The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-30

c. PINoKNEY who afterwards in the nth Caro-
Ina Convention, urging the adoption OF the Con-
stitutiCn, said:-
owe determined that Representatives should be
apportoDed among the several States by add ng TO
the whole number oil free persons three-htths OF
the slaves. We thus obtained reDreseatation hT
our property
''Mr RANDOLPH urged strenuousv that ex-
press security ought 70 be provided for including
slaves in tive ratio of presentation. He lameDted
that such spt cies property existed But, as
1t did exist, the holders ol 1t would require this
"On the other hand, Mr.. KMa thought the
admission OF them along with whites at all
would create great discomfort among the States
having no slaves
"GovERNEUR MORRIS could never agree to
give such encouragement 10 the slave trade as
would be given by alto wing the Southern States
a representation Tor neqroes' and did not believe
Pennsylvania would agree to 1t.
MIR GERRY, thought property not the rule of
representation; WHY, then, should the blacks,
who we're property in the South be in the rule
of representation more than tho cattle and
"Mr. WILSON said he did not well see on what
principle The admission Of blacks in the proper
tion Of three-fiths could be explained Are
they admitted as citizens? Then why are they
not admitted on an equality with white citizens!
Are they admitted az property? Then why is
not other property admitted into the computa-
ton These were difficulties which he thought
must be overruled by necessity or compromised
o the Constitution as Madison terms IL, this
inequality, based upon wrong, was adopted, the
same proportion entering INTO the basis OF
taxation. And so from the foundation OF the
Government the South has had this unfair
representation in the National Councils, to
make up for which direct tax, only collected
a few times In our history, and which might
well be repealed or its basis changed, has been
nOmInally imposed on them in the same ratiO.
slavery being dead, it becomes us at once to
alter the representation TO lnded upon it. ask
IL on behalf OF the North; in the cause Of the
Union, which should5never again be disturbed
bv a discussion OF the question; in conformity
with the representation adopted by the Southern
States themselves; and | ask that an amend
ment embodying 1t nay be passed by Congress,
even ii not ratified, before any insurreCtionary
State Is again represented here.
"The whole number of Representatives in
Congress is established by law at two hundred
and lOrty-one.
'The south under the next apportionment
must either lose their representation on three
fIths OF the negroes, gain two-titths and
mount to power on the whole. Unless the ratio
be altered the South will gal twelve members;
those twelve members will be taben from the
number we now have, equivalent to gain tor
the South OF twenty-lour. If they be so gained
the vote OF every white man in the South will
be nearly equal to two al the North, aud the Re
beion will have produced for the former more
power than the arbitrator JEFFERSON DAVIS,
III his long years OF plotting and tondest visions
OF aristoCracy, ever compGssed. Let the labor
ing man who has given his son TO the country
ponder over this f2ct and the representative
beware how he votes away the liberties OF the
people,"
Mr.. MYERS next shows that the Rebel
States are striking out the colored popula-
ton from the basis of representation in their
own Legislatures, and concludes that what
they are themselves doing with reference to
their local representation cannot be far wrong
when applied to their representation in Con-
gress.
He next quotes President JOHNSON in
favor OF this measure, as follows:-
'rIn 1912, ANDREW JOHNSON introduced the
following resolution into the Tennessee Legls-
lature:-
''esolved, That the basis to be observed in laying
tho State OFF into Congressional districts shall oe the
voting population Dittom any regard to t1e three
ftths Ofthe negro poDutGtton.'
Last October in conversation with GEORGE
L. STEARNs, since published, he still spoke ap-
provingly of the idea. If the same ANDREW
JOHNSON, now the Chief Magistrate of a great
republic, will give this or some Kindred plan HIS
SUPP ort in this trying iuncture, believe 1t will
pass Congress as an amendment to the Constr
tuition and be adopted by three-fourths OF the
States in few months and then, sir, these in
sLrrectionary States; having contormed to the
laws as | have stated, for one am in favor OF
receiving from them such loyal Representatives
as they may send, and binding up every wound"
Mr. MYERS closed with glowing allusion
to the future of our country, when once we
shall have fully settled these great questions
upon the everlasting basis Of Justice and right
His speech, as a whole, is one OF the best de-
livered during the present session Of Congress
and that is saying good deal, for the House
of Representatives now numbers among it'
members many very able men.