Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-26

| clamored for Union refuse il? Why do those
who have urged others to fight for Union
preventit?
Gentlemen, il is because they deceived
Won and their friends They never were for
the Union. TEADDEUs STEVENS was honest
enough TO saw so. He said in my hearing
that. with his consent, the Union never
should be restored These men hate the
Constitution Of the United States. They
hate our form Of government; and they
know the most effective stab they could
give 1.-THE most fatal blow-would be the
attempt to govern one half Of the country
without representation.
speak Of men whom ] know, men with
whom have served in public life. do not
impeach their intelligence, or patriotism, or
sincerity; but ! repeat, believe they hate
our Constitution, and desire It's overthrow.
They believe consolidation is better than
confederation. They prefer to trust their
liberties and the liberties Of the race to an
oyerpowering irresponsible majority, rather
than to one orderly process established un-
der the checks and balances Of our system
lCheers.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Consider the constitutional amendment
Congress insisted upon its adoption as a con-
dition precedent to the admission of Sena-
tors and Representatives. If it were entire
" desirable; if nobody objected or could
object to any Of its provisions, still it ought
not to be proposed. If the States are enti-
tied to representation, the adoption Of this
amendment ought not to be exacted. If they
are not entitled, its adoption will not confer
it. If they are entitled the refusal Of the
right is the highwayman's course, who seizes
YOU by the throat and agrees to release his
hold If you will give him your purse. In
vain YOU assert that you are entitled both to
your freedom and your money. You buy
one admitted right by the surrender of an
other. If they are not entitled, the proposal
TO confer it is the device of the devil who
eagerly offered the kingdoms Of the earth
and the glory thereof, which he didn't pos
sess, if only his black majesty could be wor-
shipped But what is this amendment?
Every person born within the United
States shall be a citizen thereof and of the
State wherein he resides. Citizens Of the
State that the Constitution left to each
State so entirely left it there that voters BY
the law Of the State were expressly made
electors for Federal officers. No State shall
impair the privileges and immunities Of citi-
zens Of the United States. What are these
privileges and immunities Where are they
defined? Where written The Constitu-
ton has already put each citizen of each
State upon the same footing as citizens Of
the several States.
Representation shall be apportioned &C
cording to population, but if any male per-
son over twenty-one years of age shall be
excluded from the ballOt-box the represen-
tative basis shall be diminished by these in
proportion as the males excluded bear to
all the males of twenty-one years in this
State. The former proposition was to ex-
clude from the basis all Of any race or color
if by race or color they were excluded from
the right Of suffrage. That could not stand
a moment BY it the States might exclude
the young, the old, the poor, the ignorant,
the soldier; and if they were only white, the
other electors might vote for them; but if
they excluded the negro, his whole race was
to be excluded from the representative ba-
sis. How much better is this amendment?
All the people are to be enumerated, all the
males over twenty-one years are to be emu
merated also. 1.-THE males are as ten to one
and any male is excluded from the right
Of voting then ten persons shall be stricken
from the basis. If in Pennsylvania luna
tics were not allowed to vote, then ten per-
sons for every lunatic would go unrepre-
scented. If in Pennsylvania there were ten
thousand negro men over twenty-one years
Of age, then one hundred thousand men,
women and children, white as well as black
would be without representation. l SAY
nothing Of its operation on the Southern
States; will you here be willing to adopt it?
Butsthe cunning Of its authors is apparent
here, for by this scheme New England gets
two members Of Congress, while the other
Northern and Western States lose twelve;
more than by the. other plan. Nor is it re-
ally an honest scheme to secure to the negro
the right of voting, for this and every other
plan suggested contemplates that the States
may exclude him from the ballot, provided
only they will agree to give up the political
power which controls him in the basis given
TO them. No! gentlemen, the only object
OF this amendment Is 20 show 70 the states
that they hold even the right Of suffrage by
the will and at the command Of the Federal
Government, and thus to bring their most
vital rights entirely within its control.