The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-09-26

9on sl00o
~ E4A1 - 81 KEOE
kA6 exRf1trdinAry IN the situation. Consid,
er ho~ utterly aiisnt and blank Is the Fedssll
Constitution touching the Treatment Of issar'
ee1t Staaes, whether dnfiug thcif Migrant
hostility to the uaion = afisr tAsir discom'
future. Consider With how may embarfass-
nsnts and 61icalies Ne pr0Aasaa u bsse&
and you will not wonder that months wege
required 70 devise, perfect and pm, by Z
Two thirds vote in either House, . jus, and
- plan Of recssstrnuEicn. 8
Yet that plan he's been matured- It haa
passed the Sensse BY IS 70 IL. and the HouSl
BY 1873 70 SO. II is now fairly before The coua'
fkry, haysae alFeady been ~ 4hs Legs
3afnses efsevsr1 6aates ~ pejecosd b. none.
EnAer 4, the HAaas of 7enssIee - been for
mslly restored 70 al the privileges she
| forfeited BY rellion, including representa-
ton in either House Of Congress And the
open 70 n Who skih lineeR without.
able, OF ever huniliAting? They are in sub
| stance these:
L. All persons born or natuaiixed in this
country are hencefor1h citizens of the United
States, ard shall coy the rights Of saazenl
ssaenms, apA NJ eaate ali Aavs pDWer u
|csn1sssBss Shk usnst risktssn ~ nssGlAzy
prov1sion.
II. While the States claim and exercise the
power Of denying the elective franchise to Q
| part of their people, the weight Of sch State
in the Union shall be measured BY and based
npon Us enfnnchlsed population. If any
State shall choose, for no crime, TO deny po-
fiiicAi rights To any race or caste. it must nc
longer cWnt tfns snceprscnsts ~ hasis oI
poiisinl pcverin the Union
Ill. he who has once held office on the
strength of his solemn oath to support the
Federal Constitusion, and has nevertheless
forsworn himself and reasonably plotted q
subvert thst Constitution, shall henceorth
hold no political Office until Congress- by .
swo 4nrusv vote, shall remose or modify ths
disability
". The National Deb, shnil be nowise re
pudiAted nor invalidnted and no debt incur
red in support OF the Rebellion shall eve,
be assumed or paid by any State, ner shal
payment be made for the loss or emancipation
| OF any slave.
v. Congress shall have power 10 enforce
these guarantees by appropriate legislation
such, feiiow-ci.Izens. are the conditions o'
| reconstruction proposed by Congress aud 81
ready accepted ty the loyal Legislature o
! Tennessee Are they harsh or degrading
/ Do you DISCERN therein disposition TO tram
| pie on the prostfsse, or push an advantage &c
the u;sermost7 Do they enbody aaght OF
| vengeance, or any con6scAtisn but that o
Slavery We solicit your candid, impartiA
| judgment
What is intended by the third section i,
| simply to give Loyalty fair start 10 the re
constructed States. Under the johnson pol
icy the Rebels monopoIize~ power and lace
! even in communities where they are decided
| ly outnumbered. Their Generals xre Cover
nor aud Members eiec: OF Congrsss; their
| Colonies and MAion iii the legislatures, and
oticisle as Sherihs- Net only are the stead
lastly loyal prescribed, bat even stay ii hon.
hebels have iittis chance in competition viii
those who fought 10 subvert the Union. Wher
this Rebel mosopoly Of Office shall have beer
broken up, and loyalty to the Union shall
have become general and hearty Congress
may remove the disability, and viii doubtless
MAKE haste to do so.
We do not perceive that the justice or fit
ness of the fourth ssstlon--prescribang that
the Unioa Public Debt shaiI be promptly
met, but thas Of the Rebel ConiederHcy new
sr-is seriously consisted.
uhere reunina, theA. bat the second section
which Rreeerihsa IN substance that political
power N the Union shall heaceforth be bASed
only on thai portion of tins people Of each
Stss who are deemed By il constitution Fl
depeaitcries OF s1ch power. In other words,
5aAte winch chooses to hold pars of IL pop
ulation IN ignorance and vsssAlage-power-
lea, usedncssed, usfrnocAssed -4hAibn NOT
count thai portion 10 balance the educated
intelligent, enfranchised citizens Of oths
States.
We do not propose 10 argne the Justice o
this provision. As we'll argue the shape Of Z
cube or the correctness of the Multiplication
Table. He who does not feel thai thus il
simply and muddy just, would not be pcrsua-
ded though one rose from the dead 10 con
vince him. That there arc those among III
who would mot have il ratified, sadly demon
strA,es that the good work Of Emancipation
is not yet complete.
But, say some, .'this section IL designed
TO coercx the South into according Suffrage tc
her Black&-' Not 20, Ne reply; but only %
| notify bar ruling caste that we will no longer
bribe them TO keep their Blacks IN serfdom
An Aristocracy rarely sarrcnders its priviiegei
no matter how oppressive, from abstract de-
-otion to justice and right Ii mnsf have co
gent palpsble reasons for 80 doing We pa.
| therefore, 10 south Carolina, III you persist
| entity restrict ali power TO your 50o,o0'
| VIII eg, we mnst insist that these no lonee
balance, IN Congress and the choice Of Prcs
dent, 700. 1000 Northern Write freemen, bu
onIy 300, 600. If you keep your Blacks ever
more ia serfdom, it must no; be because ",
tar rod 10 and ad 81,
SO doing"
Fellow citizens of every State, but especi
ally of those soon to hold elections we en-
| treat your earnest. constant heed TO The grsv,
questions now al issue. /: those who wan
tonly plunged the Union into civil. war shall
| be allowed By you TO dictate the terms @
reconstruction, you viii have needsessly sow
| the bitter seeds of future repelliou m,
| bloody strife. Already, you are threatened
with = recognition by the President Of sha n
! Congress made up Of the fact,ons which re
Gently coalesced u, Philadelphia OF pat.
| form OF Johnsonism-a Congress coustitute,
| b nnlhfying and overruiing piais iaw q
the land-a Congress wholly inspired from
/ the White House, and appealing to the swor'
alone Tor support SO giaring attempting
| q usurpa,ion you'd be even more crimina
than absurd. Happily, the people, by elect
| ing an overwhelming majority of thorough
| loyal representatives, are rendering its iniiia
ton impossible.
We cannot close without most deserved
tribute to the general fidelity wherewith, il
vsew of the Presidents detection The gres
body of the people, and even of the FEEDERS
Office holders, stand fas, by their convection
and their principles. The boundiess patron
age of the Executive, though most unscrupr
lousy welded against those 10 whose vote
he owes Il, has corrupted very few, either {
thoae who shared or Of those Who would glad
" share in Ms enjoyment Not lone u III
twenty-five States which voted to re-ele,
Abraham Lincoln has giyen il IT'S adherscn /
the Rssidsut's policy; while New Jersey-
the only free State thai voted against him
has added herself to their number.
Our great Nas has tasght immessively Ii
pera q iajustirs; and the lesson he's sns
61sp into milkoss II hearts The Amexica
people, chastened by suffering, are wiser m
nobler tAan ihsy uese, with : qu;cksr an
more open ear for every generous sse9sstios
"a Il 3~o~<.,,. e A~-n.<h,. end Me- n