The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-09-25
TET CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
It's Purpose to Compel the South
to Adopt Negro Suffrage.
The Testimony of Radicals Admitting
this, and showing it Unjust to
the West.
The second Section of the first Article of

The second Section of the first Article of
the Constitution reads as follows:
Representatives and direct tdIes shall be
apportioned among the several States
which may be included within this Union,
according to their respective numbers which
shall be determined by adding to the whole
number of free persons, including those
bound to service for n term OF years, and
excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths OF
all other persons"
The proper basis Misrepresentation is pop
HdtiOn. 7dres should be apportioned ac-
cording to l0eaIth. But our forefathers
compromised in the Constitution.
Now that the war is over, the Radicals
are tinkering at the Constitution with no
less than seventy new propositions in one
winter. They don't want the old Union or
the old Constitution.
All amendments or PROPOSITIONS to amend
are out of order when ten States are forci-
bly, kept from representation. And nothing
can be more unconstitutional and revolu-
tionary than the keeping out of ten States
because they will not adopt negro suffrage,
or cut down their constitutional reprcseu-
tation one-third.
The Radicals have laid it down as law
that no State shall be entitled to represen-
tation unless the five Constitutional amend
ments are first adopted. The second amend
ment reads as follows:
90 Representatives shall be apportioned
among the several States according to their
respective numbers, counting the whole
numbers OF persons in each State, eXclud-
ing Indians not taxed. But when the right
to vote at any election for the choice of
electors for President and Vice President
of the United States, representatives in Con-
gress, the executive and judicial officers of
State, or the members of the Legislature, is
denied to any of the male inhabitants of
such State being twenty-one years of age
and citizens of the United States, or in any
way abridged, except for participation in
rebellion or other crime, the basis of repre-
sentation therein shall be reduced in the
proportion which the number of such male
citizens shall bear to the whole number oi
male citizens twenty-one years of age in
such State"
The objections to this amendment are
numerous
First-It attempts to control suffrage in
the States and to force negro suffrage upon
the Southern States.
Second-It win deprive the West of pow.
er and add strength to New England.
If the basis of representation is to b,
changed by excluding any of the non.
voting population exclude all but voters
and leave to the States to regulate who shal
vote. But while Rhode Island complains
of the negro population of the South, how
stands the case with her. In 1860 she polled
l9,90l UoteSj yet by the census of that year
she received too representatives in Con.
gress. In the same year the present Thirt
district of Ohio pOlled over 25,0O0 Uotes tC
one representative. That is, under the pro
posed amendment one man In Rhode lslan(
has twice and halfthe power in Congress
of a citizen of Dayton.
But the purposes, objects and working o
the amendment is shown in the following
extracts from speeches Of Radicals. And i
must be remembered that Gen. ScHENcI
introduced a substitute. basing representa-
tion upon voters, which was defeated; anC
that he made speech against the presen
amendment in so far as 1t decreased tn,
power Of the West.
EXTRACTS FROM JOHN sHERMAN's SPEECH
From the Congressional Globe of 1895 page i3i
AAAlAth congress, First SESSION.
Mr.. SHERMAN-Mr President, the rea
question of difficulty is how this change II
the basis of representation shall occur
The committee Of fifteen have reported
plan that ! shall probably vote for, but
must express Dly preference for another.
do 1t now, so that shall not take up til,
time Of the Senate hereafter. In my iudg
ment the true basis of representation II
this country is voters. l know this wa