Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-13

State, provided, that no person by reason Q
= this article shall be excluded from voting VIII
has heretofore received the elective franchis
under the Constitution and laws of the State
n or who at the time of the adoption of thi
" amendment may be entitled to vote unde
II said constitution and laws.
Now, therefore, in view of the above con
- sideratioDs and in the confident hope of al
L early and fraternal restoration of the Union
+ ResOlUed, That the following article b
proposed to the Legislatures of the severa
states as an amendment to the Constitution
: of the United States, which when ratified b,
: three fOurths of said Legislature, shall b,
n valid a part of said Constitution.
Article, Section l. The Union under
the Constitution shall be perpetual
Sec. 2 The public debt of the United
States, authorized by law, shall ever be held
sacred and inviolate; but neither the Uni
ted States, nor any state, shall assume OF
pay any debt obligation incurred in aic
of instruction or rebellion against the Uni
ted States.
See. 3 All persons born or naturalizeG
, in the United States and subject to the ju
rlsdiction thereof, are citizens of the United
States and of the state in which they reside,
and citizens of each state shall be entitled
to all the privileges and immunities of citi-
zens of the several states. No state shall
deprive any person Of life, liberty, or prop
erty, without due process of law, or deny
to any person within its jurisdiction equal
protection of its laws
/ Sec. + Representatives shall be ap-
portloned among the several states, according
| To their respective numbers, counting the
whole number of persons in each state, ex
| Guiding Indians not taxed. But when any
state shall, on account of race or color or
| previous condition of servitude, deny the
exercise of the elective franchise at any
election for the choice of electors for Presi-
dent or Vice President of the United States
Representatives in Congress, Members of the
! Legislature, and other officers elective by
the people, to any of the male inhabitants
Of such state being twenty-one years of age
and citizens Of the United States. then the
entire class Of pc sons excluded from the
exercise of the elective franchise shall not
be counted in the basis of representation.
No state shall require a property quaifca
ton for voters of more than the value of $3.50
IN taxable property, nor any educational
qualification more than enough to read the
Constitution of the United States in the En-
glish language, and write his own name
The difference between this amendment
and the constitutional amendment already
proposed by Congress and rejected by the
rebel states, is in these particulars
l. This does not prohibit Congress or the
states from paying for emancipated or lost
slaves; the other amendment included such
prohibition.
2 The 4th section of this amendment diff |
fers from the one proposed by Congress in ex-
Guiding the . entire class who may be dis |
franchised, from being counted in the basis
of representation, while the Congressional |
amendment provided that the basis of repre-
sentation should be reduced in the proportion |
that the males thus excluded bear to the |
whole number of male citizens twenty-one
years of age. 1t also differs in not, infer
entially, permitting the exclusion of rebels
from the franchise, and in prohibiting any
state from requiring more than $3.50 proper
ty, or education more than sufficient to read
the Constitution in English and write ones
name, as a qualification for voting.
3. This plan differs from the Congressional
plan in wholly emitting the clause prohibit
ing certain rebels from holding Office 1t
also is unlike the Congressional amendment
in not providing in express terms that Con
gress may enforce it by appropriate legisla-
ton
The . whereas 3" to this proposition of Mr.
DiAOn drscIsco eneuieI IOliee. as7uInes TO
be impartial, and is far an advance upon {
any previous proposition from that source
This is the sugar-coating to this Presidential &
pill. 1t will, If ddopted-but we have as vet '
nothing but Mr.. Dixon's assurance for that. I
which may be valueless as Mr. Stewards {
famous ninety-days promises-give suffrage
to some black men, and so far looks in the I
right direction. 1t should however, be in ?
The Constitution of the United States instead r
If in the constitution Of the states This L
would make it good far as it goes, and Il
would secure it against destruction by the r
lrst state legislature which assembled after u
the rebel states had secured representation II
y agreeing to it. Louisiana and MARYLAND r
ire Just showing what state constitutions t
re good for IN securing irreversible guaran- :
les for anything except rebel supremacy.
But the proposition is wrong in itself
An arIstocracy of wealth or learning is I'M
democratic. Manhood suffrage is the only
rue X epublican dOctrine,-and we shall be L
cady TO add universal suffrage when the II
women Of the land ask that. The proposition G
which Mr.. Dixon assures the public will soon p
re adopted by all the states of their own
notion, is therefore radically defective in 4
rinciple. IN
1t would also be monstrously unjust in
ractice. While pretending to impartiality y
would exclude nine tenths of the colored
eOple from the ballot-box What the col LII
red people want is education What IL
icy need most of all is the power to demand j"
I'd secure education for themselves With Gu
e ballot they will get education and all 81
eir rights. Without it they will be denied 'e
ucation and with this proposition adopted ~
lie present aristocrats of the South would ~
I've an additional incentive to keep them oo
norant and poor, and thus prevent them wi
ON ever becoming power politically The pa.
oposal is utterly delusive in fact, as well as vi
indefensible. '''
But the whole scheme is a mere political
dge. 1t Is, on the face Of it, a trap. The
uthern states have not yet done what Mr..
xon S . whereas = says they probably will
, and there is not the remotest probability for
at they will put such a clause into their for
tie cons tItutlons When thew TINS modifv the