The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-19
= -1.,. q tba original third section

In place of the original third section
reported by the committee, Congress
have adopted provision, by which it is
in substance proposed that those who
having taken an oath to support the
Constitution of the United States vio'
lated that oath by engaging in the re,
beIlion, should be deprived OF the rign'
to hold Office.
The nroposition to deprive of the r1gnt
r. hold office those who violated an oatn
to sunnort the Constitution, is believed
to be very distasteful to our h"u0"' %
The TT oath to support the Constitution OF
the limited States is not more solemn and
binding than that to support the constitu-
tion of the State. The latterthey hay Q us
reparded without scruple, in order TO
keen themselves in Office. In their CODE
Of morals, to violate an oath to support
the Constitution is not a crime, and to
denriye them of office would be "a cruel
and unusual punishment"
By our amendment it is provided that
"no person who, since the first day OF
June, 1861, has given or shall give yelun-
tary aid or assistance to the rebellion
against the United States, shall be a clti'
zen of this State"
The amendment proposed by Congress
provides that "aH persons born or natu-
rallied in the United States and subject
to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens
of the United States and of the State
wherein they reside"
Without pretending to be accurate IN
our law, We believe the children OF for
eign ambassadors, and children who are
born on a foreign vessel of war, though
born within the United States, are not
regarded as subject to our jurisdiction
But leaving out these special cases, IN
der the Congressional amendment every
one who was born in the United States
whether lie has been a rebel or not, will
be a citizen of West Virginia if he lives
here. Our own amendment says he shall
not be citizen Of the State-the Other
amendment says he shall be; and If the
latter he adopted as part of the Con
stitution Of the United States, it will be
the supreme law OF the land.
To say the least of it, it is unkind on
the part of Congress, after our Negro.
ties had succeeded, with great wear and
tear of conscience, in securing the adop-
ton of our amendment, to require them
forthwith TO take the back track.
But again the congressional amend
ment declares that mo State shall
make OF enforce any laws which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities OF
citizens of the United States" Is not
this too hard on our Radical friends 2
Congress first declares that :" all per
sons" black or white, radicals or copper
heads, rebel OF loyal, shall be citizens OF
the United States, if born OF naturalized
therein; and then provides that the
Radical legislature and Governor O.
West Virginia shall not make or en-
force any laws abridging the privileges
OF immunitiaS of such citizen. And this
by being made part of the constitution
of the United States, is to become the
supreme law of the land. What then is
to be done with the acts of the last two
sessions of our legislature!
Nor shall any State" so the proposed
amen dment to the constitution OF the
United States proceeds, deprive an
person of life, liberty or property without
due process of law, nor deny to any per
son within its jurisdiction the equal pro
lection of the laws"
When this is adopted as the supreme
law, the reign ofpersccution is, it seems,
to end. Our Negroites are no longer to
havs the right, at their own will and
pleasure, to abridge the privileges or
immunities of persons born or natural
lied within the United States and sub
ject to the jurisdiction thereof; nor to
d pnve any person of liberty OF property,
because he does not agree with all their
notions, or because they see proper to
call him disloyal; nor to prevent any
person from bringing suit in order to en-
force his legal rights, for they must then
no longer deny to any one the equal
protection of the laws.
Fso Chnsiisement OF GrinnelI, of