Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-08

" it'll lnsurgehC States for readmission ,lnJo
the Union. The key to that admission Is
freedom to the slave--free labor; and, more
than that, 1t solves all difficulties, becausei 1t
removes forever the disturbing cause which
has embittered and imperilled our national
existence"
We haveno doubt that the author of these
observations perceives very clearly, or sup
poses himself to perceive very clearly, how
an amendment to the Constitution will
abolish slavery In Alabama, where 1t has
already been abolished once by proclama-
ton of the President. But, as we are not
gifted with hefaculty of discernment equal
to his, we think 1t would be more logical as
we'll as chronological to make that The last
step In the work of regeneration and re-
construction which he proposes to make the
first STEP" If slavery could be abolished
by an amendment of the Constitution where
1t has not yet been abolished by our arms,
or even by the proclamation of the Presi-
dent, we might be heartily In favor Of the
proposition, provided it should also contain
aclause incidentally abolishing the emilitary
power of the rebellion. We shall favor no
constitutional amendment abolishing slave
ry In the insurgent States which does not
also provide for the preliminary abolition
Of Lees and Johnston's armies. A good
sbCp III tiilS, Iuc TlPHL ulTcCJiOIl, Has Uccil
taken by the House of Representatives, in
adopting the following resolution, intro
duced into that body on Monday last by
Mr.. Cox, of Ohio: "Resolued, That the re-
bellion be and the same ishereby abolished"
While referring to propositions of amend
ment to the Constitution, we may again ad-
vert to that which seeks so to amend the
preamble of this instrument as to provide
for recognition Of the sovereignty Of the
Almighty and of 'our Lord Jesus Christ as
the Moral Governor of the Universe" 1t
was in these terms that Congress was lately
petitioned to propose an amendment to the
States, to the end that this nation might no
longer labor under the reproach of SEEM
ing to be an atheistic and unchristian peo-
pie. Several of our contemporaries, who see
no difficulty in the way of abOlshing slave
ry by amendment to the Constitution, have
found insuperable difficulties in the way OF
recognizing 'the second person of the Di-
vine Trinity" to speak in the language oi
theology; for there is large class of per-
sons, especially in New England, who dc
not recognise Jesus Christ "as the Moral
Governor of the Universe" and who would
take grave offence at any attempts to incor.
porate into the Constitution of the United
States what one of them, referring to thii
very proposition, denounces as 'theosophiC
subtleties."
And then, again, there are our Jewish
fellow-citizens, who, if the Constitution
should contain any recognition of the
Saviour in Christian sense, could not con
scientiously swear to support the instru
ment, insomuch that in the very act of de-
claring ourselves to be Christian W.
should virtually disfranchise all the He
brews In the country who adhere to tn
faith of their fathers.
And if we should onstitutionally.d y.declar
ourselves Christian nation, we do not per
ceive that the number Of Christians. VIII,
are Christians indeed, would be MATERIAL.
augmented by such an amendment; and il
the absence of such an amendment we do no
perceive that any body is sensibly hinderet
from laboring for the evangelization of tn
people, both Jews and Gentiles. We rea'
in portion of the Old Testament Scrip
lures, which Jews and Christians hold II
common, that "to obey is better than sac
rifice, and to hearken than the fat Of rams.