Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-10-28

person of life liberty, etc. without due process 0
! When this amendment shall have been ratified
/ by three-lourths of all the States Of the Union
! il becomes the supreme law of the land. Any
provision Of the present Constitution incOmpatI
bic with this article. is of no binding force until
/ II is repealed. and any provision, IN any STATE
Constitution. in conflict with it, is null and void
| 1t viii be remembered that, in our present State
Constitution, the status Of the native born white
citizen Of the United States is the same pro-
| posed by the amendment. The status of citizens
Of foreign birth Is also well defined. This amend
ment does not change their relation IN any man
ner. Hence, il was the object and intent Of Con-
gress 10 change alone the status Of the eolored
man. Why Congress included others, can only
be accounted for upon the grounds that the friends
Of the measure had not the maniiness TO place
the naked question before the people. IL Is
simply the negro they would provide for Under
the old clap trap song, that all men are equal
before the law" they hope to cover up the social
equality included in this first resolution. Or
why did they not provide for the negro alone
W hat rights and privileges has the negro under
this resolution? The answer Is plain: All that are
vouebsafed to the most favored native born white
man. not only in the protection OF life, liberty,
and property. but he is permitted TO hold any
Office from that Of President Of the United States
down to the lowest Office in the Government
National or State
he may be Judge or Chief Justice Of the Su-
preme Court Of the United States CT any State in
the Union: he may hold any Office either civil OF
military practice law in any courts SIT as Jurors
upon the trial Of any white man; vote IN any and
all elections, subject. only to such conditions as
white native born citizens. Not only this, but he
shall be held by the law to have the same special
rights as the white man-shall be permitted 10
marry the white woman, SIT at the same tables at
hotels sit in the same boxes at places OF amuse-
ments or occupy seats in public eonyeyances Of
all kinds and TO have, in word, all the rights OF
white men. When this amendment Is ratlhed ms
status is fixed beyond the power and control Of
any State. Under the laws OF this state. and OF
many ofthe States in the Union, the negro cannot
vote, not intermarry with white persons, ner IS
a E.na 20 mar i'm n
privileges in public places, etc. These laws are
upon our statute books, and to-day are enforced
in the State If the amendment is ratified these
laws are abrOgated. GU are prohibited IRON en-
foteing them. Nor can you. in all time to come,
pass any law that will abridge the rights OF the
negro.
~ In Congress, have, so far as they could effect
the same placed this degraded race Of beings on
an equal footing with the native born white man.
Not only have they done this, but more. Accord
VEINS the African race of the United States being
the superior Of the intelligent foreign population
they have by this amendment made the ROAD to
the Presidency accessible to the negro. while the
foreigner, whatever his position, honor or qualif-
cations however devoted TO- our form OF govern
ment be may be, although he may have shOw2
his devotion by hazarding his life in our army and
navy ne may, by his gallantry, have saved our
armies from destruction or our nation from DIS
hOnOr-he may have dene this, and more still, yet
he can never be President OF the United States.
In The making of this Office all he can do Is to
vote If he has been naturalized True. this privi-
lege has been somewhat enlarged by this amend
ment Heretofore he has been allowed 10 vote
only for white men, by it he can now vote Tor
negroes.
TO have ordinary sense, suppose the people OF the
South will adopt such an amendment? The Con
gress that passed it had no idea thai II would be
DONE and il was only intended TO goad ana lrrl-
tate the people Of the South to say or do some
produced aud thus afford a pretence for keeping
out the Southern Representatives and retain
themselves in power until they can destroy our
present form of Government.
The Sd section provides that no person shall be
a Senator or Representative in Congress, or cleo
tor Of President and Vice President. or hold any
Office either civil or military, under the United
States or as a member Of any State Legislature.
or as an Executive Judicial officer OF any State
to support the Constitution OF the United states.
who shall have engaged in insurreetlon or rebel
lion against the same, or given aid and comfort to
the enemies thereof, etc. ANA TINS amendment
the people of the South are called upon 10 ratlty;
Tho disunion Radical majority having PROVIDED
flr the enfranchisement OF large voting popu-
lation but fearing that this might not De su1eeht
TO control the politics of the southern states nave
by this third section DISTINGUISHED one-hali, or
very large portion Of the white population OF the
South And by this means they expect, and IN
tend to control these States. This is more com
pletely shown BY the 9th section, which provides
The Congress shall have power to enforce by
Appropriate legistion the provisions OF TINS ar
ticle."
Take all these sections making this article in
their legal Sense and meaning, they enfranchise
the negro in as full and complete a manner as the
white man now is; and this independents OF any
State legislation upon the subject. They also
give him all the social rights and immunities in
spite Of the States. Fer the amendment gives
Congress the power to pass all neediul laws tOr
this purpose. Ratity this amendment ana IL Is
death knsll to our Republican form OF Govern
ment.
Give Congress the power. and you make it the
Government, legislative, executive and judicial.
The President cannot successfully oppose any
measure which he shall deem unconstltutlonal,
for his veto will be Overruled by twO-thlrds
vote. The judiciary can do nothing 10 prevent IT,
for it Is their duty only to eOnstrue the written
law. / repeat the question, can any southern
man or Southern State vote for this amendment
and retain his or her self-respect! answer. u
cannot be done. Can any Northern state ratliy
the amendment, who loves in sincerity and truth,
the Gov erument their fathers gave them, and un-
der which they have lived so happily and pros
perOusly. for the mere purpose of party aggran-
dizement? Can they hazard their future nope,
by taking step in the direction that leads to the
the destruction of the republic? Some States
under the excitement of the hour, regret TO say
have already taken this step, and L fear others
will follow.
Let me ask, what great good would the United
States derive from the ratification OF this amend
ment? Would it bring peace, quiet, harmony
to the people Of the United States would ~ IN
crease our power as nauonF would II
strengthen our bond of Union?
Would it magnify our fame abroad? Would 1t
give ms q higher place in the good opinion of the
civilized nations of the earth2 Is its accomplish
ment sought to give US security at home IL can
not be for either of these things Then IS 1t TO
crafty a feeling of revengeP II this be II, then u
is not manly. the object unhOly, sinful and un-
worthy Of American citizens, Is not warranted
by the course Of any respectable civilized nation
on earth. Certainly not like Rone, who had her
civil war; in which she lost many thousands OF her
citizens. had much suffering among her people,
and vast sums of money were expended, She had
has much cause for irritation as have the United
States: yet, when peace was restored, no emblem
of the bloody strife was permitted TO be retained
bv the Roman citizen, and so far as they could
they blOtted out the record OF the war, because
the contestants were brothers. Not only tins, but
when PoMPEY fell, the great CESAR wept at has
sad fate and then, instead of passing contscation
laws and subjecting his enemies TO prescriptions
and degrading conditions and limitations, he was
kind and fOrglying TO them.
of HENRY ", which filled tho land with
wailing and deep mourning. when the blood OF
the French flowed like water, one OF the most san
culinary and bitter strites OF almoss any age, what
was the course of the King, when he gave The
final battle of Ivy when he put dOwnthe rebeliionE
lie proclaimed a general amnesty to all, and
opened wide the prison doors and pardoned all.
And il must be remembered that this was not
only a war for the crown of France, but also for
the life Of Henry ~.
In the thirty years war in England, IN the reign
of HENRY VII, when the rebellion had been put
down, instead of retaking his vengeance upon ms
enemies: instead of irritating and punlshlng
quered as we'll as his subjects, as his friends and
so held and treated them ever more. He even
married the daughter of his enemy, and thereby
united the families of York and Lancaster.
One more, and recent example in the late
struggle between Prussia and Austria. Prussia
was conqueror of Austria. and with her the Ger
manic States that adhered 20 eriortunes, These
States Prussia determined TO annex 20 herself.
The question at once arose rs 70 how these an
neXed States were to be governed Bismark IN
troduced his bill, for the annexation Of these
States in the lower House of the Prussian Parlia-
ment This bill provided, among other things,
for the immediate annexation of the States, aHd
for the election Of one Representative for every
one hundred thousand of population, by uniyer-
sal suffrage. IL also prohibited the election OF
persons of Prussian birth. II further pro-
vidcd that the subiugated people shald be ad-
mited to all the rights and pTiy Of the people
of Prussia. The result Of this liberal policy upon
tho part of Prussia are known to the people Of
the United States.
The war commenced and concluded in the most
brilliant manner. and peace and harmony res
tOred in the year 1906.
Ii the Radical majority at the North had. and
would have used such liberal craftsmanship, he
fore this time. all would have been well in the
United States; and IL they would now act in the
same spirit the Union would speedily be restored
and the past forgotten. There could be many
more instances adduced as examples for the sue
cessu party in the civil war Of the United States,
but / refer TO those as samples Of the good effects
which resulted from such a course
On the other hand might cite some instances,
where alike justice and berality has not been ac-
corded 70 the vanQuished. In each Of such il has
resulted in no good TO the conQueriug but posi-
tive evil, which would have been a liberal policy.
Yet with an the proofs from histo y, with all the
advantages Of an enlightened Christian eiviliza-
ton with the opportunities and warnings Of the
best men in the nation. these Radical disunion
fanatics seem bent upon the destruction Of cur