The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-07-06
THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS.
A PIECE OF POLITICAL TRICKERY.
The States and the People Deprived
of a Free Judgment.
From the National Intelligencer.

One of the greatest outrages committed by
the leaders of the disunion party in their
rump congress is the fact OF their putting the
several changes they propose to the oonsti-
tuition into one general amendment. In the
first place, this Is false in point of fact. II
is not single amendment that is proposed
to the constitution, but several amendments.
The authors of this piece of political triokery
set out with fslsehood. By trick of
political legerdemain they have Joined the
various and distinct amendments together
and call it one amendment. Why is this
done? 1t is not accident. No doubt the
authors of this business explored the files
closely for precedents, and they found the
practice IN submitting several and distinct
amendments at the same time was to submit
each distinct amendment separately In
1890 the congress, in response to the desire
expressed in tho different state conventions
proposed twelve separate amendments to the
constitution. By the resolution proposing
the amendments it was provided, sail or any
of which articles when ratified by three
fourths OF the said legislatures to be valid"
The first two amendments were rejected lone
providing Tor the number of Representatives
and the other TO prevent any law increasing
compensation of mem bers of congress from
taking effect until an election of representa-
tives shall have taken place.
In the early and better days Of the repub-
lie, when patriotism had some place in con-
gross, and it was not all craftsmanship when,
too, men of historical renown gave direction
to congressional action, and congress itself
had not subsidized into the lead level of bar
rem mediocrisy, the inherent propriety of
things and the spirit of the constitution were
regarded as matters of importance. SO great
an evil Is it regarded that diverse matters
should be joined together in the same bill,
that there ls otter rule of parliamentary
law TO prevent 1t, and state conventions
have provided that bill should be confined
to single subject matter. The object of
this Is obvious and two-fold First that
each distinct matter may clearly appear
and secondly, that the Legislative body may
have the opportunity of considering each dis
tInct matter on its own merits, and not, by
lacking bad measure to good measure,
compel the passage of the bad or the reiec-
ton OF the good.
live can possibly imagine any case which.
above all others, requires that the party who
Is to decide whether a particular measure ia
10 become the law should have the opportuni-
y OF rendering fair Judgement it is in the
case OF an amendment to the constitution of
me United States, the great organic law,
which Is or historic importance as affectipe
the Weii-belng OF free government, not only
here, but throug bout the civilized world To
grant to each state the Opportunity of exsr.
cising free judgement On each amendment
to the constitution seems the most obvious
principle of right that can possibly be mao.
ined. In the purer days of the republic nc
public man of any standing would have had
the face of brass to propose so Infamous and
shameful measure as to deny to the states
the exercise of this plain right. 1t was re.
served for those degenerated times, when dis
union is rampant in congress, and pigmies
hold the reins of power there that in the oil.
den time giants held, to give birth to the cd
Jous device of submitting batch of diverse
amendments to the states as one amendment,
which they must swallow as whole or re-
Ject as q whole, thus robbing them of the ex-
erclse OF a free judgement on each amend.
ment.
Why is this done? It smells of craft. It
is q trick. 1t is intended to accomplish
purpose.
Its first object is to deprive the states of