The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-28
The Basis Of Representation.

Some years ago, when the Republican
party was tanning the flames of sec
tional disoord and endeavoring to bring
about the war through which We have
lately passed, one of the means used to
create jealousy against the South was
the alleged inequality of representation.
1t was so frequently asserted by Repub-
lican orators that the South had more
representatives in Congress tha.l she was
entitled to, because threr, -fifths Of the
slaves were enumera'. ed in fixing the
OASIS tnat' nov constant iteratlon'
many OF the republicans believed the
statement co be true. We confess now
ever y lat we were somewhat surprised
to, find that our neighbor of the ln'e'"'
oeaoer has revamped the old and OH eA-
nloded hunbug and putt forward as all
aroument in favor of the negro suffrage
scheme lately proposed by Congress as
an amendment to the Constitution OF
the United States.
The present apportionment OF repre-
sanitation in Congress is fixed IN comPh
ance with the second section OF the
third article of the Constitution, which
nroyides that Representatives and Ill
rect taxes shall be apportioned among
the several States which may be includ-
ed within this Union, according to their
respectiye numbers, which shall be de-
termined by adding to the whOte Ram0er
( of free persons, including those bound TO
service for term of years and eXclud-
ing Indians not taxed, hree:fJths Of all
other persons"
T Now, it is perfectly plain that, accord
ing to this system, the entire popula-
ton, both white and black, of every
Northern State is represented in Con-
gress; and is equally plain that two
fftbs Of the slaves in the Southern
States were not represented at all
Whatever inequality there was, was in
favor Of the North. The entire negro
population Of Massachusetts being free,
was included in the count; while of the
negro population OF South Carolina culy
three-ffths were included and yet the
Republican party tried to make the peo-
pie of the North believe that they were
imposed upon by the South, and that the
South had more members of Congress
than she was entitled to- We must say
again that we are surprised at the editor
of the Wheeling Intelligence endeavor-
ing to inculcate so absurd an idea, and
\ can only account for it upon the suppo.
sition that our neighbours editorial was
clipped from an exchange" or fnrn
ished by that friend" who is so prone
to laundering.
By the abolition of slavery. repre-
sentation was equalized throughout the
United States. The whole number of
negroes in the South, instead of only
three-ffths as heretofore, will have to be
included in the basis of apportionment,
ahe constitution requires that the
whole number OF free persons iii any
State shall be counted in determining
tho nuRber of representatives to which
that State shall be entitled, and, all the
negroes being now free, the number of
southern representatives would, by this
rule. be largely increased, and the former
inequality removed. But the leaders of
the radical party are not disposed to do
justice and they have accordingly con.
I cocted q plan which is intended to give
the Northern States greater and more
unfair preponderanee OF political power
than they had before, Accordingly an
amendment to the constitution is pro. |
posed, basing representation upon the
whole number of free persons erclusire of
Ithe neayoes Uho are not permitted 10 rote. 1t
ia believed that the Southern States,
knowing the inferiority of the negro race
and fearing the consequences of giving
oslltiosl privileges to the negroes where
hey constitute so large an element of
;hs population, win refuse tcpera,it the