The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-11-14
Secretary Browningss Letter.

L
mitted to and approved by the president with
the desire it should be made public as fully
representing his present position :
THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
If the proposed amendments of the constr
tuition be adopted, new and enormous power
will be claimed and exercised By congress, as
warranted BY such amendments, and the
whole structure of our government will per-
haps gradually but yet surely be revolution
lied. And so with the Judiciary. Ii the pro-
posed amendments be adopted, they may and
certainly will be used substantially to annhl-
late the State iudiciaries. The first section OF
/ the proposed article contains, among others,
\ the following provision Nor shall any State
I deprive any person life, liberty or property,
without due process of law" Why insert
such proposition in the federal constitution
! Il already contains the following mo per-
son shall be deprived Of life. liberty o. prop
erty, without due process Of law This is
denticaly the same, except that it is re-
straint upon the powers Of the general govern
ment alone, and has no reference or aPPhca-
ton to State governments. And most OF the
State constitutions, believe all Of them, con-
tain a similar provision as limitation upon
the powers Of the States respectively.
RELATIVE STRENGTH or THE STATES.
It is not true, as is constantly alleged, that
the relative strength Of the States which were
in rebellion will be increased by the results OF
lie war if they are now allowed representa-
+ ton in the national councils. The present IA
ito of representation is adjusted by the census
Of 1860, and cannot be changed until after the
census Of 1870. Till that time, therefore, the
~, 4 ~ 49,
country must remain precisely as It was under
the census of 1860. After the census Of SIC
the positive and relative strength Of the south
ern States in congress and the electoral col
lege will both be diminished, even if the non
voting black population be included in the ba
+ sis In 1860 three-ifths of all the black pop
ulation Of the southern States were counted
/, The census of 1870 will show tie whole Of tht
s non-voting black population to be less thar
e the thrce-ffths Of 1860.
THE ELECTIONS.
II / do not regard the recent and pendin!
elections as indicative Of the Judgment Of tn
{ people of the northern States upon the constI
, tulional amendments They were not the is
r sues presented 10 and considered by the PEG
! pie. They have not been calmly and dispas
e sionately discussed and reflected upon. Tn
f people have had their fears alarmed and thei
J. passions and preiudices aroused, and perhap
/ never formed under more delusive ideas as
i the character of the issue before the country
+ The people have been assured that preslder
i Johnson is a traitor and a usurper. He ha
f. usurped no power when the insurecuonar
! governments were oYerthrowed and expelled
the States were left with constitutions which
q according to the most solemn sanctions of th
! federal constitution, had been declared reput
) lean in form, and under which those State
# had, for many years, maintained their pIaC
: as constituent members of the Union, but the
h had no organisations under their constitution!
e The American Iron-Clad in the Baltic.
e a correspondent on board the MiantUnoma
/ describes her progress through the remendor
d seas raised by fierce northeast gales in Il
0 shoal waters Of the North sea, whilst on ht
If way to Copenhagen from England:
y II was an interesting, yet fearful sight
IS watch the motions of the ironcad as 81
e pIoughed through the swiftly moving masses,
y water In long rolling sea ship has tin
4 to Use from a pitch over one sea so that 81
i may easily meet the following and Iide OK,
t. it, but with a short choppng sea, such as Y
le meet in the German Ocean, vessel must
le exceedingly lively to carry dry deck. III
re Miantonomah encountered the worst seas 81
b, has ever seen, and she came oat Of them tinet
i Driving ahead, the huge mass Of wood al
ut iron, wonderfully buoyant for the weight ca
lie lied, she would rise slowly TO the coming sc
which, crested with white mass of foar
in bore swiftly and with terrible force upon he
be threatening to submerge and bury her foreye
l., 4 ,igrh u
is showing the reddish line of the plating al
r below the CLEAN Of her copper, she would III
over tie sea and then plunge down to me
The following wave. And here she exp
n rcnccd trouble. The space between the way
h, was so short that with her immense leng
to she could not rise quickly enough to pass ov
cr it, and so she went through il.
TO 1t would sweep in, rolling and seethll
Y, along, divide on her sharp bow, and roll
1t solid green water twelve feet thick up to b
j, forward turret, and then break against til
N tower Of iron in wild, frightful and confuse
Of masses, the white spray flying forty feet abo
an the top of the turret, drcnchtng the Office
ut and men there, and not sparing any one Oh t
e. hurricane deck. Other seas rolling in Il
el lrighlful manner would break and draw sol
lg water to the very gratingS Of the hunicaI
es deck. and descend in miniature Niagaras up(
20 the heads Of the watch
ID The scene was exceedingly wild and II
Ike without elements of fear bat the pondero
lg bow would again rise from under this mou
1t tain Of water and roll it off in cleaning al
ke flashing cascades that swept from the Gu
Of water to abaft The tuFet, looking like sms
of Trenton The following sea she would almo
as escape, but the next again would 80 crashil
n and rushing over So it went for hours, I
le wild, fearful and threatening as seen from Il
,h turret, but below in the cabin and ward-roor
es out Of sight of these frighuul seas, a SUNNI
le passage, with an almost imperceptible 70
u and a gentle pitch, without jerking or suddt
n motions The quiet breathing Of the MASH
el engines, as they forced ahead the pondero
hull, was all the sound heard there No ho'
e Of wind and 10 sound Of secthing water e
S tered in that quiet retreat, as the wondert
l. ship ploughed her course through the angl
e. waters of the North sea, under gloom
" chilling sky, and into sharp, strong, mort
BIT erly gale.