The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-09-19

which voted for Lincoln and johnson will
fail to adopt this constitutional amendment
since New Jersey, the only Northern State
whose vote was against them, has led on for
the North in the ratification.
The policy and the duty of President john
son, therefore, are as clear as mathematical
demonstration, and equally clear IS the poll
CIV 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-
structed 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
ais denied to any of the male inhabitants of
such State, being twenty one years of age
and citizens of the United States" 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-
ther they nor the families to which they 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 q
certain amount of property or because they
cannot read and write. An abridgement of
the suffrage on any of these grounds entails
q corresponding reduction in counting the
people for representation in Congress.
Universal suffrage and universal represen-
tation, or limited suffrage and partial repre-
sentation in proportion, just as each State,
from Maine to Texas, may for itself elect, is
the condition of this constitutional amend
ment. South-C Carolina, for instance, has a
population of 700, 000-of which 100000 are
whites and 100000 are blacks. Taking 100,
600 as the number required for each men,
Der Of Congress, she will have seven members
ifshe grants universal suffrage but if she
cuts off all her blacks she loses four members,
and proportionately as the suffrage is restric-
ted by qualification of color, property or
education to whites or blacks. This may
seem pretty severe upon the South, but it ap-
| plies also, more or less, to every Northern
State, including New York-which has ne
gro property qualification 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
amendment 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 SouthernS States ought,
therefore, to call their Legislatures together
at once and ratify this, amendment, 50 that
with the meeting of sGongress in December
they may be all restored to both houses. In
this way they can at once secure the balance
of Congress and put an end to any further
attempt ofthe radicals to 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 a 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"