Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-03-03
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.


urging upon Congress the necessity of proposing
prohibiting slavery in all parts of the United States,
holds the following language:
The condition of common industrial system-irse
abors necessary to permanent peace whether the two
sections be united separated Free and Slave States
cannot live in peace and harmony under conditions OF
such close geographical proximity and antagonisc syS
TENS industry involving the question OF human Ioery
Wherever there is stakeholder there will be an aool-
ZIONIST and the two will be in fierce antagonsn Ihoy
will come to blows sooner or later =,
If these reflections be reasonable and consistent Win
past experience does it not behoove us 10 act
promptly aud decsively in preparing the foundation or
and better Union which sha indeed be perpetual
What should be the frat step in this work OF regeneraou
and reconstruction There be but reply to this
queshon-an amended Constitution; Constitution which
ecures real equality between the Sates-an equality
in natural representation based on population and un,oe
sal FREEDOM The act that confirms amended Constr
tuition which forever prohibits involuntary servude IN
the United States opens the door to permanent peace;
it also simpes with nsurgent States for re-
admission into the Union The key to that admission IS
freedom the slave-free labor and more than that
solves all difficulties because it removes forever the dis
turbing which has embttered ana lmPeried our
national existence.
We have no doubt that the author of these OBJ
servations perceves very clearly, supposes him
self to perceive very clearly, how an amendment
to the Constitution will abolish slavery in Alaba-
| ma, where it has already been abolished once by
| proclamation Of the President But, as we are
not gifted with faculty of discernment equal to
his, we think it would be more logical as well as
chronological to make that the last step in the
work of regeneration and reconstruction which he
proposes to make the first step. II slavery
could be abolished by an amendment of the Con-
stitution where it has not yet been abolished by
our arms, or even by the proclamation OF the Pre-
sident we might be heartily in favor of the propo-
sition, provided it should also contain clause IN
cidentally abolshing the military power OF the re-
| bellion. We shall favor no constitutional amend
ment abolishing slavery in the insurgent States
which docs not also provide for the preliminary
abolition of Lees and Johnston's armies. good
step in this the right direction has been taken by
the House of Representatives, in adopting the fol
lowing resolution, introduced into that body on
Monday last By Mr. Cox, of Ohio: /" Resol0ed,
That the rebellion be and the same is hereby
: abolished"
While referring to propositions of amendment tt
the Constitution may again advert to that which
) seeks so to amend the preamble of this nstrumen
as to provide for recognition of the sovereignty
of the Almighty and of "our Lord jesus Chris
e as the Moral Governor of the Universe" 1t wa
in these terms that Congress was lately pettionee
to propose an amendment to the States to the enc
that this nation might no longer labor under th'
reproach of seeming to be an athestic and unchrs
tian people Several of our contemporaries, wh'
see no difficulty in the way of abolishing SLAYER.
7 by amendment to the Constitution, have found in
superable difficulties in the way of recognising
"the second person of the Divine Trinity" t
speak in the language of theology; for there is
large class Of persons, especially in New England
v who do not recognise Jesus Christ " as the Mora
! Governor of the Universe" and who would TAX
grave offence at any attempts to incorporate int
the Constitution of the United States what one Of
them, referring to this very proposition, donounce
0 as " theosophic subtleties."
And then, again, there are our Jewish felow
citizens, who, if the Constitution should contain
any recognition of the Saviour In Christian sense
could not conscientiously swear to support the in
strument insomuch that in the very act Of declar
inc ourselves to be Christian nation we should
virtually disfranchi,e all the Hebrews in the coun
try who adhere to the faith of their fathers.
Aud if we should constitutionally declare our.
selves Christian nation we do not perceive that the
number of Christians, who are Christians indeed,
would be materially augmented by such an amend.
ment; and in the absence Of such amendment
we do not perceive that any body is sensibly him
dered from laboring for the evangelization of the
people, both Jews and Gontes We read in q
portion of the Old Testament Scriptures, which
Jews and Christians hold in common, that to
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than
the fat Of rams"
THE SUBSCRIPTION TIC, THE POPULAR LOAN.
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