The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-09-18

ern otateS ana the administration is laid
down in the constitutional amendment of
Congress In other words, we are convinced
from the significant results of the Maine eIecN
tion that this amendment will carry all tho
Northern States yet to come, and that against
the solid North any. further resistance from
the administration or the excluded South
ern States viii be waste of time, foolish
and suicidal to all concerned
We would therefore urge upon President
johnson the statesmanlike policy of a truce
with Congress, and an active co-opera+iou
with the fixc,l and predominant public onin
ion of the North, in behalf of the immediate
restoration of the South on the basis of tbiO
constitutional amendment. We have Show
that there is nothing in it which the Prasi-
dent has not himself at one time or anothar
recommended as essential to the security of
the Union 1t is not the radical plan: i 10
not so near, in fact, to the rebel DISABLING
and conhscatlon plan OF Thaddeus Stevens nc
| the propositions put forth from time to tin,e
by Andrew johnson. 1t is a comnro,n;Ho
which the President ought to have adonto6
| in cooperation with Congress and which ba
ought now to adopt at all events. because biS
conflict with Congress, if persisted in. will bo
most emphaticallv decided against him II
cannot be otherwise. The inevitable result -
as clear to the searcher for the true situation
of things as the light of the sun through the
breaking clouds. Not one of the States
which voted for Lincoln and johnson will
fail to adopt this constitutional amendment
since New Jersey, the only Northern Stale
| whose vote was against them, has led off for
| the North in the ratification
The policy and the duty ofPresident John
son, therefore, are as clear as mathematical
demonstration, and equally clear is the poli-
cy OF the still excluded Southern States We
have earnestly advocated the Presidents pol
icy; but after the verdict of the jury the ar
gument is at an end. The example of Tenn
esse in the ratification of the amendment is
now the only alternative for>the other South
ern States. Tennessee, in ratifying the a.
mendment, opened the door to the admiss-
ion OF her members into both houses of Con-
gress She, by that simple act, is recon-
strncted and restored. Certain individuals
OF her people who violated their oaths to
support the federal constitution in going
over to the rebellion are disabled from hold
ing any federal Office hereafter, until absolv-
ed by twO-thirds vote of each house of
Congress; but by that vote they can be rein
stated even in Congress itself, if duly elected
by their people.
Next in regard to the rights of suffrage to
the blacks this amendment simply provides
that when in any State the right of suffrage
" is denied to any of the male inhabitants of
such State, being twenty -one years of age
anu ClllZGllS VI LuG OHlCeu 0CaU6S. or when
this right is 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 above the age of
twenty one years in such State" In other
words, if YOU give all your males, whites and
blacks above the age of twenty-one years the
right to vote, you shall count them all in
counting your people for Congress, but nei-
Their they nor the families to which thew be-
long shall be counted if you deny them the
right to vote, whether because of their par
ticular color or because they do not own
certain amount of property or because they
cannot read and write. An abridgement of
the suffrage on any of these grounds entails
corresponding reduction in counting the
people for representation in Congress
Universal suffrage and universal represen-
tation, or limited suffrage and partial repre-
seniation in proportion, Just as each State
from Maine to Texas, may for itself elect, is
the condition of this constitutional amend
ment. South Carolina, for instance, has
population of 700, 000-of which 300 900 are
whites and 400, 900 are blacks. Taking 100.
600 as the number required for each mem
Der Of Congress, she will have seven members
if she grants universal suffrage :bnt if she
cuts off all her blacks she loses four members,
ana prOpOft1onatefy as the suffrage is feStrlc-
ted by qualification of color, property or
education to whites or blacks This may
seem pretty severe upon the South but it APP
plies also, more or less, to every Northern
State, including New York-which has ne
gro property qualification 1.-TWO hundred and
fifty dollars and Massachusetts, where they
havea reading and writing qualification.
All these States will modify their laws to
universal suffrage under this constitutional
or be cut down to greater ex-
tent in'these enumerations for Congress.
This amendment is going through. There
is no other settlement for the South The
Governors of the Southern States ought,
therefore, to call their legislatures together
at once and ratify this amendment, so that
with the meeting of Congress in December
they may be all restored to both houses In
this way they can at once secure the balance
of Congress and put end to any further
attempt OF the radicals 10 apply new restric-
lions of State restoration The Southern
States too, will thus be put in position to
take their ground and shape their course to
some purpose in view of the Presidential cleo
ton. What has been done in the case of
Tennessee amounts to the adoption of rule
of admission. The way is plain, the door is
open, and yb this simple act of ratification the
South will be restored to its balance of
power. 1t is the ultimatum of the victorious
North, and the South will lose much and
gain nothing by delay in its adoption"