The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-03-11

| Doolittie's Proposition tive Presidents
Plan.
The constitutional amendment abolishing
slavery has added two-fifths to the former slave
population of the South heretofore counted in
the basis of Southern representation in the
popular branch of Congress. Three-fifths Of
the slaves Of the South was the original CON-
promise of the supreme law in counting the
people for this representation and federal tax
alton Now, as there are no slaves, all the
Southern blacks must be counted, so that, upon
an aggregate of four millions of liberated
slaves, one million six hundred thousand
will be added to the Southern enumeration for
Congress. Upon basis Of one hundred thou
sand souls for a representative this would give
an addition OF sixteen members of Congress to
the late Slave States. On the same basis their
whole black population will give forty men,
bers to the South. But here the question re-
ours: Shall these blacks thus be counted to
swell the representation Of the South In Con-
gress while they are utterly excluded from the
ballot boxi
houses has endeavored to settle this question
in proposition to amend the federal constitu-
ton, as follows,-
Representatives shall be- apportioned among tho
several States which may be included within this
Union according their respective number counting the
whole number Of persons in each State excluding In
franchise shall be denied abridged in any State on
of color all persons therein Of such
color shall be excluded from the basis Of such reprcsen
| tation.
This amendment some time ago passed the
House by the required two-shirds vote, but was
defeated in the Senate on Friday last-twenty-
Eve to twenty .two-by a curious combination
in the negative of conservatives, radicals and
| copperheads. such, for instance, as Doolittle,
Sumner and Salisbury, each Of one of these
| three classes.
Mr.. Henderson. trep.) of Missouri, moved n
reconsideration OF this aforesaid vote, and, the
motion prevailing, Mr.. Doolittle' offered the fol-
lowing as substitute for the proposition of the
Reconstruction Committee
That the following article be proposed tho Legisla
stitution Of the United States which, when ratified by
threeIourhs OF the said Legislatures shall BIO valid
part OF said constitution viz
After the DO in the year 1870 and each
succeeding census rcpr sentatives shall Ike apporoncd
among the several States which DO included within
this Union according to the number State of male
electors over twenty one Of age qualified by the
laws thereof to choose members Of the most morOus
branch OF It's legislature and direct shall be ar
potioned among the sevelal States according the vao
OF the real and personal taxable property situated in
each state not belonging tho Sta,e Or the United
States.
Now, as this thing Of negro. representation
and suffrage will inevitably be subject of
violent political agitation until there is o SCI
Element, we hope that this proposition will be
adopted. 1t is the fairest offer in the shape of
compromise that has yet been presented, both
in regard to representation and taxation. 1t
leaves the regulation OF tho question Of suffrage
to the several States, and, in limiting the basis
Of federal representation to qualified male
voters above the age of twenty-one years, it
offers the strongest inducements to all the
States concerned to grant liberal suffrage to
the blacks. To be sure; the New England
States by this amendment may lose three or
four members OF Congress-; but in broad and
general measure such as this there must be
some Losses in one quarter and some gains in
another.
But the strongest fact in support Of this
amendment, aside from It's intrinsic Justice, Is
the fact that it is substantially the proposition
of President johnson. On the 29th of January
last we published despatch from Washington
furnished by authority, and detailing the sub
stance Of conversation which took place the
day before between the President and dis
| tinguishcd Senator. In that conversation,
while the President expressed his opinion that
all these constitutional amendments "had
tendency to diminish the dignity and prestige
attached to the constitution" he still suggested
that if it must be amended, he knew of
nothing better than simple proposition, IN
u few lines, making in each State the qualified
voters the basis of representation, and the value
of property the basis of direct taxation" Such
| proposition, he thought, could be embraced
| in the following words -
Represent shall BE- apportioned among the seye
raj States which may be included within the Union
according to the number Of qualified voters in each State
Direct axes shall be aprortioncd among the several
States which may be included within this Union accord
ing 70 tho value Of all taxable property in each State
This is the amendment which Senator Doo-
| little has adopted, with the qualification added
\ which limits the voters TO males above the age
| of twenty-one years. Thus all trouble In re-
| gard TO the concession Of the suffrage by the
States to females and minors is avoided The
suggestion Of his amendment by the President,
and his views upon it, it will be remembered,
was pronounced by Thaddcus Stevens, in Con-
gress, as usurpation for which an English
king two hundred years ago would have lost
his head. 1t is not likely, therefore, that the
Presidents proposition, as submitted by Mr.
Doolittle, will find much favor with the radi-
calls but 1t is the very thing upon which all
the more sensible republicans of both houses
may be brought into accord with the admins
traton. II is the very thing upon which Stevens
himself may be reduced TO q surrender. Upon
this beginning the Legislative and executive
departments of the government may come to
horuor;oua updersta nding and the rcpublican