Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1865-02-10
THE CONSTITUTIONAL. AMEND.
BENT


sage Of the Constitutional Amendment by
the House Of Representatives. The Amend
ment passed The Senate on the Sth Of April
last, by the decisive majority Of 80 to 6, and
failed in the House on the 10Th of June by
vote of IS yeas to e. nays, it being neces
sary TO have in either House an affirmative
vote of two thirds TO launch Constitutional
Amendment. The House came to a second
vote on it on the 3lst Of January, and car
riod it by the vote Of 10 yeas to So nays
three more affirmative votes than required.
Every Union member voted tor it, together
with the following Democrats
Bailey, Pennsylvania; Baldwin, Michigan;
Coffroth, Pennsylvania English, Connect,
cut; Ganson, New York; Grisyold, New
York Herrick, New York Hutchins, Ohio;
King, Missouri Yeanap, Kentucky; Sweat,
Maine Rollins, Missouri Steele, New
York; Odoll, New York; Radford, New
York Nelson, New York Wheeler, Wis,
consin.
There were eight absent or not voting, all
Democrats.
Of the Sc Democrats who voted against
the Amendment we are sorry to say 81 were
Western members These negative votes
were distributed as follows:
Missouri, 2; Kentucky, 5; Wisconsin, ?;
Indiana, ); Illinois, o; Ohio, II.
The adopted Amendment is as follows:
Ant. XIII SEC |. Neither Slavery nor involun'ar,
servitGde, except as punishment. for CRIME of which
the party shall have been duly convicted shan exist
within the United States or any place subject to their ia
risdctiUu.
Sac 2. Congress sha have power to enforce this art
Gle by appropriate legislation.
This Amendment having been fally sane,
toned by Congress, is therefore now before
the Legislatures Of the States, three.fourths
of which must rstjfy it by a majority vote to
render it a part of the Constitution. Tn,
New York Tribune puts down the Legiss
lures Of the following twenty two States as
nearly certain:
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Rhode Islsnd, Connecticut, Vermont, New
York, Peunsy ivania, Maryland, West Viz
ginia, Ohio, Indiana. IlIinoin, Michigan, Wis
Cons'n, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas
California, Oregon, Nevada.
The same paper puts down New Jersey
Delaware, and Kentucky as almost SIS Ger
tain to vote against it but thinks the loys
Legislatures of Tennessee, Arkansas, ant
Louisiana vii! oTsot them by voting yea.
The Tribune, in an issue subsequent tt
the one from which We have quoted above
in discussing the probabilities Of the Amend
snent being ratified by the Legislatures oil
three fourlhs ST the States, says:
"No limitation Of time, be it observed, i.
even srgEcsted. Congress having done its
part, la: ratification, OF one State per snnum
until the requisite number shall have been
obtained would satisfy the requirement.
Nay though twenty States were now to re-
jet the Amendment, the future legislatures
OF those very States might ratiGy il, and their
ratification would be valid Only let the
Amendment stand unrcpealed by Congress,
ana the Legislatures of three fourtis Of the
States might ralify it half a century hence,
though every State had previously refused
TO do so. Wherever the ratification Of the
Legislatures of three fourths Of the States
shall have been accorded, it will have be-
como a part OF tho fundamental law Of the
land. H
Ne have at present Mirty SIR States,
whereof t,scaiy sscs@ must rntify 10 give ef,
feet to this Amendment 7tesatg t,co will,
beyond all reasonable doubt, do SO within
the present year. II (as is asserted) Sena.
tor Guthrie of Kentucky wrote to Washing.
ton to urge its passage, we may confidently
add Kentucky TO the number. Tennessee,
Arkansas, and Louisiana will each and all,
through their loyal legislatures, doubtless
make haste 10 DO likewise. Here, then, are
the number required, lacking one, without a
vote from the States that are now predomi-
nantly in disloyal hands. That we shall,
unless our arms should meet with unforeseen
disasters soca add to their number, is scarce.
ly dsputable. We presume no well inform.
ed Confederate doubts that. were General
Sherman at Rsleigh to day, North Carolina
would be pa,pstly Union and an anti sla.
very State within a month. Apart, then,
from, ali hopes based on general pacitica-
ton, we hope to see the Amendment ratified
and in operation before the close Of 1866.