Maryland free press., 1866-07-19
The New Trick to Force Negro Suf-
frage upon the People.

The Disunion Congressional Directory have at
last agreed upon their plan of ''reconstruction ;"
1t consists of an amendment to the Federal Con-
stitution the principal object Of which is to es-
tablsh Negro Suffrage. Let lis examine it for
moment. Section first declares that
"All persons born or naturalzed in the Uni
ted States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof
are citizens of the United States and of the State
wherein they reside. No State shall make or en-
force any iaso hich shall aLriaye the pripi eges or
immnnaies of citizens Of tie United States nor
shall any State deprice any person Of lie, liberty or
property, acithom due process of lac, or deasy to
any person ,ciia its Jurisdiction tie equal protec-
fion Of The idws'
Observe; "aU persons born or naturalzed in
the United States, 'are made ''ciirens of the Uni
ted States and ofhe State wherein they reside"
Certainly and irdisputably this means that Ne
groes, ,Muiattoes, and every body else au persons)
Shall be citizens. Now, the leading Disunionists
IN Congress argue that citizenship embraces eve
ry right that can be enjoyed under our form oi
Government. They tell us that one citizen is as
good as another, and, therefore, that a white cti-
zen can have no privileges which do not equally
attach to the black. Thus they intend to compel
the people to accept Negro Suffrage. First bv
this amendment TO tn Constitution, they propose
to make ''aH persons,'' including Negroes, citi-
zens. Next, the Negro being citizen, they will
demand for him the same rights as are exercised
by other citizens. Should any State ATTEMPT to
Interfere against their scheme by legislation, they
Will say, You dare not deny to any person
within your Jurisdiction the equal protection Of
the laws" To carry out their programme should
they have majority in Congress, they will pass
such laws as will suit their purposes. In order tt
enable them TO do this they have added section
to the amendment under consideration, which
reads as follows:
''Section 5. That Congress shall have power to
enforce by appropriate legislation, the provisions
Again, Section second declares that whenever
the right to vote is denied TO any of the male in
habitants of a State, being twenty-one years of
age and citizens of the United States the basis of
representation shall lie reduced in proportion to
the number of such male inhabitants excluded
from the right of suffrage. For instance, Penn
Sylvana has negro population sufficient to give
her one member of Congress Had not the negro
inhabitants been counted in the last apportion-
ment, Pennsylvania would have had but TWENTY
three instead of twenty-four members of Con-
gress. Now, if this amendment be adopted Penn
sylvaua must either give the negroes the right to
vote, or lose one member of Congress. This rule
would operate still more severely upon the South
ern States. They would be compelled to lose one
third, at least of their present representation in
Congress, if they declined to confer the RIGHT of
suffrage upon their negroes. On the other hand,
if they choose to give the negroes the right to
vote they would gain largely In representation,
as but three-hfths of the slaves were counted in
the last Congressional apportionment Hence,
this section of the amendment compels, on the
one hand, and brides on the other. lis whole
purpose is to induce the States, North and South,
10 give tie Negroes tie right Of sn6rage. This, 'even
he who runs may read"
Such, then, is the plan of reconstruction pre-
sented by the Stevens and Sumner Cisunionists
OF the so-called Republican party In the Ian
guage of the Bedford Gazette, it is NEGRO SUE
FRAGE, or it is nothing. The people must
choose between it and the unconditional Union
policy of President johnson, advocated and sup
ported by the Democratic party.