Maryland free press., 1866-05-17

That the amendment to the Constitu-
tom proposed by the Reconstruction Com
,';.ltt,e should have passed the House of
Representatives on Thursday, by an over
"hen!ing majority and amid triumphant
ellis, surprised nobody. Our readers will
remember the character of this amendment
tits cdlirdng(y adapted to the ends which
tide radical faction has in view. 1t pro-
tides that ''no State shall make or cn-
jf,rce any law which shall abridge the priv
Gleges or .immhniiies of citizrns of the
.tEnited States" '.'hor deny to any person
within its Jurisdiction the equal projection
Of the laws@-that all persons who adhered
TO the late instruction, giving it aid and
comfort" Shall be for four years excluded
'trontthe right to vote for President, Vice
President orneni bers Of Congress that
congress shall have the right to enforce these
provisions. When they shall have sue
,cceded in establishing their power the rad
ical will insist that negroes are citizens of
;,he United States, and that any statute
which denies them the right of negro suf-
'irage "abridges their privileges and inn
!inunitics;"' and is, therefore, nullity.-
The exclusion of eight-tenths of the South
crn people from the polls will insure the
election of sueh members of Congress and
of such President as may be fixed upon by
MIR. Stevens and his allies. And under
the section which gives Congress the right
to enforce the amendment by appropriate
Legislation" that body will claim to be em-
powered to adopt any measures which Sc
cure the right of suffrage to the blacks, and
the thorough disfranchisement of the great
body of the whites of the South This is
the programme. We presume the joint
resolution viii pass both Houses. Then
will come the crowning inflmy oe this
whole business. The Constitution, as il
was, provided that such amendments as
two thirds of both Houses might propose
should be taken to be part of the Constitu-
tion, when ratified by the. Legislatures of,
or by Conventions called H thrce-fourths
of the States. 1t has been, however, de.
sliberately determined that the amendmen,
shall be regarded as part of the Constitu.
tion when it shall have been approved BY
three fourths of what are called the loyal
States. " Upon this point Mr.. Stevens said
Upon a careful survey Of the whole
ground we did not believe that nineteen
of the loyal States would be induced to rat
ify any proposition more stringent than this
one. | say nineteen, for utterly repudi-
ate and scorn the idea that any State not
acting in the Union is to be consulted on
the question Qualification. 1t is absurd
to suppose that any more than three-fourths
of the States that propose the amendment
'are required to make it valid" Thus, in
Hagraht violation of every principle of ri ght,
of honesty and of common sense, the South
is to be turned into another Poland OF
Nenetia, save that the despotism under
which she will languish will be of basel
and more truculent character than an,
WHICH has latterly disgfaced Europe. The
whites in large sections of the country arc
to be governed by the blacks, and the
whole population ofthe South is to be ruled
by the radical party of the North and it.
leaders. of whom comparatively few have
any definite notions about decency, truth
ior right. And while this tyrannous policy
is being inaugurated, stump orators arc
making speeches throughout the country
congratulating the people on the preserva
tion of the Constitution and the reconstruc
Ition of the Union. War Democrats ar,
fcieitating themselves on the results of ,
contest which has 'deluged the land witt
blood, desolated populous States, broIgh
misery and want upon millions of men
women and children, wrought a total aht
radical change in the Constitution, and lef
us in Union composed of Northern States
while those of the South are in the condition
of 50 MANY Territories. 1t is clear that til,
radical faction is not to be diverted from
ats purpose, and it is equally so that if it.
aggressive career is not speedily checked
it will before long, be in a position from
which it could only be dislod ged by som,
popular revolutionary movement
Gazette.