The national Republican., 1866-12-10

>. L. nANDOOm, EDIlOn.
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MONDAY MoRNINa::::::: DECEMBER TO- 1895.
THE TERRITORIAL THEORY A
POISONED CHA ICE WHICH N
CERTAIN To BE RETURNED.
History repeats ITSELF From the time Of
SOCRATES, who was. required to drink the
hemlock on account Of his opinions, history
has been endeavofing TO teach an unbeliev-
ing world that oil sorts and forms Of wrong
inflicted by one class Of people upon another,
because Of their temporary superiority or
ascendaney, are uniformly resented with com
pound interest whenever the inferior rises to
the position Of superior. Poisoned chalices,
history attests, havegenerally been returned.
The majority Of the present Congress repre-.
sent not exceeding one third Of the people
of the United States; but because Of the ma
tional position just now, they control the
legislation Of the country; they can do what.
ever they please. But it is as certain as
time that the tables will turn before long,
and that the two thirds Of the people now in
the minority in Congress will find the way to
remove the iron heel now upon their necks
by rising into the control Of Congress, and
that they will, If human nature remains the
same as IL is now, redress the injuries which
are now being inflicted upon the people Of
the South In palmer terms, the Almighty has
provided retributive punshments by human
agencies for political as well as other offences;
and we tremble when we think Of the retribu-
tion to come from the proscriptive policy
already inaugurated by Congress, for He
even causes the wrath Of man to praise
Him" ...-r
As nobody denies, we assume that nobody
can, our repeated allegation that it is the
leading purpose Of the leading radical men,
bers Of Congress to shut the ten unrepre-
sented States out from any participation in
the next Presidential election. Nobody de-
nies that the crusade against The president
was inaugurated for the principal purpose Of
damaging his popularity, SO that he may not
be an available candidate for the Presidency
in 1868. ALI the casket of coarse and vulgar
falsehoods against him were coined express
ly for that purpose. Senator SUMMERS bill
to repudiate the present State organizations
of the unrepresented States and remand them
back into the condition Of Territories, where
they must commence State life de novo, dis
closes the method Of the conspiracy. And
the article in last Saturdays Washington
Chronicle on "The Territorial Theory" may
be taken, we suppose, as On admission that
the SUMNER bill is to be pressed to o pas
sage. We say again, therefore, that it is not
any longer disguised by the radicals in Con.
gress that they intend to shut out the ten
unrepresented States from all participation
in the next Presidential election.
The legal excuse for this high-handed pro-
ceeding we understand to be that State un-
represented in Congress at the time is not
entitled to an electoral voice for President
and Vice President. This, we presume to
say is an overstrained and distorted exposi.
ton of the Constitution upon that subject.
The language Of the provision referred to is
this:
each State shall appoint, in such manner
as the legislature thereof may direct, mum.
Der Of electors equal to the whole number OF
Senators and Representatives to which the
State may be entitled in the Congress-"
In the first article of the Constitution il
was provided that
Representatives and direct taxes shall be
apportioned among the several States within
this Union according to their respective
numbers, which shall be determined by add
ing to the whole number of free numbers
inolpIinp thnca hnrpI IN q
Of years, and excluding Indians not taxed
three ffths Of all other persons. The actual
enumeration shall be made within three
years after the first meeting Of the Congress
Of the United States, and within every sub.
sequent term Of ten years, in such manner
as they shall by law direct. The number OF
Representatives shall not exceed one for
every thrty thousand; but each State shall
have ut least one Representative; and until
such enumeration shall be made the State Of
New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose
three, Massachusetts, eight, Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations one, Connecticut FIVE,
New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylva-
MIA eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Vir-
ginia ten, North Carolina FIVE, South Caro-
lima FIVE, and Georgia three"
To these were added two Senators from
S~Sh' - SSAoeo "ao tohSA al tLC ytuT tJU
and in every decade afterward, and the num-
ber of Representatives has been increased &C.
cording to the increase Of population; but
the terms Of this provision of the Constitu-
ton have not been changed.
Intending that each State should be en-.
titled to as many electors as it should be en-
titled to have Senators and Representatives
in the Congress, the Convention said so In
the fewest possible words, without intmating
that the right to choose the former depended
upon the fact whether State had any Sena-
tors or Representatives actually seated in
Congress. And by no fair rule of interpre.
tation does the one depend upon the other.
If it did, then it would follow that defect by
death or from any other cause in the repre-
sentation Of q State in Congress at the time
Of Presidential election would diminish
the electoral vote Of that State by lust so
much. Let us suppose, by way Of illustra.
ton, that New Jersey las 1t was contended
she did upon one occasion) failed to have
regular election Of Senators and Representa-
tives, and that Presidential election should