The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-06-16
Conversational Plan of Recon.
StrHcfiOn.

Congressional Plan of Recon.
Structi0n.
The telegraph ADVISES us that on Wednes>
day the House Of Representatives concurred
in the Senate amendments to the reconstruc-
ton resolutions, by a vote Of l2O to 81, 80
that the amendments they propose to the
constitution have been adopted by the requi>
site majnrities in both houses, and now
await the ratification of three.fourths of the
states to become part Of the constitution. 4
=, The amendments they propose to the con-
stitu:ion are as follows
l. All rerspns born or naturalized in the
United States, subject 20 the jurisdiction
thereof, shall be citizens of the United States
and OF the State in which they reside. No
State shall. by any law, deny Or abridge the
privileges .nd immUritias of citizens, nor
deprive any person of equal protection of its
laws.
,. Representatives shall be apportioued
among the States according TO the whole
population, excluding Indians not taxed;
but, when any State shall deny the right to
vote, at airy election for presidential electors,
representatives in congress, executive, judi>
cial or Legislative officers to any male inhab,
ilants over u wears of age, except for rebel
lion or other crime, the basis of representa-
ton in such State shall BE- reduced in the
proportion which the number of such male
citizens shall bear to the whole number Of
male citizens 81 years of age in such State.
3. No person shall hold any civil or mill
tary Office under the United States or any
State who, having previously taken an oath
of Office, has been engaged in the rebellion.
Congress, however, by a vote OF two-tLird. Of
each house, may remove this disability.
/. The validity of the National debt shall
not be questioned but neither the United
States, nor any State, shall assume or pay
any debt incurred in aid of the rebellion. or
claims of compensation for slaves,--which
deb. and claims are declared void.
This IS the shape into which the report o.
the Reconstruction committee" was finally
licked by the Senate, and the House adopted
the report just as the Senate left it.
( And this is the lame and i-npot..t conclu-
'sion which the whole seven months labor OF
4 strong working radical ma joriiy in both
houses Of Congress has reached. There was
not one Of the l20 members in Tie House,
or the 90 in the Senate who voted for the
above amendments, but had time and again
declared himself in favor OF forcing negro
suffrage upon the South. Ia fact il i, al
there Is lcl; Of the ne.rJtIat is bankaJie as
political capital. Ye. so miserable has Lecn
the radical Leadership in Congress that they
have abandoned their cardinal point and
venture TO 70 before lie country upon .li-
miserable ho,ch-potch.N
The first section Ia. re enacts what Is
alreaiy in the constitution; and the fourth
section IS equally useless, for 70 declare in
the constitution that the nation ms, pay is
homes. debts ia absurd, ard it is equally SO
to eay tha: the rebel 5 a,es shall not par a
debt which they hare already reradiated.
The third section also amounts t. nothing.
There is no particular objection TO declaring
such rebels as had taken 40 oath 20 supper,
the constitution and broke it to join The re-
beliion ineligible to an Office requiring re-
petition of the same oath. But this could
have been better reached by 4 law CT Con-
gress and there is something peculiarly unfit
IN p!ac!n in the constitution, which IS fer al
time, such a provision, Which can he bat;
temporal y in its operation.
All there Is LEI. Of the zrnendm.n. : en-
braced in the second section, ana II would be
difficult to conceive anything more odious
There would at leas! have been reason in IL
provision bas;ag representation upon suffrage
instead Of population. Suffrage bears fair
proportion to the number capable Of doing
military duty, and there Is a propriety in
making the defenders of country the voters.
Bu. the oliousness of the provision consists
in the fact tina: it makes suffrage the basis
Of representation for the southern states. and
population for the northern. And this is
done TO enforce negro and not equal sUtfra- re
at he South. Georgia NAV. FOR instance,
| disfrauchise all her rebel citizens. so that
not over 100 voters shall he luf, in Z con-
gressianal district, yet a. size Las representa-
ton according to ali persons over the age Of
y not prescribed on accoga: OF race" sAe
loses no representation. She only loses
representation by disfrar hising the negro.
| { Halevolent and odious rs is The saIien,
! provision Of the proposed constitutional
amendments, however, they involve an im>
mense back down ly the radicals and mus,
lead 10 The Generalization Of the party. Tie
negro has been tie ore idea upon which ALONG
that party has heretofore been able to thrive
and heir success has depended OF. thcil
! steady advance On tLaI great ;heme.l FRS,
the party Only asked that Congress should
restrict and coafac slavery within certain
bounds; then its exclusion from tie territories
then its abolition in the District of Columbia
then that negroes captured in the war SHOULD
be set free; then that all should be declared
free. then that he should be armed ,hsr
made a citizen and the only demands lef
were equal suffrage for him; and finally socia
equality and miscegenation. While the part,
went onward and upward Cor downward il
its demands, j! succeeded but step back
ward must be fatal. Isis death 10 one-ide.
to rccede an io.a from its fall attainment
The oneiiea of the negro mania is perlec
social aad political equality. When .h'
party welded to this great coral idea
halts one step this side Of It, It's mission i
over the party is played out"
Tuo IS Cot. E,=IL?-Thc Ny. Wor',
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