The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1866-11-15

virtuous, however corrupt and malignant
their leaders may be. The Executi De.
partment Of the National Government is
with us, and will do all that. man can do
t. maintain the Constitution and the equal
rights of every section OF the Union There
is every reason to believe, too, that the
Judiciary Department Of the Government
will oppose its silent and peaceful power
to the tyranny Of Congress-; and we should
not despair.
The fourth section of the proposed a.
mcndment to the Constitution, which guar
antees the Federal debt and rcpudiates
the Confederate debt, is rs unnecessary as
1t Is iutile. No Southern State wishes to
repudlate the one or assume the other.
Ii, at any future time, ma jority of ION.
srcss should be disposed to dishouor the
nation by reputation, this section. as n
part OF the Constitution would not stay
their action. They could refuse or neg
lect, to levy taxes or make appropriations
to meet the debt rs it becomes due, with
out violating the Constitution. Aud even
II 1t did VIC ate the Constitution, that
would be no barrier to Il corrupt Congress.
lii carrying out their purpose, as We know.
by the sad experience 1t the present Con
gress in dlsregarding aud trampling on the
Federal Constitution
lhe nth section OF the proposed amend
mcnt declares that Congress shall have
power to enforce, by appropriate icgisla-
ton, the provisions Of this article" Here
we have Il power given Congress to de
stroy all the rights of the States, and CEN
traiize all power in the National Gov .rn-
memt. Cnder the pretext that a State has
abridged tue privileges OF immuDities of Il
citizen by refusing suffrage to the negroes,
Congress may, under tins section, declare
universal suffrage to that class OF persons
Under the prcteSt that some one has been
deprived by State Courts of his liberty or
property, they may give the United States
Courts entire jurisdiction Of all litigation
in the State. The legislative, executive
aud Judiciary departments OF the State
Government may, under this section, be
entirely swaIloweu up by Congress, and the
American Union made one grand consoli.
dated empire.
The proposed amendment was not sub.
mlt,ed To the President for hls approval,
as required 10y the Constitution, before
being submitted to the State Legislatures,
and they should not, therefore, consider
or regard 1t at all rs proposed corstltu
uonal amendment for their adoption
Eleven 81 tes were excluded fro Con-
grcss when it passed, and the President
never sanctioned it
But | feel well assured that Congress
did not expect or wish the ratification of
this amendment by the States. The peo
pie were made to believe that Congress
intended to reconstruct the Union. This
was " IL tue thrown out to the whale" to
amuse till the fall elections were over.
Congress does not intend to have the
States reconstructed till after the Presi
dental election in 1868. The Sou hern
States are to be kept out of the Union
till after that period, in order to insure the
radical triumph
The object of the Radical leaders is to
perpctuare the power OF their party. This
they think they can do by negro suffrage,
and by that alone. But they were afraid
to put that plank In their platform at pre-
sent. 1t will be inserted two years hence
When Stewart proposed univeral suffrage
and universal amnesty, the leaders of the
Radical party expressed their willingness
to adopt it They were willing to torgo
the pleasure of hanging rebels and ex-
Guiding Southern members, if this could
be accomplished
have thus, my dear sir, given you my
views In reference to the constitutional
amendment. Let me conclude by assuring
you that as feeble as S nth Carolina may
be, and as powerless" as you say she is
" to protecl herself" she is, nevertheless,
able to maintain, amidst all her oppres-
sions. hci honor unsulhed, and wi never,
voluntarily, accept her own degradation.
am, with great respect. yours, nc,
DlyDDv