The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-01

/ Representatives from ned hcne-third of The
states were excluded froneshe Congress pro
posing this amendment" this whole proceeding
is nullIty. According 10 this theory the
amendment abolishing and interdicting slavery,
| which has become part and parcel OF the Con-
st1tutton, is a nulllty; for in the Congress which
| passed it nearly one-third of the States were
not represented. The committee here are only
| playing the play of Hamlet with the part of
"Hamlet' left out They leave out the late Re-
bellion, with the consequences of its failure,
and start from the delusive notion that tho
rights of the States and the people concerned
are just precisely the same as ii nothing had
bappeIned poI e. ~ N tue south In the shape of final
Thus this report goes on to say that this
amendment in ''its first section proposes to de-
| piive the States Of the right which they have
| possessed since the revolution OF 1776-to deter
mine what shall constitute citizenship OF a
State,n and that sits object is to declare negroes
TO be citizens of the United States and OF the
! several States.n just so. But the comMlttee
| do not think II proper or desirable that Hthe
broad, comprehensive principles whieh rom
the beginning have pervaded the CONSTIPATION
on this subject should be abandoned. Here is
another great oversight The principles referred
10 recognizing and authorizing political distiDc-
tions between the white and black races were
all abolished with the abolition of slavery. How
often shall we have to remind these arltediluyian
Southern politicians that there has been de-
luge, and that the Constitution as it was has
ceased to existat6at with the abolition of
slavery all races OF men in this country except
ing Indians not taxed" stand in the Constitu-
ton on a footing OF equality? He who believes
that slavery is constitutionally abolished, there
fore, can have no valid objection 10 this new
amendment touching the civil rights of the
negroes as citizens. ....- = ..
This Texas committee next object to the
second section as a scheme ito force negro suf-
trage upon the Southern States." But it is no
such thing. Each State may regulate suffrage
to suit ITSELF All that is required is that suf
irage and Federal representation shall go
together. Here again, however, this committee
harp upon the old Constitution, as if they
expected Within few days TO advertise for the
recapture of their missing slaves. OF the third
section OF the amendment, excluding from civil
offices, Federal and State, TIL absolved By
tWc.thlrds vote OF Congress, all persons guilty
OF violating, by joining the late Rebellion, an
ofhcial oath 10 support the Constitution, this
Iexas committee say lit proposes to stgmatize
and degrade all that is most elevated and most
worthy, and it cooly asks us to be the instru-
ments OF the degradation of our own people.n
This may seem rather hard; but as penalty for
treason 1t is not so very cruel after all, 1t is
certainly much better than the hanging which
of war. -
The fourth section of the amendment. RELATING
to the nationaldebt, all Rebol debts and obi.
cations, and to claims for emancipated slaves,
this report says has been sufficiently provided
Ior LOT oy the action OF the late Texas State Con-
vention. But another State Convention may
repudate all this work unless it be fixed in the
Federal Constitution the supreme law of the
iano. II Texas, therefore, is honest in this
m.
1t is this security for the future touching the
national debt, all Rebel debts and engagements
and claims for liberated slaves, which more
than any thing else gives this amendment its
strength IN the North, and which will make 1t,
sooner or later part OF the Constitution, even |
II all the Southern States to day were to adopt
the principle of universal suffrage, negroes and |
cn:t,y c AeE c1 the the most a. su2endous, bloody, and
the life of the nation, the victorious and power
full North will have these securities for the
future embraced in this Constitutional amend
ment.
The ruling Southern politicians of the old
fre-eating and domneering school of the South
eern chivalry may denounce it and fight against
it, and array their State Legislatures in opposi-
ton to it; but the North will hold to it as its
ultimatum; and so this year or next year, or in
this generation or the next, this amendment
will be carried through. The States excluded
from Congress meantime are only damaging
themselves by their foolish resistance. If the
November Northern elections, like those of
September and October, are disregarded by the
South, then we guess that in making our esti-
mates of the next Presidential contest all the |
States wholly committed to the Rebellion. ex-
cept ore, may be left out of our estimates of the
next Presidential election.