The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-03-02
The Great Amendment to the Con-
stitutiou,

TheL"gisla tnfes Of the State Of New
Jvrsey, Delswate and Kentucky havl
rendered themselves infamous by re
nisina to ratify the Constitutions
Amendment aboilshins slavery in III
United States. ThiswiIl. for the pre-
sent defen, the measure, tut there Is NJ
doubt that the people Of ,h 'se States are
In advance Of their Legislators, and that
ucst fall they will take rood care to
elect such men as will attend to the
ratification of this important measure oi
Conqress---an act which proelaims Free.
DON throughout The length and breadth
I, OF the United States.
The klh article Of the federal constitu.
ton provides that "the Congress when
ever two.ihirds ST both houses shall deem
i IT ueccssaryrshut propose amendments
to this constitution, or, on the application
ofthc legislatures Of two-,lirds Of the
several States, shall call ronynlion
Tor proposing amendments. which, w
eshcr e'sc, shalibc valid to all intcnls
ADD purposes, "a part Of this constitution
when ratified by the Legislatures Of three
fvurihs Of the several States, or by con.
yentions In threc.fouths thereof, as the
o6e or the other mode Qualification may
bs proposed by Congress" This is the
ojns u,ivn, and tbs. its framcrs con-
tcmplatej an nmcndmcut nb)lishing or
affecting slavery is Spparcut irum the
proviso which immediately iollows-thBt
"no amendment which may be made
prior to the year 1903 shall in any man.
nsr oA.,otr the A CrieaD slaye trade, which,
as a compromise with the South Cnroll-
va planters and New England slave
traders, was authorized by the eeastitu.
uon to be continued down 20 the year
1905. Thus the authority and the in
ttntion ol the constitution are plain; aud
whether by State conventions or by the
State legislatures, we are confident that
fhv pmcnGmcut will yet secure the rati'
ficAtion of the threc.fourths of all the
States required to mako TIA port OF the
"snpreme law OF the land"
The Institution ofsluvvry may thus DO
considered as abolished throughout the
United States. The experiment of a
= u,hcrn con(ederaey, by war against
Unon, aud for the protection, perpetual
ton and expansion of Southern slavery,
has destroyed II. Otherwise, by odhcr.
5rg 10 the Union, the rebellious States,
or large portion Of them, might have
preserved their "peculiar institution" for
= hundred years to come. Now the
pressure Of this cxhOustng wur has driven
the rebel leaders to tho dreaded al,crna-
native of discussing the proposition o.
abclishing slavery to save the eonfcd'
eraey. When they thus admit that
slavery, the cause OF their conicdcracy,
they arc but a step from tho obanonmcnt
OF their conisdcracy itself. slavery and
all.
We are promised the most wonderful
Developments in this direction, In conso.
quence OF the passage oil this amendment.
Assuming, however, that all such promi.
SOS rest spon idle spcoulations, we have
still abundant cause for qualification over
1his great work in Congress-. 1t puts an
end to all tinkering abolition experiments
at Washington and Rchmond; II Danish
es all doubts ns 10 the fato OF African
slavery in this country; it settles the
s'avjry question, und removes that stun
bling block from American politics,
North aud South. II cuts of the last
prctcxt for European Intervention in be
half of Davis, prepares solid aud cndur. |
Ing Platform for the reunion Of the loyal
and rcbellious States, aud the enforce.
M mt Of the Monroe doctrine IN an easy
alliance with all the Independent States
of North and South America.
Hence we congratulate tho Amvrican
people, North and South, on the grand
success OF this great measure in both
houses OF Congrers for the constitutional
abolition Of slavery through the length
aud breadth Of the land, in every place
a d for vcrmoro. Congress responds to
,hs will Of the people. Let the people
rejoice. H.f
Facts A Ahont the 7-00s---The Ad- ,