The New York herald., 1866-07-13
AMERICAN RECONSTRUCTION.

ssoratfon OF the Union.
From she London News June 30
Tho proposal 10 amend The constitution the rst step
OF the southern States 10 their places
In the Union has now taken ~ nna shape Tho recon.
srucon resolutions havc becn passed by than the
requisite majority In both branches Of Congress- and
before the statos for their sdopton Tho Hose OF
Of the Sssats and the result thsl constitutional
Amendments has been proposed which, II accepted By
hs ~, hs - % 2, @ SSs q 'ns M ~ f0l h
mand,s ruan.ses for tho future s 70 be maintained at
Asn aa @ ought 10, 70 ss nosdru hat sny
such onacirncut that In the 6r section should be
So fundamenta 70 every dca OF fee governments Is the
principle Of equal protection Tor ell czsns that this
proposal at rst sight 70 be supernuous But the
oppos 70 II has proceeded not from ~ supernuity
but from its necessity II 10 the final stroke which s
needfu 70 destroy slavery Those who opposed ernanc
cpation complete. The spr,f Of slarevy r,u ssvirs
and snmstcs much Of the legislation OF the Southern
States Their savage laws which treat the negro ~
of serfsge only one remove from slavery,
not rendered unconstitutional by the constitutional
amendment which abolished slavery and involuntary
serviiGde Thor may be- vide Interval b-twecn snch
servit1ae and protected FREEDOM and that dcbatabe
ground many niqmtous prac'ices nigh, grow up, and
laws whih were totally Inconsistent with reeom might
be enacted and enforced. The new amendment alone
would prevent this Tho former amendment u tho
charter Of negro freodomhs would be the charter Of
negro citlz .nshp The ono only forbds slavcry-ihe
other would enat and establish liberty. n sets aside
law that y not unequal aud unjust and taxes away no
right IRON the States bnt a ~ destroying the ghs ~
thor own citzens II confers no prislsgos-lt only
guafantets the equal protection Of the laws and the equal
enjoyment ~ constitutional hbcrtles white black
The second section romovcs In . lust and simple way
the inequality % prcshtat which bs. given dispro-
portiraie weight IN the government the southern
In trct accordance with the pr pies Of
ccfaic gOverum'n mt discOurngcs dsitanchis isefucnt
a. the present tine the foolish argument used here
against extension of The franchise that political power
diminished the more widely Il shared, actually
appcs 70 the federal representation As each tate has
Representatives according ~ population tho more
who hold ~ BY the present proposal All alch inita
tion would result In prop0rt limitation u the
number n ule repr sentaives the STATE might send.
state which dsiranchiscd half ~ male clt1ens WHO
we're ful age would lose half number ~ repgcsan.
tstvea In the House. 50 that IL the Southern tatrs
enfranehlsa their frtadmen they viii have rcprc eu,a
tlyes og thOu i hey persist In their Acknowledgement
they viii iosc the representatives tho freedmen would
brng The whites vote for tile BLACKS n
they viii not allow the biacks 10 vote for them.
SELVES. The oHs groH o5iics ~ NJ ,cfv ~ ~
p2Uaf esfrdnebi csenf Of ts negro yaec viii be ~.
moved fgige nd 10 notiing int dsrecfhn
N tins amendment y adopted tne nation wli have done
its duty 10 the freedmen, FAR thai duty be
by mere ebacimeuts; i Will rnman for the savafai
states 20 give them the franchise; and il w be a. tie
intcrpst and advantage OF the States 40 10 40 The south
will be- for a time sborn of some Of lis power hut A. IA
docs Justly b. it citizens thai power viii 70
agan.
The third and fourth sections are not 20 important ne
the FIRST two IL any disquancatous he Imposed
sccount Of the REBELLION u u Impossible that uIey
should be more moderate than these. No foneitura s
enacted except tbaf ~ right which have been sbuaei
and disqualification "a imposed hut that wbich IN
fsshulnc.s 10 an oath has merited Even ,tess are
removable by Congress and good behavior would
undoubtedly he removed. Entire forgiveness would
perhaps have been in some degree nohler but Il
might not have been siHa. And that
u IN any degree detsots from the unsramped mas,la-
pimiiy q The sor,hcrn H0rs sbai usy sboold thus