The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-09-26

his b.sn formally restored to all i. ps'i''sss
sho Stsit.d by rebellion. ipdadisas ~
rcscn4tion id either House Of cOnsre... az q
the door thus passed through stand! isr's'Hp
ly epcah to auswho still lingcr without:
Arc the conditions thus prescribed into!er'
able, or oven humiliating? They arc IN SUD-
stance these:
!. All persons born or naturallzsd IN tnp
country are hcncctorth citizens OF the. Cn'teo
States, and shall enjoy all the rights Of c'e''
zcns cvcrmore; and no State shall havc power
to contrascnc this most righteous and nece"'
sary provision, y,.,...,,~ ,,,,, -s,
Q. While the States claim and exercise tue
power Of denying the elective franchise to :
part Of their people. the weight Of each State
in tho Union shall DO measured by, and based
upon, its cnfanchiscd population. II any
State shall choose, for no crime. to deny pc.
litical rights to any race or CASTE It must no
longer count that race or caste IS 4, basis Of
political power in the Union.
8. lilo who has once held office on the
strength Of his solemn oath to support the
Federal Constitution, and has nevertheless
iorsworn himself and reasonably plotted to
subvert that Constitution, shall hcnceforth
hold no political Office till Congress, by q two
thirds vote, shall remove or modify the disa.
bility
1. The national debt shall in nowi<c Lc rcp,.-
,liatcl or invali'latcd; md no debt incurred
in the support of the rebellion shall ever be
assumed Or paid by any State; nor shall
payment be made for the loss or emancipation
Of any slave.
5. Congress shall hnyc power to enforce
these guarantees by appropriate hSislatiom
Sch fcllow.ciiizcns. nrc the conditions Of
reconstruction proposed by Congress, and al.
ready accepted by tho loyal Legislature Of Ten.
ncS>cc. Are they harsh and degrading? DO
you discern therein disposition to tramplc
Oh the PROSTATE, OF push Al, advantage to the
uttcrmost? DO they cmbody n1Gs;.e Of vcnge-
ancc, Or any conii,cation but that Of slavery =?
We solicit your candIl, impartial judgment.
Villa, is intended by the thirl section is
simply to give loyalty fair start in the re-
constructed States. Under tho johnson policy,
the rrbclS mon"polizc power and place even
in communities where they nrr decidedly out
numbered. Their Generals are Governors and
,ncmbcrs.clcct Of Congress- their CoIoncls
and Majors ill the Legislatures, and o!ciatc
~ shcrins. Not only arc tho stcadfsstly.loyal
prescribed, but even stay.athomc rclcls have
little chance in competition with those who
fought to subvcrt the Union. When this rebel
monopoly Of Office shall have been broken up.
and loyalty to the Union shall have become
general and hearty. Congress may remove the
disability, and will doubtless make haste to
do so.
We do not perceive that the justice or fit
ness of the fourth section prescribing that
the Union public debt shall bc promptly met
but that Of the rebel contdcracy never is
seriously contested.
There remains then, bu, the second sections
which preScribos in substance that political
power in the Union shall hcnce(orth be based
only on that portion Of tho people Of each
State who are deemed by its constitution fit
repositories Of such power. In other words,
State which chooses to hold part Of its pop
ulation in ignorance and va>salagr-powerlcsS.
uuc,lucated, and unfianchiSed - shall not
count that portion to balance the educated.
intelligent, enfranchiSed citizens Of other
States
We do not purpose to argue the justice Of
this provision. AS we'll argue the shape Ct a
cube or tho correctness Of the multiplication
table. He who docs not ftei that this is simply
and mildly just, would not be persuaded,
though ono arose from the dead to convince
him. That there are those among US who
would not have it ratified, sadly demonstrates
that the good work Of emancipation is not yet
complete.
"But," say some, this section is designed
to tonr. the South into according suffrage to
her blacks" Not so, We reply; hut only to
notify her ruling caste that VIC will no longer
bride them to keep their blacks in scrfdom. An
nrstocrncy rarely surenders its privileges, no
matter how oppressive, from abstract devotion
to justice and right. 1t must have coscnt
palpablc reasons for so doing.
We say, therefore, to South Carolina, If
You pcrsistcntly restrict all power to your
three hundred thousand whites, we must insist
that these no longer balance, in Congress and
in the choice Of President, seven hundred thou.
sand northern white frccmcn, bnt only three
hundred thousand. Ifyou keep your blacks
c3crmorp In ser.dom, it must not Ike because
VIC tempted you to do so, and rewarded you
for 40 doing.
Fcllow-citizens Of every State, but especial
" Of those soon to hold elections we cntrcat
your earnest, constant heed to the grave
questions now At issue. II those who 10 wan.
tonly plunged the Union into civil war shall