The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-08-02

representation.
| speak Of men whom | know;
men with whom l have served in
public life. do not impeach their
intelligence, or patriotism, or sin
cerity; but l repeat, l believe they
hate our Constitution, and desire
its overthrow. They believe con.
solidation is better than cOnfedera-
ton. They prefer to trust their
liberties and the liberties of the
race to an overpowering irrespon-
slble majority rather than to one
orderly process established under
the checks and balances of our
system. [Cheers. ..,
Consider the Constitutional
Amendment. Congress insisted
upon its adoption as condition
precedent to the admission of SEN
ators and Representatives. If it
were entirely desirable, if nobody
objected or could object to any of
its provisions, still it ought not to
be proposed. If the States are en-.
titled to representation, the adopt
ion Of this amendment ought not
to be exacted. If they are not en-
titled, the refusal of the right is the
highwayman's course, who seizes
you by the throat and agrees 10 re-
lease his hold if you will give him
your purse. In vain you assert
that you are entitled both to your
freedom and your money. You
buy one admitted right by the SUI.
render Of another. If they are not
entitled, the proposal to confer it
is the device of the devil, who ca
gerly offered the Kingdoms of the
earth and the glory thereof, which
he didn't possess, if only his black
majesty could be worshiped. But
what is this amendment?
Every person born within the
United States shall be citizens
thereof, and OF the State wherein
he resides. Citizens of the State!
That the Constitution left to each
State; so entirely left it there that
voters by the law of the State were
expressly made electors for federal
officers. No State shall impair the
privileges and immunities9 Where
are they defned9 Where writtena
The Constitution has already put
each citizen of each State upon the
same footing as citizens of the sew
eral States.
Representation shall be appor-
toned according to population, but
if any male person over twenty
one years of age shall be excluded
from the ballot-box, the represent
ative basis shall be diminished by
these in proportion as the males
excluded bear to all the males of
twenty one years in this State.
The former proposition was to ex-
clude from the basis all of any
race or color, if by reason of race
or color they were excluded from
the right of suffrage. That could
not stand a moment. BY it the
States might exclude the young,
the old, the poor, the ignorant, the
soldier; and if they were only
white, the other electors might
vote for them; but if they exclued
the negro, his whole race was to be
excluded from the representative
basis. How much better is this
amendment? All the people are to
be enumerated also. If the males
are as ten to one-and any male is
excluded from the right of voting,
then ten persons shall be stricken
from the basis. If in Pennsylvania
lunatics were not allowed to vote,
then ten persons for every lunatic
would go unrepresented. If in
Pennsylvania there weie ten thou.
sand negro men over 81 years of
age, then 100000 men, women and
children, white as we'll as black,
would be without representation
/ say nothing of its operation on
the Southern States; will you be
willing here to adopt itg But the
cunning of its authors is apparent
here, for by this scheme New
England gets two members of Con.
gress, while the other Northern and
Western States lose twelve; more
than they would by the other plan.
Nor is it really an honest scheme
to secure to the negro the right Of
voting, for this and every other
plan suggested contemplates that
the States may exclude him from
the ballot, provided only they will
agree to give,up the political pow
er which control him in the basis
given to them, Mol gentlemen.