American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-12-05
Constitutional Amendment.

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Constitutional Amendment.
4 writer in the Atianthic Monthly for
November speaks as follows Of the neces-
sity of the Constitutional amendment:-ln
regard to amnesty the amendment to the
constitution which Congress has passed
disaualifios no rebels from voting, and on
ly d;saua!ifes them from holding office
when they have happened to add perju-
nv to treason In regard to suffrage it
makes it for the political interests of the
Soul to be jast to its colored citizens,
+" yasing representation on voters and
i4Ji on population, aud thus places the
indulgence Of class rrejudices and ha-
treds under the penalty Of correspond
ing loss of political power in the Elec-
torial College and the National House Of
Representatives. If the Rebel States
ahoald. be res sored without this amenl-
ment becoming a part Of the Constitu-
ton, then the slave States will have
thirty Presidential Representatives in
virtue Of population they disfranchise,
and the vote Of arebel white in South
Carolina will carry with it more than
double the power of loyal white in
Massachusetts,. The only ground on
which this disparity can be defended is,
that as zone Southerner is more than
match for two Yankees" he has an in>
herent, continuous, unconditional right
to have this superiority recognized at the
ballot>box Indeed, the Injustice of this
is so monstrOus, that the johnson orators
find it more convenient to decry all con
ditions Of representation than to meet
the incontroyertble reasons foraexacting
the condition which bases representation
on voters. Not to make it part of the
Constitution would b., in Mr.. Sheilabar-
gers vivid illustration, to allow "That
Lees vote should have double the elects
i've power Of Grants; Semmesf double
that OF Farragufs, Booths [did be Hve)
double that Of Lincoln's, his victim !"
1t is also to be considered that thirty
votes would, in almost all future sessions
Of Congress decide the fate Of the most
important measures. In 1862 the Re-
publioans, as Congress is now constituted,
only had a majority Of twenty votes. In
alliance with the Northern Democratic
party, the South with those thirty, might
repeal the Civil Rights bill, the princi>
pie Of which is embodied in the proposed
amendment. 1t might assume the Reb>
81 debt, which is repudiated in the
amendment. 1t might even repudlate
the Federal debt, which is affirmed in the
amendment We are so accustomed to
look at the Rebel debt as dead beyond all
power Of resurrection as to forget that it
amounts, with the valuation OF the eman-
cipatcd slaves, to some 81, 600, 100000
If the South aud its Northern Democrat
ic allies should come into power, there is
a strong probability that measure would
be brought in to sumo at least portion
of this debt-say $4,000, 900, 900
The Southera members would be near
ly unit for assumption, aud the North
ern Democratic members would certain
ly be exposed to the most frightful temp,
tations that legislators ever had to resist
Suppose it were necessary TO buy fifty
members at million Of dollars apiece
that sum would only be two and a halt
per cent of the whole. Suppose it were
necessary to give them ten millions
apiece, even that would only be dc,hc
tion Of twenty-five per cent. from "A claim
worthless without their votes The bri
berry might be conducted in such a way
as to elule discovery, if not suspicion,
and the measure would certainly be
trumpted jill over the North as the grand
est Of all acts of statesmanike "conclia-
tion," binding the South to the Union in
indissoluble bonds of interest. The
amendment renders the conversion of the
Rebel debt into the most enormous of all
corruption funds an impossiblity. But
the character and necessity ofthe amend
ment are too well understood to need ex-
PLANTATION, enforcement or defense. If it,
or some stringent one, be rot adopt d the
loyal people will be tricked out Of the
fruits of the war they have waged at the
expense Of such unexampled sacrifices of
treasure and blood. 1t never will be
adopted unless it be practically made =
condition of the restoration OF the Rebel
States.