Complex sentence: Making a plea for states' rights, Carpenter contended that the amendment had been intended to elevate African Americans and had no bearing on economic statutes passed by a state, and warned of too many powers being centralized in the federal government.
Split into simpler sentences: Making a plea for states' rights, Carpenter contended that the amendment had been intended solely to elevate African Americans and had no bearing on economic statutes passed by a state. He also warned of too many powers being centralized in the federal government.