The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-01-06

That they would seOrn and disregard their
present Constitutions, forced upon them in
the midst Of martial law, would be both nat
ural and just. No one that has any regard
for the freedom of elections can look upop
those governments, forced upon them IN du-
ress, With any laVer. Iflthey should grant
the right Of suffrage to persons Of color, I
believe there would always be enough Union
white men in the South, aided BIZ the negroes.
to divide the representation, ana thus con
tlnue the Republican ascendencY If they
should refuse thus TO alter their election
laws, 1t would reduce the representatives Of
the late slave states TO about 80, and render
them poHerless for evil It is plain that the
amendment must be contaminated before
the defunct States are admitted to be cap
able of State action, or it never. can be-
The proposed amendment to allow Congress
to lay duty on exports is precisely in the
same situation. Its Importance cannot well
be 0Eerstated. 1t IS very obvious that for
many years the South will not pay much an
lderO our present internal revenue laws. The
only article on which we can raise any con
siderable amount is cotton. twill be grown
largely at once. With ten cents per pOmnd
export duty, it would be furnished cheaper
to foreign markets than they could obtain, it
from any other part of the world The late
war has shown that. Two million bales ex-
ported at 500 pounds to the bale, would yield
Sl00,000000 This seems to be the chief
revenue we shall ever derive from the South
Besides, it would be a protection to that
amount to our domestic manufactures.
Other proposed amendments, to make the
laws uniform, to prohibit the assumption of
the rebel debt, are Of vital Importance the
only thing that can prevent the combined
forces of COpperheads and Secessionists from
legislating against the interests of the Union
whenever they may obtain an accidental ma
jOrity. But this is not all we ought to do
before these inVeterate rebels are invited to
participate In our legislation. We have. or
are about to turn loose, 100000 slaves
without a hut to shelter them or a cent in
their pockets. The internal laws of slavery
have prevented them from acquiring an ed
ucation, or from understa landing the common
est laws of contract, or from managing the
ordinary business of life. This Congress is
bound to provide for them until they can
provide for themselves. If we do not fur
nish them with hOmesteads and hedge them
around with protective laws, if we leave
them to the legislation of their masters, we
had better have left them in bondage. Their
condition would be worse than our prisoners
at AndersOnville. If we fail in this great
duty now, and when we have the power, we
shall deserve and receive the excavations of
history and all future ages Two things are
of vital Importance So to establish a prin-
ciple that none of the rebel States shall be
counted In any amendments of the Consti-
tuition until they are duly admitted into the
family of States by the law-making power of
their cOnquerors. For more than six months
the Amendment of the Constitution estab-
fishing slavery has been ratified by the Leg
isIatures of three-fourths of the States that
acted on It's passage by Congress which had
Legislatures, or which were States capable
OF acting or required to act on that question.
l take no account of the .aggregations of
Whitewashed rebels, who, without any LEGAL
authority, have assembled In the capitols Of
the late rebel States and simulated legisla-
tive bodies. Nor do I regard with any re-
spect the cunning by-play into which they
deluded the Secretary of State by frequent
Geographic announcements that South Car
DINA had adopted the Amendment Ala
bama has adopted the Amendment, being
the twentY-seventh state, etc. This was in
tended to delude the people and accustom
Congress to hear the names of these extinct
states as If they were alive, when IN truth
they have no more existence than the revolt
ed cities of Latium, two-thirds of whose
people were colOnized and their property
confscated and their right of citizenchip
Withdrawn by cOnquering and aYenging
Rome.
1t is equally important to the stability Of
this Republic, that it should now be solemn
" decided what power can revive, recreate
and reinstate these provinces into the FAM
ly Of States, and invest them With rights !.
American citizens. 1t is time ttnat Co .,,roe ~
should assert its sovereignty and ass1 T7e
something Of the dignity of t,ne Rome
Senate. 1t is fortunate that Lhe PresidanI
invites Congress to take this ma.plv att;t6Ja
A -, q
able Message his theory, WI teb boyvevey :
found to be impractical 10 and wbiob I
believe very few now consider tepabIe he
refers the whole II after to the i1dgment ~
congress; n congress should fail firmly
ana wisely co discharge that high duty, it !
DOT the. rault of the President This r Z
gresS owes to its own character to
:, seal of ueprobation upon a doetr; set On
/ Is becoming too fashionable, o. lie Wnlc
| buked, will becen1e the rec, IA unless II
of our Government ~ognlsed prineipa
other provisional oVernor Ferry an
proclaim that tbi Governors and orators
! ernmeDt n IS IS the white mans Go,
nanderinr Re whole Copperhead part
! irpore - the lowest prejudices of tn
IL, NJ repeat the cuckoo cry, g This
l . white mans Government" Demagogue
ii all parties, even some high IN authority
i groveling, shouting This is the whit
Q mans Government" What is implied b
= this That one race of men is to have th
y exclusive right for ever to rule this nation
4 and exercise all acts of sovereignty, Will
0 all other races and nations, and colors, ar
s to be their subjects, and have no voice i
/ making the laws and choosing the rulers b
t whom they are to be governed. Wherei
: does this differ from slavery except in name
q Does not this contradict all the distincti7
e principles of the Declaration of Indepel
: dence When the great and good men pr,
: mulgated that instrumental nd pledged the
= lives and sacred honor to defend It, it wa
Il supposed to form an epoch IN civil govern
: ment Before that time it was held that tn
+ right to rule was vested IN families, dyna
r ties or races-nOt because of superior INTEL
1 gence or virtue, but because of divin
, right to enjoy exclusive privileges. Gu
= fathers repudiated the whole doctrine of tn
2 legal superiority of families or races, an
9 proclaimed the equality Of all men befor
e the law; upon that they created revolution
S and built the Republic They were DR.,
g vented by slavery from perfecting the supe
I structure whose foundation they had thu
t broadly laid. For the sake of the Unto
o thew consantad IN wait bnt navar raIiDCy