The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-06-15
The Constitutional Amendment.

The Constitutional Amendment.
The House of Representatives, on
Wednesday, took up the Constitutional
bill, and, after brief de
bate, passed it as it came from the Sen
ate. The vote was 40 yeas to 30 nays.
Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens was present and
closed the debate. The old fellow was
not in quite so I7rathful a mood as on
the occasion of the former action of
House on the amendment, when he
cracked his overseer whip over the
heads Of members and consigned the
South to the Penitentiary or He'll"
He was complainant and yielding, and
gave up his famous Third Section with
bat feeble protest, consoling himself
with the hope Of saving his constituent
cy with an enabling act exacting jus
tice to the freedmen, and epjoining, as
a condition precedent to The admission
of any Southern State, negro suffrage.
The bed he thus prepared to fall
upon was soft enough to save his
limbs, but he viii never rise again to
the position he has held as party driver.
The whip must go to other hands.
1t becomes the duty Of the Secretary
of State, when officially informed of
the action of Congress on the proposed
amendment, to submit it to the State
Legislatures, through the Governors Of
the States. The radicals expect, or
profess 20 expect, that it will be rati-
fed by three-fourths of the States, as
required by the Constitution; and it is
in contemplation to call extra sessions
of the Legislatures to take early action
on the subject Afraid Of the people,
the radicals are not willing to await the
election of new Legislatures, but de-
mand action on the part of Legisla-
lures, North, elected without any ref
erence to the question. By this policy,
they not only escape the danger of an
unfayorable verdict, but take the
amendment out Of the fall election
campaign, as a measure to be voted for
or against, and give themselves wider
scope for the exercise of the arts of the
demagogue in their efforts to secure
the next House of Representatives
Mr.. Stevens again on the Stage.
On the 2Sth Gay of May last, Mr.. Ste
vens, of Pennsylvania, introduced in
the House of Representatives a bill, of
eight sections, Ito enable the States
lately in rebellion to regain their privi-
leges in the Union" The bill, at the
time, was pronounced impracticable
and absurd by radicals who do not &C
cept the irascible Pennsylvania as an
oracle, and some of them protested
that he was a marplot Some days ago
IL was announced that the Senate eau
Gus, which buried without the honors
ofwar Mr.. Stevens third section, agreed
that after the passage of their Consti-
tutional Amendment through both
Houses, Tennessee's Congressmen
shCuld be admitted. Old Marplot, to
be ready for that turn of affairs, made
his appearance on the stage again
Wednesday, with his famous 2S.h of
May bill amended. One of his amend
ments is new section, with where
a" touching Tennessee, as follows:
WHEREAS, The State Of Tennessee has re-
turned 70 her allegiance to the United States,
and by regular convention Of her citizens
has ir med a Constitution which, on being
submitted to the people, has been duly rati
fed, and which, though not fully republic
can, nor suited 20 the alte ed condition Of
her people, yet, as 1t contains many eie-
menis OF a Just government, therefore,
BE 70 enacted, That the State Of Tennessee
may be admitted b repre-. entation in Com
gress, and her present Senat rs and Repre-
stutstivcs, II found to tc duly appointed,
elected aud qualified, nav be admitted to
seats on taking the OATH provided that I'M
less taid Stale Of Tennessee shall, before
the first day of January Lext, either by leg
islati0n or Constitutional provision, eniran-
chise all classes o. her citizens, and extend
the right Of suffrage impartially TO every
class, and shall give to every person within
her Jurisdiction sn equal standing in her
Courts OF law and equity, both as suitors
and witnesses, and shall rat ~ the diilon
20 the Constitution, Article Il, proposed by
this Congress, then the provisions Of this
act, so far a, they relate to Tennessee exclu-
sively, shall cease and become null and
void, and said State shall no longer be rep
resented in Congress.
BY this amendment to his bill Mr.
Stevens desires TO forestall the action
foreshadowed by the Senate Caucus
He suspects that the Caucus proposition
will be too liberal, and that Tennessee
once in, will not be found altogether
pliable So he proposes TO enable
her TO get her rights by the self-abase-
ment OF negro suffrage as a condition
precedent. All we have to say is, if the
majority in Congress agree with Mr..
Stevens, let them pass his bill But
this is not probable The Radical doc
tors who are working for success will
tap this dropsy of his brain very effect
ually.