Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-06-29
Public Meeting In Augusta.
IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS.

motion Of Hon. All. H. Stuart j. Mar
shall McCue was called to the.,iail and VIM.
Withrow, Jr., appointed Secretary.
Hon. A. II. II. Stuart, in a speech Of great
ability explained the object Of the meeting.
MIR. Stuart moved the appointment Of a
committee and submitted some remarks which
were substantially as follows:
1t having been made known to the public,
through official channels, that the body Of
men now assembled in Washington, and
which claims to be the Congress of the q.
S., has adopted an article, proposing several
important amendments of the Constitution of
the United States, which they have caused
| to be communicated to the authorities Of the
seyeral States, for ratification and adoption,
IS part Of the, organic law; the people of
augusta County, Virginia, feel that is alike
our right and our duty, to assemble, at our
Court House, in public meeting, and express
our earnest and deliberate protest against
this action Of the so-called Congress.
We maintain that the body to which we
refer, is not organized in conformity with the
letter or spirit of the Constitution, but in
derogation of both, and is, in no just sense,
a Congress of the United States.
The Constitution Art. l. Sec. 1st provides,
that All Legislative powers herein granted,
shall be vested in . Congress Of the United,
States, which shall consist of senate and
House Of representatives.
| The Constitution then prescribes the mode
in which these two bodies shall be organized
The House of Representatives shall be
composed of menbers chosen, every second
year, by the people of the several States
Art Sec "a, Clause 1st.
| The Senate of the United States shall be
composed Of two Senator'S from each State,
chosen by the Legislature thereof Art l.
Sec 3. Clause l. eaH
The 9th article of the Constitution which
prescribcs the mode Of altering and amend
ing the Constitution, provides that it shall
not be competent, even by an amendment of
the Constitution, to deprive a State of its
equal representation in the Senate. The
clause is in these words mo State, without
it's consent, shall be deprived of its equal
suffrage in the Senate" st
In view of these plain requirmcnts of this
Constitution. we have no hesitation in ex-
pressing our conviction that the body now
assempled in Washington, and from which
the representatives Of eleven States of the
Union are excluded, and by which those
eleven States are deprived, not only of equal,
but Of all suffrage in the Senate has no just
claim to be recognized as the Congress of the
United States. s aax
We maintain, farther, that the unworthy
device to which that body has resorted, under
the name of concurrent resolution is a
mere subterfuge, to cvade q plain provision
of the Constitution which requires Art. I.
See. I. clause g. that every order, resolu-
ton, or vote to which the concurrence Of the
Senate and House of Representatives may be
necessary Except on question Of adjourn
ment,) shall be presented to the President Of
the United States, and before the same shall
take effect, shall be approved by him, or be-
ing disapproved by him, shall be re-passed
by two thirds of the Senate and House Of
representatives according to the rules and
limitations prescribed in the case of a bill"
Notwithstanding this imperative mandate
of the Constitution, the President in his re-
cent message, has informed the country that
the resolution Of Congress above referred to
was not submitted to him for his approval
IF an evasion like this be tolerated, an i'm
portant provision Of the Constitution will be-
come dead letter-the executive will be
stripped of one Of his most important preroga-
tives, and the people deprived of an indis-
pensable safeguard Of liberty. XXX.
The amendments which are proposed to
be incorporated into the Constitution are wor-
thy Of the source from which they emanated.
Stripped Of the fimsy disguise by which their
deformity is sought to be concealed, they are
substantially.
LIST. Negro equality in all respects
I'd. The Acknowledgement of every South
ern man who obeyed the authority of his
State and proved loyal to the instincts of
humanity.
Sd. The reputation of all Confederate
obligations.
To the Sd amendment we can have no OBJ
lection except that it is unnecessary and tends
to mislead the public mind because it was
well known to the authors of this amend
ment, that the several States had anticipated
their action by adopting efficient measures to
prevent the assumption or payment OF any
debt contracted in aid of the war
To the other two amendments we are in
fexibly opposed-they involve fragrant VIC
lations Of the reserved rights of the States
tend to infame sectional animosty and to
retard the restoration of union and harmony
to tie country, and were manifestly intended
to degrade and hunliliatc the people of the
South.
We therefore Indignantly protest against
their adoption, as leading inevitably to new
troubles and disturbance of the quiet .rela-
lions between the States and the Federal
government, and ultimately to the consolda-
ton Of all power in the government Of the
U. S., and we earnestly invite the people of
our sister counties, and of all the Southern
States, to assemble promptly, at their respec-
tive Court houses, and pronounce a similar
judgment Of condemnation on this mschivous
attempt to undermine the foundations Of con-
stitutional liberty
AS for ourselves, we could not sanction
any such amendment without personal dis
honor and the basest ingratitude and inius-
ticc to those of our fellow citizens who merit
tho larCect share of our actoo,, anJ oo,GJo,,a