Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-11


e the South; but still, when all is don
1 that can be done to mitigate the condi
: ton of the African race in the South, il i
T melancholy TO reflect that a small remnan
: only viii survive the present generation.
l THE TEST OATH OF 1852
The President at one time appeared to at
tribute some importance to the selection o
such members Of Congress in the electionsb,
the people, as could take the test oath of 1862
believing, no doubt that il would be tn.
removal ofan obstacle that would give rise I.
delay, or, at all events, might be an impedi
ment in the way of a prompt organization O
Congress, including Senators and Repre-.
sentatives from the South. / see that very
little care was taken in the elections which
have occurred, to select such men as could
be expected to take that oath, and rejoice
that il so happened, and hope that no man
from the South, will, on any account take
the oath, or do anything by which such test
Of qualification can bedrawn into precedent.
or be sanctioned, even for day, for il is
clearly one Of those insidious innovations or
Entertainments upon the wisest institutions OF
Government that occasionally take place in
time of great political excitement and disturb
ance, which, if adopted become precedents,
to justify changes that destroy or revolution
izethe Governmentitself If the fanatical par
ty in the North had succeeded in forming a
conspiracy TO effect q total change OF Govern
mens, there could be no more effective device
| adopted than the test oath enacted in 1862. A
little reflection will be sufficient to detect
the manner in which il can be made TO ae-
complish the purposes desired. If the
| qualifications prescribed by the Constitution,
i for members Of Congress, or any officer
necessary to the Government created BY the
| Constitution, can be so radically affected,
then Congress, the President and his Cabi-
| net, the Supreme Court Judges, Foreign
| Ministers, and the whole Government may
be changed from white TO black, with the
same facility and by the same Interpretation
| of constitutional powers by which the ex-
| clusion of members elect from the States
lately in rebellion, who have been uncon-
ditionatly pardoned by the President, and
have taken, or are willing, to take the
amnesty or oath of allegiance, can be effected
by interpreting the test oath Of 1862. Ii is
clear, that If Congress has the power to add
TO the qualifications prescribed by the Con-
stitution for members of Congress, then Il
may change those already prescribed. 1t is only
necessary for Congress to enact that all
members elected to either House of Con-
gress, and that every officer under the Gov
eminent, shall be descendant of the African
race, and we may have whole Govern
ment constituted of black men or # Con-
gress chooses TO make no change in some of
the departments of the Government, then
We can have variety of colors, some men,
bers black, others white. The clause in
the Constitution, which provides that each
House of Congress shall judge Of the cleo
tons, returns, and qualifications" of its own
members, has been construed by the radical
party to give the power to the House of Rep
resentatives, not merely to inquire and de-
eide whether the applicant for seat has the
qualifications prescribed by the Constitution.
viz: that he was twenty-five years Of age"
had been seven years a citizen of the United |
States" and was ian inhabitant of the State |
in which he was elected. )" but certain other |
qualifications added by Congress, and not to |
be found in the Constitution. Such meas |
ure, certainly, can accomplished only bya |
amendment of the Constitution in the usual |
FORM There seems to be an idea afioat in /
the minds of some, that the exercise by the |
two Houses Of Congress of the powers given |
them to judge of the right Of each Of their |
own members to take their seats is too SIM !
pie and plain matter, as is represented |
above, to admit of much disputation, and it
is proper to suggest that the greatest amount
of trouble and vexation incident to the du- |
ties of Committees on Elections, in either |
House of Congress, arises ON questions of |
fairness at the polls, and of the qualifications
Of voters. The question of the returns and |
qualifications of members seldom gives any /
trouble
THE DOCTRINE OF |
EQUALITY.
think it important, at this perilous juno
ture, to point attention to the remarkable
of the proceedings of the Republican |
convention, assembled at chicago in 1860
their platform and what they called the
declaration Of their principles and ri4cs.
think that we may discover that there were
some men engaged in the handiwork Of that
platform who had already strongly conceived
the idea of the permanent ascendancy which
their party might attain to, if they could
only succeed in appropriating to themselves
the exclusive property in the name or title of
champions Of The equal rights Of man, without
distinction of color.s
From the solemn and formal manner
in which they announced themselves, their
and its purposes, TO the pub
lie, we may infer that they looked upon
themselves as commencing a new era in
the history of party triumphs, and of their
own party in particular They do not say,
in terms, that they mean to put forth declar-
alton only second in Importance to that Of
1776; they do not, in their preamble, quite
assume the pomp of style nor the imposing
arrangement of subjects of our Fathers, when
they preluded their Declaration in the fol-
lowing language: When, in the course
Of human events, it becomes necessary for
one people to dissolve the political bonds
which have connected them with another"
&C., &c, "a decent respect to the opinions
Of mankind require that they should declare
the causes which impel them TO the separa-
lion . but they proceed with quite sufficient
and simple dignity, TO resolve
That we, the delegated representatives of ]
The Republican electors of the United
States, in convention assembled, in discharge |
IF the duty we owe to our constituentsando our
country, unite in the following declarations: !
LIST. That the history Of the nation during |
he last four years has fully established the | |
,ropriety and necessity Of the organization ,
ind perpetuatioa Of the Republican party, and |
he cduses which called it into existence are
in their nature, and now more than
,ver before, and demands its peaceful and {
constitutional Triumph
I'd. THAT the maintenance of the principle '
in the Declaration Of Iadepend- e
nee and embodied in the Federal Constitu- /
ion, That ali men are created eqnal that r
hey are endowed by their Creator with GER 4
ain inaIienable rights; that among these are v
ife, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness v
hat, to secure these rights, governments are g
instituted among men, deriving their just a
owers from the consent Of the governed is d
ssentiai to the preservation Of our Republic ~
an institutions. The Republicans at Chi h
ago in 1860 seized upon the above passages il
a the Declaration Of Independence in 1776,
nd assumed il as containing an announce
lent for the first time, of certain practical Il
ruths Of that day, The equality Of human rights
eng the principal one Of them, and intend m
q to be the basis or fundamental idea or
rinciple Of the new government they meant Ia
, found, for the assertion and maintenance m
{ which the fathers Of the Revolution had Al
xposed their lives and their fortunes TO the q
azards Of war, and the declaration Of this
rincipIe was justification Of their conduct Al
efore the civilized world in throwing m
q their allegiance 10 the mother coun-
" and bringing on a war OF which the
isest could not foresee the termination or
3nsequences 1t is admitted that this great {.
rincipIe was not carried out in the Revolu-
On nor adouted IN the ioE1sfitrlfiOn Of I789 I