contain very strong provisions against those attempting to violate the act or who have succeeded m doing so.