The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-09-21
,atI TFrorn New York Herald, 18th.
The Constitutional Amendment Now
Before the Country.

For the information of our readers
at this important crisis in our poIiti-
cal affairs we re-publish this morcing
the text of the Constitutional Amend
ment adopted at the late session of
Congress- and now before thelcouutry
awaiting the final test of ratification
by. three -fourths of the Legislatures
of the States composing the Union, in
reference to-the reconstruction and
restoration of the lately rebelIious
States. se<Als
Believing from the resuhsl Of the
late Vermont, and Maine elections,
and from all the signs, of the times,
that this amendment will be sustained
by all the Northern States 10 the cleo
tons yet to, come, we hold that the
true policy for the administration and
the Southern States directly concerned
is to move for the speediest possible
ratification of said amendment, in
order that with the reassembling
of the present Congress in Deem
Der the excluded States may present
a claim for admission which can not
be resisted by either House-the claim
which secured at once the admission
of the members from Tennessee. The
rupture between Congress and the
President on this question ofrestora-
ton was unwise, and has proved I'M
fortunate To- the administration. The
quarrel between these two departments
of the Government has beenTmisehie-
vious, and can. result In nothing but
mischief so long as it may be persist
ed in. The bandying about between
the President and Congress of charges
of usurpation, despotism and despotic
exercise of power will only make the
matter worse the longer this worse
than useless conflict is continued.
Under the extraordinary war powers
given to the President for the purpose
of suppressing the rebellion he had,
in the absence of Congress, an almost
unlimited margin of discretion in the
reorganization of the States res
cued from the rebellion. But with
the e-assembling of Congress
this business constitutionally reverted
from the Executive to Congress, the
law making department of the Gov
eminent. Upon this point there
should have been no controversy,
either as to the discretionary powers as
sumed by the President in theabsence
of Congress, or. as to the right of
Congress, when In session, to legislate
upon Southern reconstruction. Nor
can we comprehend now what sacrifice
of principle or consistency the Presi-
dent will:make in supporting this con-
amendment, when, at the
utmost, it only proposes to fix in the
supreme law of the land conditions to
which, in some shape or other, he
stands committed as holding them
necessary for the future peace and Sc
curity of the Union. flbt'ea
The first section of this amendment
declares the equality in their civil
rights of all persons, of all colors.
born or naturalized in the United
States and subject to their jurisdic-
ton. 1t strikes us that as the institu-
ton of African slavery and all its col
lateral securities, have been wiped out
of the Constitution by the amendment
abolishing slavery. this new amend
ment, in It's first section, is only a re-
affirmation Of the instrument as it
now stands; for, in taking out slavery
40 distinction in relation to the Afri-
can race remains in the Constitution
none whatever The second section
Of the new amendment provides that
suffrage and representation shall go
.ogether, and that as the respective
States shall abridge the suffrage to
males of twenty one years in reference
% the elections of Federal and State
lfficers the enumeration of their peo-