The Portland daily press., 1866-02-03

The Passage of the New Amendmel

of representation, which has been made
matter ofnecessity by the great organic change
abolishing slavery, and which the House has
lust carried by the enormous vote of 12O to
40.
The first class is composed of those imprac-
ticable democrats, who have that virtue in
great perfection which distinguishes a certain
animal when he shuts his eyes, throws back
his ears and kicks up his heels. They persist
in not seeing what is before them, refuse to
recognize the tremendous revolution in senti-
ment and circumstances effected by stupen-
dous war OF four years duration, and steadily
cling to all the antiquated and eflete notions
OF time utterly fed. Their obstinacy in this
respect has scarcely a parallel, and their blind
ness to present and coming events might al
most be described in biblical language as ju-
dicial. They not only wont see, but by some
moral perversity seem to have rendered them
selves incapable of seeing. 5eF
In no other way can we account for the
strange course which their leading men in
Congress agree to pursue. Instead Of acknowl-
edging the war ard the results of the war, and
adapting their policy to it, instead of applying
to the solution of the difficulties of the day,
the large, liberal and just principles that ought
to distinguish democratic party, the party
pledged by its very name as well as its trad :
tons to equal rights and impartial freedom
they allow themselves to get entangled in
puerie sophistries about races and colors talk
OF this grand and universal republic as if it
were close corporation devised for the coed
OF few directors, and describe this benefeent
government as government of white men.
and not as government of equal and exact
justice to all men. They steadily oppose eve
ry change, no matter how necessary, how safe;
how just, and taking the lead in no positive
policy, are content with the mere tactics of OPP
posi- ion. If they can succeed in embroiing
Congress and the President by adrot par
ty maneuyres, or by fomenting and exaggerat-
ing their differences, they plume themselves
upon having discharged the whole duty Of
craftsmanship. l2A' -.- -..i3-l 10 -'al1i
That these men should withhold their ap-
proval from the new amendment is natural,
because they have ceased apparently to approve
of anything. But when they oppose it, in the
hope that it viii in some way make breach
between the President and his party, they are
reckoning without their host. The President,
doubtless, looks with dismay upon the multi
tudinous swarm of amendments that has been
let loose in the House; he would deprecate the
passage of these ill-digested and revolutionary
schemes but the President also acknowledge
the great tactof the destruction ofslavery, and
he will do nothing likely to impede that noble
work. He means, as all liberty lowing men on
the continent mean, that this grand achiev, :
ment shall be an achievement in deed, and not
In word alone, and whatever is necessary to
the end he will approve, and we trust COZ
daily support. If the Great Amendment,
transferring four millions of human beings
from bondage to freedom, requires an
other change, in order to restore just princi
pie representation, he will not suffer any
frivolous pretexts to stand in :he way. - -.
The second class who dislike this amendment
is happily small, and consists of those few dog
matists, as impracticable as the democrats, who
willpermit nothing to be done which is not done
In their way or according to their own theories.
OF these there are two sorts, one Of which de-
sires to prolong the antagonism of North and
South end to Loop tho South nnt of the In
ion, in order to carry certain schemes of theiI
own for special legislation, and another which
construes the state into church, and will
have nobody empowered to legislate upon
whom it has not previously imposed its own
moral convictions. Both sorts agree in eonsid-
cring the central government, not as a limited
government, but as an absolute government;
not as government instituted to carry out
certain specified purposes, common to the
whole cluster of states, but as special and
local government, which ought to run through
the Whole gamut of legislative powers. They
would transfer to it, if they could, the entire
burden of representative duty, and thus con-
vert it into as cum brous and oppressive des-
potism as ever weighed upon the energies and
liberties of nation. 3 'bst -qi.4.--e
This partial and contracted class oppose the
new amendment, because they see that if it be
once passed by the requisite constitutional
majority it viii take the agitation of the she
gro question" out ofthe domain of federal pol
itics. What does it say: That each state shall
judge for itself of the proper time and manner
OF extending the franchise to the new citizens
J .7ely infused into its population; but that il
any state does not choose to count them in lis
own political body, neither shall they be count
ed in the political body of the United States
In other words, if any class, because of race OF
color, is deemed unworthy of the suffrage, il
Is pro tanto unworthy Of representation, and
particularly that those who deem it so shall
not have representation on their ACCOUNT
That seems to us just, and it leaves the deter
mination of the matter precisely where ii
ought to be left, to the communities most
deeply interested and best able to decide the
question. sA5 @ TtI '.-3< I.
But, in the. face of these impracticable OPP
ponents, we hope the amendment will be sue
cessful, because we, see in it the means of com
posing existing difficulties, of satisfying to
some extent the demands of all parties, and Of
settling this work of reconstruction, which
occupies Congress to the exclusion of other
and most indispensable measures We want
our finances attended to, our taxation lessened
and simplifed, the odious tariff remodelled, and
specie payments resumed at the earliest day.
The whole nation waits impatiently for the
cessation of sectional strife, that the wisdom
Of the whole may be applied to the inaugura-
ton OF the new era of peace, harmony and
progress which the war has opened. ri.
=. A- = 80 - --7T y sdl Do
oouo Soutnern opinion. d bn
The Washington Chronicle publishes two
letters, written byV. c. Darlington of North