The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-10-19

an oath. as n member OF Congress, OF
as an officer of the United States,
or as member'of any state legislature,
or rs an executive or judicial officer OF
any state, TO support the Constitution
of the United States shall nave en-
gagged in instruction or rebellion
against the same, or given AID or com
fort to the enemies thereof But Con
gress may, 10y q vote OF wo'thlrds OF
each house. remove such disability.
SEC. (. The validity of the public
debt of the United States, authorized
10y law, including debts incurred Tor
payment of pensions and bounties for
services in suppressing instruction or
rebellion, shall not be questioned.
But neither the United States nor any
other state shall assume or pay any
debt or obligation incurred III aid OF
instruction or rebellion against the
United States, or any claim for the
loss or emancipation of any slave; but
all such debts, obligations, and claims
shall be held illegal and void.
SEC. 5. The Congress shall have
power to enforce, by appropriate leg
islation, the provisions of this article.
Soon after this proposed amend
ment was adopted, it was ratified by
the Legislature of Tennessee, and i'm
mediately thereupon, the Senators
and Representatives previously. chosen
by that State, upon taking the oaths
prescribed by law, were admitted to
seats in the respective Houses of Con
gress.
Texas is the only other State con-
federated in ihe rebellion, that has
acted upon this amendment. There
it was rejected, the Legislature direct
ing the committee having it in charge
to return it to the Secretary of State.
Every other state except Oregon,
whose Legislature fist ratified and
then rejected it-which stood by the
Government during the rebellion,
whose legislature has been in session
since the amendment was proposed,
has ratified it; and there is good rea-
son to confidently anticipate that it
will be ratified by the number of states
necessary to make it part of the fed
eral Constitution.
While this amendment does not
contain single proposition which the
Executive has not, either in his
speeches or official communications,
approved, its only danger of defeat
danger now happily small-arises
from his hostility to its ratification.
The issue presented to the people
this fall has been and will be this poll
CIV of Congress, as contrasted with
that of the Executive Department of
the Government. The former puts
such safeguards about the restoration
of the states lately confederated in
rebellion TO an equal participation in
the Government with the states which
always remained true to the flag, as
shall secure to the original Union
men of the South equal rights and i'm
partial liberty, while it stamps upon
treason the indelible mark of the peo-
pies condemnation The latter restores
to civil and political power the men
who plotted the rebellion and fought
it through to its bitter end, leaving
their unappeased and unrelenting
hate minority Of whites so small as
to be helpless, and the entire coored
race, to whom liberty has been given,
and peaceable and full enjoyment
guaranteed.
The elections already held have re-
shifted in the triumphant approval of
the Congressional policy; and there
/ is no reasonable doubt that the cleo
tons yet to be held viii pronounce as
unmistakably in favor of the constitu-
/ tional amendment.
Vermont, as is her wont when called
to ally good work, led the way with IA
grand emphasis in the popular approx
al of Congress Yet, decisive as her
declaration was at the polls, the State
would have welcomed, with still great
er enthusiasm and with more trium-
plant majority, such reorganization
of the rebellious communities, as would
have given to the people, white and
black, the equal civil and political
rights secured to the people of this
State by our Bill of Rights and Con-
stituiion, and under which peace, or
der civilization, education, content
ment, Christianity and liberty have
shed their benign and blessed infu-
ence alike upon every home and
household in our beloved Common
wealth.
invoke upon you, and your labors,
the blessing of that God who has hith-
erto so gracionsly led and upheld us
as State and people.
PAUL DILLINGHAM;
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
Montpelier, Oct. ~, 1866