Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-06-15


Tor cur future protection and the peace and safety Of
he atAnf Does tlis ndmtnt furnish IL Sufficient
y ls'i doing any wrong or injustice to the white
people o The south Is 81 just 20 The negro papu alton
Of tue Souh This amendment leaves the general basis
Of Representation, dxed by the Constitution ttgina
~ upon numbers OF population. Ia some Of the dis
eussions Of his subject IN this Chamber it has been
suenuousy insisted that hits is not the true and Just
basis upon VIII en- representation should be based hut
that it should rest upon the basis Of voters entirely
disagree with those Fho have argued for this new
uine and Ia my mad it is clear that the existing basis
Is the ony true one, the only one consistent with the
tue idea of artpfesentatve republican government
The question is not perhaps directly involved In this
amtndment but still 1t wholly aside from my line
Of Argument All the pc pie or all the members Of
sa'e 0r continuity, are equally entitled TO projection !;
they ace all subject to Tvs laws theJ must ali share is
BURDENS and thoJ are all interested in tie legislation and
government.
Notwithstanding this State or community profess
ing to be republican ALLOWS all its people vote Every
one fixes for itself rule which, In It's judgment
vii iufn body Of voters or electors who will most
wisely safely represent the wishes and interests Of
the whole people The right or franchise Of yong has
probably been more widely extended In these Ameh
can states than IN any Other protested republican Gov
eminent tut in the most liberal q these il always
been confined 20 small minority Of the whole people In
none Of states have females, males under twenty
one years II age ever been allowed TO In many
OF .he states lhe Ilght OF voting has been restrained
within sch nufower limits Persons coming to this
country aud establishing Their permanent residence
are required 10 remain ve years and then g0 through
an established process u naturalization before they are
allowed The privilege Of voting. Yet all know that
many females better qualified to vote
and witely than many men who allowed TO voie (;
and tne IS true Of many males under twenty one
and OF foreigners who have net resided here for the
period OF i've ytafs The truth is tha the whole system
Of suffrage Of any republican State is wholly artificial
founded upon It's ideas Of the number and OF
persons VINO will best represent the wishes and interests
Of the WhOle people The ight Of sufrago not given
to particular class because they have any greater inter-
esIs IA The Government because they have any
natural light TO IL than Others nor exercise IL for
themselves and Ia Ii err own beh, but is given to them
as FAIR and proper expontns Of the will Interests Of
the whole community aud to be exercised for the bene
lac II % he lnlN
Inc tneOfy that the athers husbands brothers. and
sons 10 whom the ngh Of suffrage is gwen will in its
trcise be watchul u The rights and interests Of their
wives SISTERS, and children VINO do MT vote Of their
own While the rules Of suffrage are different IN the
different states, The plsn Of basiug representation
national Legislature upon the number Of voters in
would be iuanifesuy UNJUST it might with The same
propueJ be tascd upon the number Of members IA the
Legislature Of each STATE But II the rules Of sud age
we're the ssme In all tie states the adoption Of a
rule for nAuuual representation would lie msnifesty un
last' The Olou contains many very recently setted
etaes and o. reason Of the g,eA extent VI uuse ed
'unuy all sul have such must be the case for many
1eais " come. these 10 great extert are
settled by Emigration from tue older States and IL has
o,eA ana WI" ever continue the case that much ia ger
peopOfu1n VI this emigration males. Inc oouse
4aeuee Is that Inc newly settled states contain very
much larger proportion OF males than the older States
and therefore much larger Iado u voters
IAN AZ be Justly claimed that hye thousand PEG e In
Nevaua Colorado sh1ll Id have the same voice in the
uuyernn emit AZ wthty thousand people in Massachusetts,
OF New YORK, even thOugh the uumotr Of macs above
twenty zone were the same N each have said more
s
existing Constitute the states holding slaves Ia addi-
tim TO their other population, entitled IT, have
hfee hiths OF ther slaves counted ascertsuing the
snare OF representation by the amendment Oft Con
suuuon sboshng slavery, which really one Of The
results u the war, this entire OF slave population,
counting oy millions, were made free, an1 The Con-
sutuon alds the oa.es where slavery existed would
no" be euiiled 10 have the remaining hf ms Adoe
20 their number for approximation although no one vi
I them all is allowed To vote.
This vsy fact SENS to me- furnishes very st. fiji
Gent reason io ateAdjustment Of Representation among
fHH AM fan o N.
Ion, why amend the Constitution at all ith no
amendment on this subject the late save states come
INTO he lower House OF Congtess with much lager
eesehtauon han ever 5eiore Is IL safe to do this
II gust TO The loyal portion Of he nation who have borne
such immense burdens TO maintain Tvs existence II
not held We are not oOund to encounter any peril
or long period Of ytaB seou hate towards the
North hab Uten cultivated the South ia CONSEQUENCE
u our dislike and condemnation Of their yyektd and
anu-fepubhean system Of human slavery 1hs feeling
sSs excited aud fomented By the arts Of ambitious and
designing men I'll It broke GU, in ganuc rebellion
LOT me purpose Of Ting fr and forming a
separate government for tht mselyeshe most tefnbe
and bloody civil war the world has ever seen, lasting
for four ars Characterized by almost innumerable H..
stances OF eIue ana oaibafous bate on the part tf the
insurgent States We finally sUcc, eded In put ins
down the REBELLION, oyerthroWing the government thty
nal set up and adm the moruhcatYu Of defeat
Il their cause to Their other for hating us aud
disikng our Government These people have ubmir
edto the national Govenm because they nave been
compelled By fOi &C to do SO.
bu have We any e'oenCe that justifes The belief that
thty are 10" ready 70 yield wLg allegiance 10 the
OF evidence taken by tLe reconstruction committee III
tone anu aehtnen OF the aim sou hefn prt s.
he informal derived rom priyate souices oohcur IN
showing that a. yel no such thrg exists any oonsid
cradle Xttn and that the feeling Of hostility 10 the ma
tonal GoSeilment and northern people is great now
a. It Was whe The war was raging, and hat the tub
mission 10 thelaas and huhoTy Of the Government Is
the enioiesd submistion superior power Does any
one doaot that II 6n opportunity was now offered for
tHeeluel separation IL would not be embraced ~ lar
larger magnify Of The southern people than that b,
winch thtir acts OF recession were adopted
IL. II anwT 4
to mud u otherwise now, and respect those pc Pile
more oi he open and uuoIs gulstd ANDwAl VI he sen
umehts than should tney hypocritioay pretended
~ aeaaesee ohetiiay and Tt1uicingy ia their de
Feat We must rely upon time emigration the inter
course OF business interchRngee Ofkiudutss and goou
Will ana especially tue benthCent and ting
and iLtaenct Of the Government to foster aud bud
feeling OF atat hun to the Unioa and 10 ala, the
bitterness aud aspeiy NV existing ln this view Il
hae seemed 10 me mat It vas uot desTabe
ohers have hesed It to be that great haste should
made Ia Their iestorstion, aud that with
th'm would be much more likely 10 be harmonic and
-ihs done eooly and deliberately than At We rushed
10 embrace each other
but The question is whether in the present state Of
acts II Is safe and just TO nation to admit these
ststes TO participate in the government Of the nation
uioh such 'eh as viii incur any hazard OF their being
able take the control Off and Il they choose iuiue
or overthrow III Ihaye heard it asked ahat harm they
could do Il admitted to full representation in Congress
and we're able by political ahiat and alliances to
control the LEGISLATION I the nation,
will refer to bat Of the many things which mig ht
be most disastrous 10 the pie the loyal States To
cafry on me wsr and suppress the rebellion
oaTr debt 20 the enormous of SO 600 OCO
The bnK Of this debt Is held by the people Of the
Moth Much Of Is held by capitalists bu not all by
Any IL has enteitd into all the trsr scons Of
sooe and business All pubic trusts whether eduea-
tionai charitable, religious, invested in It, as well
as nearly all private trusts for widows minors or others
be entire currency Of The country is composed Off o.
basf upon it. addition TO hsit Is most extensively
held among the people in my own State know III At
Almost every man who had any money TO invest whether
the amount was great mail holds it in Govern
ment ouds INDEED, think | may say that 'exeept
Whist invested in business or in bushes lions
the great Of the money capital Of the North Is now
IN the national seouiiues To pay the interest on
this debt and immense annual pension lat will re
quife taxation for us Of unexampled severity for many
yeart To come.
Now, this debt hiss all been incurred in putting down
the southern rebellion great psnsiOn-list Il 70 re.
ward reimburse those who have suffered on our side
IN the same cause The great extent has deyas
tsltd The South very many have been made poor and
destitute they have lost their slaves whose value they
counted by thousands Of millions; almost every one
suffered ots by the bubble Of the rebel debt they have
their thousands OF maimed and disabled men and their
thousands OF wiuows and orphans dependent upon them
iof support, and hr WHOM no provision n or will be
made BY the nation. Under these oiroumstAnces will
lhey nos be rsstye under heavy taxation 10 par our
n@uonal debt and ouI peasidneffi Say what icy wi l.
he ruth Is that IL theJ avoid aiding in It's payment
somC ancisd pretended injustice on our part
to justify such action thsfs, In saying this do not
mean TO assert that these people aihess or
less sensible Of obligation ihAu are, for have veIy
little d0ub that under the same circumstances we
should do the thing i hardly uutuFa