North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-10-03
HOW THE WORD WHITE Is TO BE
COT OUT OFTHE CONSTITUTION.
THE RUMP AMENDMENT TO sUPERCEDE A
DIRECT VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.

have no duty to perform IN the premises
during his first term. The people them
selves must first act before the Governor
can do anything on the subject Here, then
are tie facts. Negro suff age is not an is
sue in this contest. The law forl,ids the
question being an ISSUE" HarrisJurg
Telegraph. -.. ...u .r.-.. :
The above tissue of falsehoods shows
how anxious the Gearyites are to avoid the
real issue in the present contest
The question of negro suffrage can and
does enter into this campaign for Govern r,
first, because it Can be made an issue at
any time, and second, because it has been
made an Issue, by every speaker now OH
the stump for Geary dy every newspaper
IN Geary,s interest in Pennsvlvania: bv
| fully one-halt of the Disunon NOMINATING
conventions; by the mixed Brownlow-
/ Douglass convention now in session in
philadelphia and BY the rump amend
ment to the Constitution, which proposes TO
GRANT tr,!! noliti;" "privileges and immuni
ties" to all men born Iii the United States,
without regard to colon or race.
The members of the L, gis,atnre to be
elected this year can act on the SUBJECT
The Constitution was amended last in 1854
and five Years thereafter, lin 1862 can b.
amended again. The members 10 be elect
ed this fall will constitute the Legislature
of 1867. They can pass an amendment =
the parliamentary requirement. The Leg
islature to be elected next year for 1868
can ratify il and call special election in
January, 1869, to have it ratified by the
people before the assembling Of the Legs
| lature of 1863; or they can submit il at
| special or general election in 86S, and call
an extra session on the first of January, I8-
| 90, to count the votes, and if adopted add
it to the Constitution. Thus State Senators
to be elected this talI. for three years, can
vote for negro suffrage amendment IN l8
81, and agal in 1868. Even if the matter
shonld no be broached ill 1868. the Sena-
tors now TO be elected would have to act
upon the preliminary passage. 1t is cl, ar
! Iy evident, therefore that the members
now to be elected can act upon this sub
jcct
We arc willing to grant that General
Geary, AS Governor, will have no duty to
perform in the premises" bee ruse there is
no probability whatever Of his election
Suppose, however, for illustration, that h.
should be elected. Histerm would not ex-
pire till after the 7th of ofJsnnary, 1870, so
that he could approve such an amendment,
whether preliminary proceedings were START
ed in 1867 or 1865.
The statement that the claw 70 bids the
question being an issne," is very stupid
falsehood Where is there any law forbid
ding it I 1t would be a good thing ftherc
were prohibitory law.
1t is true that negro suffrage amend
ment to the Constitution of PENNSYLVANIA
would have TO be submitted to vote of
the people after affirmative action of two
successive Legislature, but such question
should never be allowed to go so far. Men
favorable to such change in the Constitn
ton should not be elected as members and
Senators. They are not trustworthy upon
other questions, if favorably to that. But
there is another point, of graver Importance,
1t is shis
The Legislature to be elected this fall
will be called upon to ratify or reject the
amendment to the Federal C"n>tituti"n
proposed by the late Rump Congress. One
of its sections proposes to make citizens of
all persons born in the United States t"
prohibit anv State from abridging the priv
ileges and immunities of the citizens thus
created. and to prevent anv State from de-
priving any person oflifa. liberty, property
or equal protection of the laws All this is
clearly intended for the benefit Of the blacks
for all men born in the United States have
ALWAYS enjoved those natural, civil and
political rights, except the negroes. The
proposed amendment makes so clear a con
tradistIrction between the natural and civil
rights(life, liberty, property and protectionl
and polit cal privileges and immuniti"s,
| 1.-THE privileges Of voting, holding off 'e,
&C., )that there can be no reasonable, doubt
thrown against the belief that it is a well
concocted though covert scheme intend d
10 establish and enforce negro suffrage and
equality in all the States without submit
ting the question to direct vote of the
people This amendment, when once in.
corporated into the Federal Constitution
will be binding upon all the States. The
Federal Constitution ssys it shall be "the
supreme law OF the land. and the jndges in
every State shall be bound thereby. any
thing in the Constitution or laws of any
State TO the contrary notwithstanding :
Thus the word "white may be struck from
the Constitution without -. legislative
amendment, and without submitting the
question to the people J When the RnmT
amendment shall be pissed. the question
then goes beyond the jurisdiction of ou1
State Courts, our Legislature, and the peo
f ple Salmon P Cha>e and, his Radical
negro suffrage Court win have exclusive
authority to interpret and determine.
90 these facts show tho
! OF electing Renreso.ne. .ne great importaac,