The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-09-24


the United States and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United States and of
the state wherein they reside. No state shall
make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunitiss of citizens of the United
States nor shall any state deprive any person
of life, liberty, or properly, without due process
of law, nor deny to any person within its jursdic
ton the equal protection of the laws.
SECTION O. Representatives shall be apportion-
ed among the several states according to their
respective numbers, counting the whole number
OF persons in each state, excluding Indians not
taxed. But when the right to vote ut any cleo
ton for the choice of electors for president and
vice president of the United States, representa-
tives in congress, the executive and judicial OH
GERS of state, the members of the legislature
thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants
of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and
! citizens of the United States, or in any way
abridged except for participation in rebellion or
other crime, the basis of representation therein
| shall be reduced in the proportion which the
| number of such male citizens shall bear to the
| whole number of male citizens twenty-one years
/ of age in such state.
SECTION 8. No person shall be a senator or
representative in congress, or elector of presi-
dent and vice president, or hold any office, civil
| or military, under the United States, or under
any state, who having previously taken an oath,
| as member of congress, or as an officer OF the
United States, or as a member of any state leg
slatnre, or as an executive or judicial officer OF
any state, to support the constitution of tue
United states, shall have engaged in insurrection
or rebellion against the same, or given aid or
comfort to the enemies thereof But congress
may, by vote of two-thirds of each house, re.
move such disability.
SECTION 4. The validity of the public debt OF
the United States, authorized by law, including
| debts incurred Tor payment of pensions and boun-
ties for services in suppressing insurrection or
rebellion, shall nos be questioned But neither
| the United Stated nor any state shall assume or
pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of in
surrection or rebellion against the United States,
or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any
slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims
shall be held illegal and void.
| SECTION B. That congress shall have power to
enforce, by appropriate legislation the provisions
of this article.
SCHUYLER COLFAX,
=, Speaker of the house of represen natives.
LA FAYETTE S. FOSTER,
, President of the Senate pro tempore.
| Attest:
EDWARD MCPHERSON,
; Clerk of the house of representatives.
: j. W. FoRNEY,
. Secretary of the Senate.
. The first section makes every negro in thu
United states citizen. This is q confession
that the negro is entitled to greater rrosec
ton than our unnaturalizsd population, anc
no one of these has ever imagined that thei
rights of person and property were in jeopar
dy, because they were not citizens. 1t ii
placing negroes above white men.
4 The third section is of no earthly use, al
congress can suspend it at any time.
The fourth is useless also, as the southern
states have already repudiated the rebel debt
md 1ahf ha
to the last cent.
The amendment proposing to equalize rep
rssentatlon is the only one deserving atten
. sion.
l. A. q proper time, when oil the states ca,
have voice in the matter, according TO tn
Philadelphia platform, it may be necessar,
l. for the people to consider whether the sb
. olltiCn of slavery, and consequently, of th,
constructive three-ffths representation, doe
+ not require that all constructive representa-
3 ton should be stricken down, to equsliz
the political power of the country. Tn
New England states are Us much benefited
now by their preponderancs of non cotins
population, to-wit-women and minors-a
the south by negro constructive representa-
ton. fence, the New England representa-
tives in congress refused to agree to al
amendment to the constitution on the votin,
: basis, as advocated before the last election
all over the west, The present Yankee cor
trivancs was gotten up because New En-
gland would lose four representatives ON tn
voting basis and the west gain twelve. Cor
} gress deliberately rejected this scheme of rep
resentation on the voting basis, because Pre-,
ident johnson favored it, and they wanted t
keep up pretext for disunion until after til
D next presidential election.
Senator Sherman, of Ohio, in the radios
caucus, at Washington, opposed this amend
: ment, and showed that the western state
ought not to ratify, it as it was unjust to th
people Of the west, and would deprive thel
of their fair share of representation and leay
J. an undue power in the hands of New Ell
n gland.
J The following are the tables ne used
/. show the fact:
APPoRTIoNMENT ON CENSUS OF 1860.