The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-10-25
The Grounds Of Reconstruction.

The Grounds Of Reconstruction.
4 New York correspondent Of a Texss paper writing
under date Of September LIST, gives what he says viii
be the conditions of the readmission Of the southern
States BY the next congress. He says:
We must in order to get admitted, do three things
lst. Adopt the anti-savery amendment to the consu
tuition of the United States I'd Voluntarily surrender
all claim to count the freed population either under the
threeths rule, Of, as units in the basis Of apprase
mont of representation as they will not be allowed to
laws everything which may conflict or seem to conflict
with the provisions in the constitution of the United
States which gives to the citizens Of each State twho
are OF course citizens of the United States equal
rights with th&eitzens of every other State
The Texas constitutional convention viii do well to
bear in mind too when is convened that though it
is empowered TO lay down the principles that must
troll and define the powers Of the several departments
Of the State government it has right or even power
to egislate Least of ALL can it legslate retroactiyey
1t can most enectually exclude The State from adms-
sion by taking one of two indicated BY fail
ing to attend to the three points suggested above by
adopting little legislation especially of the retroactive
sort For example, if it yaidates any so-called law
that allows executors guardians ruin the estates
of orphans by investing in what were called "Coned-
crate bonds 1t can, with great certainty secure for
Texas outside seat.
The present ngress lays general upon the
provision IN the constitution of the United States,
which requires congress tn guarantee to every State
admitted, "a republican form of government" They
will probably hold, that form of government is ere
publican" only when it Fecognseshe fact that it exists
by the consent of majority Of the governed and viii
not 60 back to the days Of acent Greece where 900
citizens governed 100000 white slaves and resident for
eigners, for definition of the term.
From these hints, YOU see what your correspon-
dent from this standpoint thinks Of the views enter
tanned in this region as to reorganization Those who
at heart wish to prevent the admission of Texas
easily effect their object by thwarng the very liberal
programme Of those before whom the matter must
for decision.
The Galveston News, in commenting on the above
says:
'We publish the above chiefly for the purpose of call
ing attention what is stated the ID condition of
reddmission to the Union namely Wemust not count
the freed population eitherunder the threeftIs rule or
units in the basis of representation they will not
be allowed to vote" This may seem to most persons
rather extraordinary requirement places the freed
man IN the anomalous position OF being neither free
nor slave All other classes, such as minors, uDnQtu
raised foreigners insane persons and all females and
children, constituting fully threefourths of the popua-
ton of every State counted in the basis of repre-
sentatOn, though they not allowed to exercise the
political rights of citizens. Heretofore, free popu-
lation has been divided into but two classes politically;
namely, class having all the rights of suffrage, or
IN other words, the power to control our elections; to
say who shall fill all the public Offices, and what shall
be the public policy of the government while the other
class though equally free in the common acceptaton
Of the term have such right but simply counted
in the basis Of representation in the UntedStates con-
gress They are all called citizens alike bit the great
majority have had to submit to the political control of
the minority. This has been both the theory and the
practice of this free government Of ours its first
organisation to the present day. But if as this writer
says, the present T. s. congress insists OF excluding
the negroes entirely from the basis of representation
they win be cut off from the political Consideration
which was given TO them as slaves. Al slaves, the
constitution Of the United States required that three
hs of their number should be counted inthe basis of
representation, together with foreigners, females and
the other classes, and this gave every saychreefths
of the political Importance and influence o every one
of those classes. They to be deprived of
that consideration, and according to the requirement
above mentioned will have no more weight in the af
fairs of the nation than many brute ANNALS. This
policy as indicated by the writer in the Bulletin is I'M
doubtedy that which the radical party have determined
carry out in the next congress- provided they have
not the strength to carry out negro suffrage With ne
gro suffrage they expect to control thesouth and if
they that suffrage, their ne1 policy is to
reduce the representation of the south, ~ excluding
the negroes from the representative basis and in this
way they hope prevent the south from having any
influence in congress"