The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-08-23
YORK COUNTY,
Are they HOmestf

We republish this morning the constitu-
tional amendment proposed by the Thirty
ninth Congress. Its provisions are familiar
to our readers. 1t assures to all persons born
or naturalized IN the United States, the equal
protection of the laws. 1t declines to inter
fere with the regulation of suffrage in the
States, but refuses to allow the voting classes
E of any State, North or South, to cast addition
al ballots for men whom they will not admit
to the polls. 1t will not allow men who have
added perjury to treason, to hold any Office
under the government 1t forbids the validi-
ty of the public debt to be even questioned.
-,y Terms more lnercifnl were never offered by
victorious conquerors to beaten fee. There
is no inquisitorial exaction, such as the Phil
adelphia convention so unwisely made. We
do not require any recantation of error Firm
as our conviction is, that the Southern cause
was thoroughly hateful and abominable, we
do not require the men whom we desire to re-
gard as fellow-citizens to submit to the hui
initiation of public exhibition Of penitence
and contlition.! We ask OF them only to adj
nit the fact, that the decision of war has been
against them. The rest flows naturally from
this admission. The abolition Of slavery an
incident of the war, compelso the recognition
of the equality of all citizens before the law,
and by removing the blacks from the consti;
tutional category of "other persons requires
change in the apportionment of representa-
ton. It could not reasonably be expected
that in making such a change, increased po-
litical influence would be bestowed upon the
communities lately in rebellion; yet that is
offered to them, if they will have the justice
to enfranchise all their people iimpartifally. =
The Philadelphia managers, who outraged
the Southern delegates by requiring them to
accept DOCTRINES instead of FACTS, were
compelled to adopt platform representing in
some degree the opinions of the Northern ma
jority and of Southern Upionists. We have
already shown how far the doctrines Of the
convention are from representing the private
belief Of the great majority of the delegates.-N
But let us for a moment suppose the creed OF
the National UnionD party to have been hon
estly drawn up and sincerely accepted, That
instrument declares the national debt "sacred
and myiolabIe;' aflirms theo claim Of the
blacks to- equal protection in every right OF
person and property;" admits that slavery is
abolished and for ever prohibited = and goes
ON to say, "there is neither desire nor purpose
on the part of the Southern States, that itlev-i
er should be re-established." Two Of the pro-
visions of the proposed constitutional amend
ment are thus accepted without reserve. The
recognition of the abolition of slavery involves
q third, as we have already shown. The fourth
forbids perjured traitors from again taking part
mthe administration of affairs If these gen
tlemen are honest, why do they not comeup to |
the support of this amendment? To what |
feature do they, or can they obectaT tig ai
These questions are unans werable. Ifthe
Philadelphia platform repr esented the con-
Victions of the party, no Democrat could OPP |
pose the ratification of the amendment. The
conflict between belief and profession vitiates
all their arguments. 4, They have abandoned
argument. Everywhere one hears from them
only platitudes about peace and harmony, and
the era ofgood feeling, and the more than
Roman virtues OF our anomalous President.
Why will not some Of them, the Argus for in
stance, try to endorse the doctrines OF the new
Democratic creed! af3 7a a'oaU ds'