Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-07-23
>rp srcr1oN; AND THOUGHTS
SN1 ABOUT 1T.

"osOoS,;ye numbers, counting the whole
number of persons IN each State, excln-
ding Indians not taxed; but the
RIGHT 10 vote at any election for Electors
of President and Vice President, REPRE-
sentatives in Congress, executive ana lu-
dicial officers, or members OF the Legisia-
ture thereof, is denied TO any OF the male
inhabitants of such State, being twenty,
one wears of 9 and citizens Of the United
States, or in any way abridged, exceptio f
participation in rebellion, or other crimes
the basis of representation therein shall DC
reduced proportionate TO the number such
male citizens shall bear to the whole num-
Der of male citizens twenty-one years Vi
age in such State.
The above is the Representation Sec
ton of the proposed Constitutional
Amendment. 1t will be observed that it
is involved in expression, requiring a spe-
cies of back-action arithmetic TO work it
out on a practical application. We are
free to confess that in our humble judg-
ment il would have been far better to have
based Representation on the Voting popu-
latiop. Then there would have been as
much inducement in the amendment TO
allow white women in the North to vote
as to ~enfranchise negroes in the South.
AS i, is, a species Of arithmetical penalty
is affixed to the denial of the right OF SUI
frage to negroes or cinnamon. A rotin9
basis would have been vastly more SIM
pie in operation-as much more simple in
working as the language to express 1t
would have been less complicated than is
the above. So thought Senator Sherman,
OF Ohio, and so he said, while confessing
that he was bound by caucus obligation
10 cast his Aye for the section as it stands.
We have not undertaken to figure out the
probabilities of California's losing a Con-
gresham, il she denies cinnamon the right
to vote, under the submitted Representa-
ton plan but We presume her colored
population is of sufficient numbers, on a
fair count, to take off McRuer.
1t has occurred to US that if any South
ern State should distranchise by law all in
her borders who had participated in the
rebellion, her title to representation might
not and probably would not, be reduced
in the least. What proportion of the ne
gro population of the South has not, at
some time during the rebellion, been d.
rec,ly engaged in work for the Confederate
cause: A very small proportion in some
States.
Under the Constitutional Amendment
all who participated in the rebellion, after
having taken an oath to support the Gov
eminent of the United States, are declared
ineligible TO hold ofice-whether volun-
,arily or involuntarily acting as rebels.
Suppose a Southern State disfranchised
all who directly or indirectly, voluntarily
or involuntarily, worked in the interest o.
the Confederacy, on account Of their spar
ticipation in the rebellion" would moi
the negro population, for q basis of r.
presentation, be retained: And that fol
a very uncomfortable number Of whites
We are suppOsing a case not likely to oc'
cur; but it IS possible that it might hap
pen in one or more instances, and, GER
;sinly, Il i: should rise in fact, 1t would
present u singular and unexpected and
undesired result 10 the section quoted,
Il would be a sharp emphasis in support
| OF the remarks OF Senator Sherman or
the subject considered.
AS before suggested, a plain roting basi.
would have furnished a powerful lever il
favor Of comforting the franchise on white
women. but it is not to be imagined thai
the Caucus Of United States Senators de.
sired TO avoid such an effect Of their propo'
si,ions as female suffrage! They wert
anxious to chop off the negro population
from Southern count on representation,
or else compel the admission of negroes to
voting authority-the establishment Of
suffrage principles " irrespective of race OF
color" The present count for the South
cru States is ~palpably unfair, and the pro-
posed Constitutional Amendment is an
advance in the ~remedying and right direc-
ton,