The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-08
The CONSTITUTIONAL Amendment In tn
South.

The constitutional Amendment IN the
South.
From the Herald.
We have before us, in Mississippi paper, a
letter from the late Provisional Governor
Sharkey, now one of the United States Senators
elect from said State, as reconstructed, in the
absence of Congress, under the conditions i'm
posed by President johnson. In this letter,
dated Washington city, September II, and ad-
dressed to Governor Humphreys, the writer
savs:-''The public prints inform me that our
Legislature is to be convened in extra session
on the 18th of October and that ''the proposed
amendment to the Constitution of the United
States as q fourteenth article may possibly be
submitted to the Legislature for its adoption or
rejection" MIR. Sharkey then proceeds to give
his opinions on the amendment, involving a
number OF objections, OF which the first will
serve our present purpose.
He says:-E'In the first place, do not believe
the amendment was recommended by two,
thirds of the Congress of the United States,n
that ''the constitutional House OF Representa-
tives consists OF members chosen by the people
of the several States, and the Senate con-
sists of two Senators from each State,p and that
sit is very clear that a body not so composed
or, in other words, where considerable num-
her of States are excluded from representation
in both branches-is not the Congress oil the
clare it as our deliberate opinion that
more revolutionary proposition that
this never entered into the head OF any OF the
leaders of the late Rebellion; that if Mr.. Shar-
key IS right, we have had no Government of the
United States during the last five years, nothing
better than an unconstitutional Congress or
two, all the acts of which are null and void
To this extremity the objection of Mr.. Sharkey
will carry him; but he qualities IL by saying thai
"when the Southern States adopted the amend
ment abolishing slavery the state OF things wa
very different. They had not elected or sen
members to the Congress which recommends
that amendment. But when this amendment wa
Droposed they had elected members who ap
1eared at the proper time and demanded to b
admitted but were rejected. We are not, there
fore he says, "to be told that we have recos
nized this as a constitutional Congress"
This does not mend the matter; forit abohshe
fhe Thirty-ninth Congress and puts the latel
rebellious States into this very charming pos
fion. that, having gone out to loln IN an arme
consniTacy to overthrow the Government, aa
having been reduced, after a four years. war,
4he alternative of laying down their arms, the
are ali right again, and Congress can do nothin
tYl thew are restored to their seats. This is II
chon Iogic of Mr., Sharkey. 1t has the true riI
of the old State Rights nulli6cation and sece
sion theories of South Carolina before Il
war, and no man uttenng such doctrines
this day is fit to represent any state IN Congres
for he does not recognize the issues that ma
been settled by the late war for the Union.
1t has been settled by the war that secessl'
is tallacy; that State sovereignty Is lallac
that State has no right TO secede; that q
States concerned in the late Rebellion are su
ject to its consequences, including the aboliu
OF slavery the Reputation of all the debts a
obligations incurred by them in the Rebellio