The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-02-15

Representative" "h1oiI
And now, Mr.. Speaker, | am
free to concodc TINT constitutional
amendments should not be hastily
made, and never but for adequate
reasons, upon The gravost and most
mature Consideration.
But if ever there cou'd be n
time for making fundamental chan,
yes in our organic law and ingrait.
ing on it irreversiblo guarantees.
that time Is now. The events of
the past four years demonstrate
their necessity, aud our security
for the future imparatively dc.
mands them Mt our hands. The
great events which have transpir.
| cd. AMI the altered circumstances
which surround us, admonish us
that we will be rocrcant to om
trusts il we fail to inscribe justice
on the Constitutions, aud iortily it
against the cncroachmcnts OF tren-
son, so that it shall b. cternal.-
One Of the elements of our past
misiortuncs, and which gave power
for evil to the enemies who assail-
eel us in this temple, was unequal
and unjust reprcsentation--politi.
cal power welded by u dominant
class. augmented by concessions
on behalf OF a disfranchiscd and
servile race, insultingly declared
Ialmost in the very citadel of na-
ltional Justice rs having no rights
(which a white man was bound to
respect. BY this amendment we
strike down the iniquity of ono
class welding political power Gor
lmother, and arrogant because in
the excrcise of unjust power. The
three tiIths representation Of the
! Constitution was n concession to
slavery. Slavery, tho reason OF
the rule, having ceased. the rule
itself should cease. 1t does cease
by the terms of the Constitution,
but with renewed power for evil.
The Constitution was not made
in view OF or for tho condition Of
affairs which we now witness. =
When it was made tho free popu
lation, without regard to color. by
Tho laws of every State except per-
haps one, enjoyed tho elective
franchise. Ii slavery had been
abolished then almost the whole
free population would have been
voters. But now, in every State
of the South the colorcd race is
denied all political rights. They
are declared by the laws of the
States TO be unfit to exercise polit.
ical privileges. Each State enjoys
the political right of deciding f r
itself who shall and who shall not
vote. The amendment under con-
sideration docs not propose to dis
turb the enjoyment of that right.
But it does affirm that one class
of men shall have political power
on behalf of n race declared by
their laws unfit to exercise it.
1t has been urged, that if this
amendment be adopted, tho States
will extend the elective franchise
for the purpose of gaining addi.
tional representation, and that ul.
timately the States will ex'end il
to the colCrod population. But no
gentleman yet has proposcdto to pro
lhibit tho States from the exercise
Jof this, is the laws now stand their
undoubtc6 constitutional right.
No one has suggested that the
rights OF the States in this respect
shonld be abridged. And ii the
States choose to extend tho elective
franchise it is not our duty to pro
hibit it. If they do so, it viii be
because they regard it as just and
safe in tie hands of people capable
lofexcrcising 1t. lfltlIey do not.
it will be because they regard the
disfranchised class as unsafe dc,
positaries of political rower, II
any class is unfit to be an element
of political strength, it is Unjust
to clothe n favored class with po
litical power on its behalf. What
ever protection it demands should
be entrusted equally to all the Rep.
resentatives OF the people. n
But the Chairman of the com.
mittee on recon struction Mr.. Ste
veus submits for our considera,
ton, in lieu of the amendment
proposed by my colleague Mr.
Sclicnck] a substitute in these few
words: i'" fs tf8a iaa1' yi'in
Article. "a Representatives ard
direct taxes shall be apportioned
among the several States which
may be included in tais Union ac.
'cording to their respective mum.
bcrs, counting the whole number
of persons in each State, cxclnling
Indians not taxed: Prowded,
That whenever the elective fran:
chise shall be denied or abridged
in any Stateron account of race or
color, all persons Of sucb race or
lcoioT shall be excluded ircm the ba-
sis of representation. umo9 l,ia
q The substartiali differences are
these I: one makes citizens who are
adult male voters the basis of rcpa
lresentation, the other thei' whole
population except Indians not tax
! ed, and persons Of that race or col
or which may not enjoy equal or
Impartial suffrage.
| Now, if in each State the wo,
men, children, and unnaturalized
foreigners bore exactly the same
\ ,atat;va ,1ronortiou 10 voters than