The Highland Weekly News

The Word "White."
In an article a few weeks since, we stated that it was not generally known that the word "White" was retained in the Constitution of 1802 of this State, only by the casting vote of the President of the Convention. Below we give some extracts from the proceedings of the Convention, held at Chillicothe, November 1802.
On the 19th November.
"A petition of sundry of the inhabitants of the county of Clermont was presented to the Convention and read, praying that those privileges, which are the absolute right of all men may be secured to them," &c. "It was ordered that the petition lie on the table."
MONDAY, NOV. 22, 1802—"A motion was then made further to amend the fourth article of the Constitution, by striking out after the word "all" in the first line of the first section, the word "white." Yeas 14. Nays 19."
"Another motion was then made further to amend the said section, by adding to the end of the section a proviso, in the words following: Provided, that all male negroes and mulattoes now residing in this territory shall be entitled to the right of suffrage if they shall within two months make a record of their citizenship. Yeas 19, Nays 15"
"Another motion was made to further amend the said section, by adding the following words: And Provided also, That the male descendants of such negroes and mulattoes as shall be recorded, shall be entitled to the same privilege. Yeas 16, Nays 17."
THURSDAY, NOV. 25, 1802.—"A motion was made to amend the fourth article by striking out after the word "election," in the seventh line of the first section, the words following: Provided. That all male negroes and mulattoes, now residing in this territory, shall, at the age of twenty-one years, be entitled to the right of suffrage, if they shall within one year make a record of their citizenship with the Clerk of the county in which they reside, and provided, also, that they have paid or are charged with a state or county tax. Yeas 17, Nays 17."
The Convention being equally divided, and Mr. President declaring himself with the Yeas, it was resolved in the Affirmative."
Thus, by the casting vote of the President, the section allowing negro suffrage was stricken out of our first Constitution.
FRIDAY, Nov. 26.—"A motion was made to amend the said article, by adding a new section in the words following: SEC. 7. No negro or mulatto shall ever be eligible to any office, civil or military, or be subject to military duty."
This was choked down by the members calling for the previous question.
The delegates from Adams county in the Convention were Joseph Darlington, Israel Donalson and Thomas Kirker. The delegates from Clermont county, to which Brown belonged, were Philip Gatch and James Sargent. The Clermont delegates voted every time in favor of Negro Suffrage, and the Adams delegates voted every time against.—[Ripley Bee.