The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-21

That the right of suffrage is con-
ferred and regulated by the States ex-
ciusively, 10 proposition too well un,
derstood to be argued here. ana
springs directly from provisions In the
| Constitution of the United States.
| Citizens of the United States, as such
have privileges and immunltaes which
are very clearly described by Judge
Perkins In the communication refer
red to as follows:
The rights and immunities of cit
izen of the United States are to enjoy
civil rights, and to go into any and all
the States, and there acquire that cit
izenship, and enjoy such political
rights, in addition to civil, as the
State may confer on its citizens, and
the proposed Constitutional amend
ment meets these two obligations.
If the first section of the amend
ment confers the right of suffaage
upon negroes, it wholly defeats the
operation of the second section, which
is intended to equalize the represen-
tation, and proceeds directly upon the
hypothesis that suffrage is regulated
by the several States, and makes the
basis of representation depend upon
the action had by the States on that
subject fs
The third section reads as follows
That no person shall be Senator
or Representative In Congress, or
| Elector of President and Vice Presi-
dent, or hold any Office, civil or mill
tary, under the United States, or UNI
der any State, who, having previously
taken an oath as a member of Con-
gress, or as an officer of the United
States, or as member of any State
Legislature, to support the Constitu-
ton of the United States, shall have
engaged in instruction and rebellion
against the same, or given aid and
comfort to the enemies thereof. But
Congress may, by vote of two-thirds
of each house, remove such disability.
The justice of this section appeals
to the heart of every loyal man as a
self-evident proposition. 81. a
1t renders ineligible to any Office
under the United States, or any State,
those prominent and leading rebels,
who, having once held important Of
fees, in which they took an oath to
support the Constitution of the United
States, afterward committed perjury
by engaging in the rebellion ~
1t provides that the Offices shall not
hereafter be held by perjured rebels,
and proceeds, doubtless, upon the
opinion that it is bad enough to per-
NIT rebels to hold Office but that
when they have added to their trea-
son the violation of their oaths, it
would be more thanthe country could
endure. Having taken the oath and
broken it, having involved the coun-
try in the horrors of civil war, truth.
justice and common sense alike de-
mand that they should notu again be
trusted. 9no4eH ON III
The fourth section of the amend
ment is in these words: .-esoqraa
The validity of the public debt of
the United States authorized by law,
including debts incurred for payment
of pensions and bounties for services
In suppressing insurrection or rebel
lion, shall not be questioned. But
neither the United States, nor any
State, shall assume or pay any debt
or obligation incurred in aid of in
surrection or rebellion against the
United States, or any claims for the
loss or emancipation of any slave, but
all such debts, obligations and claims
shall be held illegal and void $40
The first clause Declares" that the
validity or binding obligation of the
public debt, including debts incurred
for payment of pensions and bounties
for services in suppressing the rebel
lion, shall not be questioned"
The second clause prohibits the as
sumption or payment by the United
States, or any State, of any part of the
rebel war debt, or any claim for the
loss or emancipation of slaves. Is
there any man credulous enough to
believe that the party which is to be
formed In Philadelphia on the 4th of
August, by Confederate officers and
soldiers, rebel politicians, Northern
Democrats, and Sons Of Liberty. y
will ever vote to tax themselves to paw
| the interest on the national debt. un-
| less the Government will first assume
the payment of the rebel war debt
and agree to indemnify them for the
loss OF their slaves? eiit 2H-29.l iIa
To prosecute the war the Govern
ment had to borrow large sums of
money by the sale of stocks. The
Democratic leaders of the North.
i being hostile to the war, we're also
hostile to the stocks, and did every
4 thing in their power to destroy their
credit and prevent the people from in
vesting their money in them, we'll
! knowing thatif they succeeded in this.
| the war must fail, and the rebellion
| triumph. The debt having been
created for the purpose of conquering
the rebels, they are naturally hostile
to it, and it cannot be expected that
4 when restored to political power, they
vii act with any Northern party who
| will tax them for that purpose The
new party to be formed at Philadel-
phia will inevitably be, from the ma
q ture of the elements of which it will
L. i T. El.za1 r..