The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1866-11-28

for the choice OF electors for President and
Vice President Of the United States, rep
resentatives in Congress. the executive and
Judicial officers OF State, or the members
OF the legislature thereof, is denied to any
OF the male inhabitants Of such State, being
twenty .one years of age and citizens of the
united States. or 10 any way abridged, ex-
cePt 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
twenty-one years Of age in such State"
fth,-That no person shall be Senator.
or Representative in Congress, or elector
OF President and Vice President, or hold
any office, civil or military. under the Unit
ed States, or under any State, who, having
previously taken an oath as member Of
Congress, or as an officer of the United
states. or as member Of any State Legis-
lature, or as an executive or judicial off,
Ger OF any State, to support the Constitu-
tlon OF the United States. shall have en-
gagged IN insurrection or rebellion against
the same, or given aid or comfort to the
enemies thereof: But Congress may, BY
vote OF two thirds Of each House, remove
such disability" Sixth" That, the vail.
dity Of the public debt of the Uoited States.
authorized BY hw. including debts incur
red tor payment of pensions and hounties
tor services in suppressing insurrections
or rebellion, shall not be questioned"
Seventh,-That, neither The United
States, nor any State, shall assume or paw
any debt or obligation incurred in aid Of
insurrecton or rebellion against the Unit
ed States, or any claim for the loss or eman.
cipatlon Of any slave but all such debts.
obligations and claims shall be held Illegal
and void Eighth,-That /" The Congress
shall have the power to enforce, by appro-
pirate legislation, the provisions OF this ar
ticle.'
The Constitution provides that the
House of Representatives shall be compos-
ed of members, chosen every second year
by the people Of the several States," and
that /" the Senate of the United States shall
be composed Of two Senators from each
State" This proposition is not made to
Us by Congress so composed /; this State,
with eleven others, being denied repre-.
sentation in the body which proposed thus
to amend the fundamental law. II was the
clear intention OF the Constitution that
every State should have o right to repre-
sentation in Congress proposing slters-
tions in the original articles Of compact;
aud on this account, alone, no State, pre-,
tending to have rights under the Constitu-
lion, can, with proper scrupulousness or
dignity, ratity an amendment thss proposed.
II is remarkable that this proposed amend
ment contemplstea, under one article, TO
change the Constitution in eight particu-
lars, some Of them altogether incongruous,
10 be ratified as whole. We are not al
lowed 70 ratify such Of them IS we approve
and reject those We disapprove. This is
the first attempt to introduce the vice of
omnibus legislation into the grave matter
oi changing the fundamental law. In 1889,
Congress proposed TO the States, pursuant
TO the 5th article Of the original constitu-
ton. twelve new articles, as amendments.
Ten Of those we're ratified by three fourths
oi the States. The resolution, BY which
these articles were submitted 10 the States,
authorizes the States TO ratiiy all or any
Of them" Ten Of them we're ratifed--two
we're rejected. Each of the other three
amendments which have been adopted. to
wit: the eleventh, recommended in 1894
the twelfth in 1903, and the thirteenth in
1855, was confined to one matter. Tosome
Of the provisions Of this proposed fourteenth
article, constitutionally, submitted 20 Us.
there would probably be no objection. 10
ofhers mr. "a tho bpfprnpRnpnus whole. IL is
hoped the State will never give her assent.
A commentary on oil the proposed amend
ments would make this document inordi-
nately long. A few remarks on one or Two
Of them, may not be Inappropriate. Under
our laws, made in conformity TO the Con.