Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-09
0 he freema n.
Report Of the Reconstruction
Committee.

We printed last week the report of thu
Comm:tree on Reconstruction. We had NJ
space then for comments, and We therefor,
call our readers attention to it at this time.
The general features of the plan suggested
by the committee commend themselves favors
bly to almost all Republicans. The amend
ment to the Constitution, providing that nc
State shall pass any law abrIdging the privileges
or immunities of citizens Of the United States
or deprive any person of life, liberty or proper
~ without due process Of law, or deny TO any
person the equal protection of the laws, ought
not to be objected to by any one. The Presi-
ident and his friends said, when be vetoed the
Civil Rights bill, that the ends sought by this
amendment could not be secured by the Cor
slitution as il i-,and they therefore estopped
from saying that such an amendment IS MOI
necessary ami Republicans may be excused
for desiring % save all Constitutional questions
arising under the law already passed, BY iEcof-
porating it into the Constitution itself. TIE
only objection to this amendment will come
IRON those VINO mean 10 deny equal civil rights
and the common protection of the laws to ev
cry person in the United States.
The sec nd section of the amendment, pro
viding that representation shall BE- apportioned
according to voting pOpu alton, is liable TO the
objection made by Senator Sumner TO similar
amendment which passed the House early III
the Session 1t apparently comedies that a
State may Tightful.y disfranchise portion Of
its citizens, and when pu' into the Constitution.
would seem 10 give the national assent TO such
disfrsnchisement. In other words it permits 3
state disfranchise a portion Of the inhebi-
tants by paying the penalty in diminished rep
ressntation. The answer to this obJectiCn II,
generally, that al am =ndment making suffrage
impartial cannot be adopted in this Congress,
and, If II could, It could not be ratified by toe
requisite number OF states, while this amend
ment may and probably will secure the same
end sought by the other, by making it for the
interest OF every State TO make It's voting pop
uls ion as large possibls; and ii stands much
better chance Of becoming part of the Con-
siitution- The phraseology Of this amendmen Mt
is not liable to the verbal criticism which had
considerable force against the formerly
adopted by the House. While it is not wha
we desire for should be glad to see equa
and i'm partial suffrage made the law of the
land, for black a. well as white-we think it is
much better than nothing, and We, therefore,
hope it will prevail.
The third section of the proposed amend
ment is as follows:
"SEc. B. Until the 4rh day of July, 1870,
all persons who voluntarily adhered to the late
insurrectIon, giving it aid and comfort, shall be
excluded from tn right TO vote for member OF
Congress, and for electors for President and
Vice President Of the United States
No objection on the the score OF justice can
be urged against this section. Traitors-and
they are the persons excluded from voting by
this clause-haye certainly forfeited all claims
TO the elective fraz chise, not only until 1870,
but during the residue of their natural lives.
But the language used to describe these traitors
must, in the rebel States, except Tennessee
comprehend nIne-tenths, and in some States
a larger proportion Of the white population.
This amendment, If adopted, would then elect,
until 1870, members OF Congress, and electors
OF President and Vice Pres dent, by vote OF
one-tentn of the white people, or one fifteenth
Of the entire population of these States. /,
would require the ratification of twenty-seven
states, anu if adopted by every loyal safe,
would still need the approval of three of the
Would any seeded state, but Tennessee, vote
tor it? Beside, if it we're adopted, it would
require standing army TO enforce it. In our
judgment an amendment making equal suffrage
the universal law, would be less Objectionable
to the South, and would be more likely to be
ratified by the requisite number of states, than
this. White voters uld rather share the
franchise with the blacks than be deprived OF
it altogether.
If there Is any mead of a constitutional
amendment to keep traitors out of federal Off
ces-if that end cannot be secured W an scl
of Congress similar to the bill proposed by the
Committee provision that traitor should
ever hold any office, whether by appointment.
or election, in the National Government n II
be an elector Of President or Vice President.
would have in il the highest justice, and would
commend itself to the approval of every fair
minded person and we not only think that is
as far We can 60, but We are by no means
certain that il is not as far as ought to 60,
in disfra chising the people Of the South. We
are decidedly opposed to having fraction OF
the people of any part of the United States do
the voting for the whole, whether that fraction
is black or white. Equal and impartial suffrage
for all the people, who are reckoned as integral
parts Of the commonwealth, is the true princl-
pie of Republican government. If We could
have universal suffrage We could safely grant
universal amnesty. We are by means sure
that the suffrage question can be touched st al!
except in the clause respecting representa-
tion-wthout resulting in an entire failure IL
accomplishing the object desired, unless Con-
gress insists upon universal suffrage and that
we judge from present indications it will not
do. AL its other expedents mere tempo
rary makeshifts-a sort of Mcclellan style OF
fighting the battle of impartial sutfrags
We greatly fear that they will result, much as
did the strategy of the great unready,in tedious
delays and disastrou. failures.
The fourth section of the proposed amend
ments. prohibiting the United States or any
state from assuming or paying any portion Of
The rebel debt, and the bill reported by the
committee, declaring certain persons ineligible
to federal offices, are sound and wise and ought
10 pass-
L