The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-09-07
9uluital.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Exposition of its Meaning, and
Reasons for IT'S Adoption.

among other topics, he discussed the Con
stitulionNl Amendment submitted by Con.
gress to tho several States, giving the fol
lowing clear Interpretation and able defense
Of its provisions, which will be read with
interest at this time. He said
Congress- have ventured in the discharge
Of their duty to pass, by the required two
thirds in each house, an amendment TO the
Constitution of tho United States which
they have proposed in due form to the Leg
islatures of the several States OF the Union
for their approval or rejection. am glad
to be able to inform you, my fellow.citizena,
that tho Legislatures of the three States,
which c! all the States in the Union
alone had an opportunity to pass
upon the great question, have each
ahd every ono Of them ratified it. Con.
necticut has ratified it New Hampshire
has ratified it aud last, but not least, the
loyal men of Tennessee, who maintained
the integrity OF your flag through tho storm
and tempest of battle-who re-organized
their government without the aid of An.
drew johnson, in tho person of William &.
Brownlow-63,000 Of them, loyal aud true
that State ratified the amendment, aud
therefore entitled herself to representation
in the Congress of the United States, which
was Immediately granted.
What is this amendment? Andrew John
son does not discuss il in his speech of
Saturday The Philadelphia Convention
does not discuss it, so as to enable the peo.
pie to comprehend it, Their lengthy dec
laraton of principles does not discuss it.
Their elaborately prepared address does
not discuss it. The public Journals in the
interests of this new organization of con-
spirators, commonly call d the Democratic
party of The North, neith'r discuss il NOT
pubisi it in their columns.
SECTION oNR.
| beg for brief time to call your atien.
tion to it. That amendment consists of five
sections, tho first of which provides that
persons born in tho United States, aud
not owing allegiance to II foreign Power,
and all persons of foreign birth duly nat.
uralized within the Uuited States, are de.
cared to be ctiz5us of the United States
1t provides further, that no State shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities of cit
zens of the United States, nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty or
property without due process of law, nor
shall any State deny to any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection Of the
law. 1t is the spirit of Christianity embod.
led in your legislation. 1t is simple
strong, plain declaration that equal laws
aud equal aud exact justice shall hereafter
be secured within every State of this
Union by the combined power of all the
people of every State. 1t takes from no
State any right which hitherto pcrtained to
tho several States of the Union, but it i'm.
poses Limitation upon the State to correct
their abuses of power, which hitherto did
not exist within the letter Of your Consti.
tuition. and Which is essential to the nations
life. Look at that simple proposition. No
State shall deny to any person, no matter
whence he comes, or how poor, how weak,
how simplo-nO matter how frieudless--
no State shall deny TO any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws. If there be any man here who objects
to proposition so just as that, | would
like him to rise in his place and let his
neighbors look at him and see what man.
ner of man he is. That proposition, think,
needs no argument No man can look his
fellow-inan in the face, surrounded by the
clear light of heaven in which we live, and
dare to utter the proposition that Of right
any State in the Union should deny to any
equal protection of the laws. Paralysis
ought to strangle the utterance upon the
tongue before man should be guilty OF
the blasphemy of saying that he himself, to
the exclusion of his felow.man, should en-
joy the protection Of the laws. | hazard
nothing, | think, in saying TO the American
people that the adoption of this amendment
by the people, and it's enforcement by the
laws of the nation is, in the future, as os-
sential to the safety aud the peace of this
Republic, as is the air which surrounds us
essential to the life of the people of the
nation. Hereafter the American people
caunot have peace, If, as in the past. States
are permitted to take away freedom of
speech, and to condemn men as felons, to
the penitentiary for teaching their fellows
men that there is hereafter and a reward
for those who learn to do well.
SECTION TWO.
The next proposition in this amendment
is that hereafter representation among all
the States of this Union shall be equal, and
based exclusively upon representative
population that South Carolina shall not
upon restoration to representation in the
Congress of the United States, be permitted
to elect six Representatives under the
Representatives by the vote of 250,O00
whites, while, by the same law, under the
same apportionment it requires the vote of
100000 of white population in Ohio 10
elect the same number The time has
passed when The men of South Carolina are
to be permitted 20 boast that they are
politically, physically, morally, or In any
other way our superior-tlat one South
Caroliuian is enual tO four Yaukeps Tho
time has passed when these men are to be
permitted to strut about in borrowed
pumage because of the supreme power of
a little knot of arstocrats, who have here
tOfOre held their State under their exclu-
sive control, and to say that the North is
nothing but a lot Of hard-6sted farmers
and greasy mechanics, aud moon-struck
who are not fit to associate with
gentlemen. We wish them to know in the
future that South Carolinian, although he
had been traitor, and has thus given ad
ditional assurance of his right TO be class. |
fed as one of tire chivalry, shall not have |
a particle more poll ical power ihanthe man
who follows his plow in the State OF Ohio. |
trust that you understand the proposition.
my fellow citizens. II you refuse this
then South Carolina, with but
100000 or 100000 white population, and
more than 100000 black population, every
Jne Of which blacks she excludes from par |
licipation in the affairs Of the government,
nay elect six Representatives 10 the Con |
yress Of the United States while it requires |
nearly four times that number, almost, to |
elect six Representatives from the State of |
Ohio. know men may say that it is all |
owing to an accident that South Carolina |
las q surplus black DOpuhti0t, 70 be /