, 1865-12-19
Possessing properly and pursuing and Obtaining

PotsefsNg properly EHu pursuing ana ooaaAa4n&
.ihst ii elections ou=ht to be ssee: snd that Ill
men having sufficient cs.dsnse 9: permanent com
Or dst3,rd OF thct p:5paisy lot pnbHc utfs, vita;
der exn Or r. :, q .9s ~ II 3 Tea
they hare moi IN Ike manner asseuted. fof The an
lie Good-"
Is not the above positive enactment that
the ncerocs OF Virginia, now thss they are
free and Numbered among men and not ~
,.haitcls. are not bound by her laws, unless
permitted to voter The Constitution OF
North Carolina provides that
aJhe election ofmcmbess to Barye al rcpfeseu-+
Thst lie people ought not 10 be ta1ed Or made
Of iEcmselves OF their representative, IN geaaial
assembly, freely given"
The Constitution Of GeorgiA contains no
II says:
shal BE- ciuxrns and inhabitants Of thus state Rnd
have pald all taxes. SC.
viii the Committee of Fifteen report
whether the black citizens Of this clsss were
In fact permitted 10 vote In forming the State
government?
The Constitution Of Kentucky declares:
A,uf rhHSA p AL.
,ot as nnr., snd lint M sns W. 49, eT ~. ~
ensitled 10 exclusive se7s1nfe pnn,ie cnaolamena
Or privileges nom me community pa'sn considers
IA Th.t ali elections shall be ftcc and eousl~
The Constitution of Tennessee proyides:
uThst MI elections shall be itee and eopal,.'
The constitutions of Texas, Alabama, Flo
rida, Arkansas md Mississippi dcclare the
absolute eouality of pll fteemcn in the same
-
a1,oye quoted.
Here tken we have the SOLEMN Bills OF Rights
of,cvcry reconstructipr State. cxccpt South
Ca,olina. affirming a doctrine Of the political
EQUALITY of all frecmen, which demands tlc
ba11ot for tie negro. under the present coodi-
finn nf thfnrs. These clauscs did uot demand
t},e bntiot fir the Dcero rncc when thew vere
s,orcs they apnlr onlv In frce,ucn. IL wns
s,,f,le;ent1y consistent with them to insert in
4hc SANG consultations the word {. s.vbites, AZ
n I. Qualification Yor yotiir. yht,c thr rncat
unass of nceroes were s1aTcs but ve ,}sf that
that insertion was part bf the law OF slayery
which pcryndcd those constitutions, and that
with emancipation ell the slare features Of
those Instruments, including this, becamc
void, and the above quoted portions ap-
pllcablc to MI frcetntn applied 10 the negro
race. VIII TIE Committee Of Fifteen report
whether The Presidents reconstruction policy
is consistent with the above provisions In tho
constitutions Of the recoustzuctins States
In force immediately prior TO the ordinance
of secession:"
We think wc hare shown that The object |
Of Prcstdent Johnson'e suffrage policy, vix:
to exclude the colorcd pcop1o OF the South |
from voting, Is Unconstitutional Now look |
ut the means. The President las proceeded,
1T time when no armed rebellion was pend |
Ing, but after all rebel forces lad surrendered,
by Presidential proclanatfons to construct |
new State governments, and to form new |
States In the territory governed by The old
oncs. In no case has this been rtconztzuc- !!
tion Of the former State Government, for uonc |
Of The constitutions Of thc old States hare |
been preserved To do this he has appointed !
Provisional Governors, officers unknown to
the Federal Constitution. and Aas prescribed !
q basis OF su0iage wh,ch excludes ali colorcd
men, and a1l white men who will not take the
oath be presctfbes. He has directed the legis-
latures Whnt debts 10 repudiate, what laws
TO pass and what not, and when the |
people OF those States have elected officers !
he has set aside their elections
when he thought proper. Surely no warrant I
exists In the Federal Constitution for cxercis
ing such unlimited md irregular powers either
over State or Territory. 1t can not be
claimed that any of these acts conform 10 any
law vl1nf eyer STATE or Feilernl 7, ran nnt
ta 1,c,d 4h,t .hor ,cc,~,od d.,-,,, 49,. ~
actire w,r Rut t1,a oc,r;ne ~ r. ,ons.,t,,
4,o,, Sc No. 4t,a r,os;a,,+ s,'.11 =. 20 ~.
- -, - ,4 W t0s" ~
c7nc-yrncr IN W1,c,, ~ 49, ,ar ar;s.e ~ sa ~ s,.M ~.
-, -. -. - s.,.~. '@ 80, ae eAAn
n c,,,sa ~ - s.o.;a, v111 ~ ~ .....,, !
~ ~ raas+,.nt;a. Ga.-s.a !. ~ ns.s4s /
...s -, 1' - eup