New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-19
coLoaApa

the whole Union. To be sure the design is to
exclude the eleven unrepresented States from the
| count; but it would be much safer to avoid this
extreme and revolutionary expedient The ad
mission of Colorado was intended to be the first
Of A series Of admissions of new States formed out
of territories having merely geographical and
| legal existence, and whose votes were counted
on to make up the full measure of the necessary
three-fourths,
The action of the President in vetoing the Colo
RADIO bill has given the death blow to this part Of
the scheme in its very incipiency. He has no mo-
tive of violating his own sense ofrght and justice
the spirit of the Constitution and the general theory
of the Union, merely for the benefit of an amir
tious and vindctve party and for the advancement
of INSCRIPTIONS partisan leaders. The message in
which he disposes of the Colorado BILL is short; but
/ it is pregnant with insuperable and unanswerabie
objections to the measure. The first is the immense
disproportion between the contemplated State and
the existing States The ratio representation now
is one to 10000; but the largest estimate for the
population of Colorado is So 000 This population
moreover, is fascinating and uncertain-composed
of adYenturers who are not settlers; but are look
ing forward to another exodus whenever new fields
Of fortune invite their attention and stimulate their
cupidity Inequalities of this kind have been here
tofore known in our history; but none so glazing
as the one now proposed. Whenstates have been
admitted with number of inhabitants short of the
representative population, such departure from
| theoretical equality has been justified, as the
| President very aptly remarks, by some high pub
lie necessity. But, in the case of Colorado, the
justification is party exigency and not public
necessity.
i o44 Sc I,n
projected State is actually decreasing. So far
from there being any evidence of that steady and
Irapd increase which gives reason to anticipate an
early approximation to equality with some at
least, of the older States the indications are that
with Colorado, the inequality is regularly expand
ing. Thus, at the election for members of a terri
torial legislature in 1861, 1850 votes were cast
At an election in 1854, on the question of forming
q State government, there were 6l92 votes, Of
which there was majority of S115in the negative
whilst at a subsequent election on the same sub
Iiect in 1866, there were 1905, of which small ma
liority of only lis voted in the affirmative. Thus
| there has been regular decrease in the number
of votes cast, and as far as be estimated from
this fact, decrease in the population These OBJ
jeetions would at any time be valid against the
proposed elevation of Territory to the dignity Of
State. But in the present case, other, and per
4 haps more weighty causes influence the action Of
the Executive. The President very forcible com
mends to the Congressional majority their incon-
sisteney in extemporzing new States out of very
doubtful Materials when they arbitrarily exclude
Il from representation eleven of the old States, He
declares that the admission of new States is com
mon interest of all the States and that those who
are expected to bear the burthens of the Federal
government shall be consulted on the addition of
new members Of the Union. 1t will be seen that
in assuming this position the President adheres
with rigid and logical consistency to the doctrine
that the Southern States are legally and constitu-
tonally in the Union, and admits the jurisdiction
Congress over their Federal status to no greater
extent than the duty Of admitting their Senators
and Representatives at the earliest moment.
H. -1p------
| TIE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT follow
ing is given by the New York Herald as the sub
stance Of the proposed amendments Of the Consti
tuition which have been adopted by the so-called
United States House Of Representatives.
| SECTION l. That no State shall make or enforce
any law abridging the privileges Or immunities of
| citizens of the United States, or deny to any
person within its limits the equal protection OF the
laws,
SEC. 2. All the Inhabitants OF the several States,
representation in Congress-; but in cases where
the elective franchise is denied to any race or
class, except for rebellion or other crime, the nu-
meration shall be proportionatey restricted.
SIC. 3. Until the 4th of July 1870, all persons
who voluntarily adhered to the late insurreedon,
giving it aid and comfort, shall be excluded from
the right TO vote for members Of Congress and for
electors for President and Vice-President OF the
United States,
SEC provides that neither the United States
nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or OBJ
legation incurred in support OF the late rebellion
or any claim for compensation for losses of in
voluntary service or labor tsiayes.)
| SEC, s gives to Congress the power to enforce
| these provisions.
/ It's not yet known whether the,Senate will pass
the joint resolution; but, judging from the easy
surrender Of the so-Galled conservative Republi-
cans in tie House, the required twothrds will be
easily obtained among the Republican Senators.
To be sure, nobody is afraid of sumner, and even
that eloquent and logical statesman himself has
/ ntimated doubt Of the prophety Of the proposed
amendments. He thinks that they do not go fai
enough. They ought to bestow the inestimabe RICH
of suffrage upon the negroes as well as take away
| the right of suffrage from the whites But as We
have said, nobody is afraid of Sumner. The cracl
| of Thaddeus Stevens's whip is heard from one enc
| OF the capitol to the other, and it may make tht
| Massachusetts, Senator cover down, and even con
sent to abandon the fortified recesses of his icJ
and memorable logic. Stevens, the other day
made on attack on him, which for energy ant
vigor has rarely been equaed in Washington, a
specimen of nveotiye. He abused sumne
rcundy for standing in the way of the just AMI
condign punishment of the Southern people, ant
for interposing his syllogistie formulas be
tween the "rebelsn and the YindictiTe de
signs Of the congressional majority. Sumner think
any scheme valueless which leaves any life at al
in the South. IT his point of departure is that thu
Southern people all ought to be oruciied, he viii
not permit them to be hung. Such proceeding
would violate the rigid exactness and nexorabl
precision Of his "pitiless logic. Stevens, how
ever, is determined TO do something practical. If
in order to gcuge out eyes, it is necessary tt
! knock US down, he will be content to knock u
down first and gouge out our eyes at his leisure
His method may be less logical than Summers
but it is more eficacous. Hence he will not lister
to any objections to the constitutional amend
ments, on the ground that they do not 90 ia
enough-still less will he have patience with an,
man who ventures to assert that they are to-
severe he is determined to have his own way i
this matter; and we suppose that, as far as Cor
gress is concerned, he will have it.
Taking it for granted then, that the ament