American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-02-02
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

These are. Connecticut, New lamp
shire. Tennessee, Rhode Island, New
York. Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Name
West Virginia, Illinois, lndiana and
Minnesota.
If fine Southern States are to be
countcd out of the Union, ana the
Northern States as comprising 'hc
Union, only four more are require"
to carry it. When Nebraska ana
Colorado are admitted, it will require
fva more. When these four or ilNc
shall ratify it, we shall see whether
Congress will declare the amendment
n matt of the Constitution and pass
fine necessary measures to enforce 1t.
And, if Congress shall so declare and
50 act, we will then see what the
Supremc Court have to say about II.
This makes twenty three certain
for ratification, and all that are eN-
pccted. If there be thirty-slN States
IN tbe Union, which is the great CUES
ton for doubt and controversy inc
complcte vote will show % Tor ;hc
amendment, Is against it-that is
two-thirds. of the three -fourthS Which
the constitution requires to make IL
valid part of the constitution.
Ifthcre are but twenty six states III
fine Union. as considerable part
of the dominant party MAINTAIN,
then the amendment will be held t.
be adopted. whenever the ratification
of twenty States shall have been re-
cciycd. 1t is evident that they WHO
hold this view are making prepal@-
tiopS TO have that rule adopted by
Congress, and put into operation by
its authority.
Heretofore the law has required
that the official notice of the ratliica
ton by the Legislature of any state
should be transmitted to the See
rrtarv of State; and empowered him
when a sufficient number of States to
constitute the legal number, had been
received at his Department, to issue
A notice declaring the fact: thence
forward. the amendment voted for
was to be held as part of the CoHsii-
tutiO,.
Pursuing this process, Mr.. Seward
gave notice that the constitutional
amendment for abollShlng slavery
had ben adopted by thrcc-tourthS Of
the State Legislatures, as soon as he
received the Publications OF twenty
seven of the thirty six States. But
in cnumcrating the ratiiying States,
as the law required he should do, he
included eight of the Southern State
Legislatures and thus III behalf Of
the Executive Department OF the
Government officially recognized the
eight States as equal members OF the
Union.
There are now pending in Con
/ grcSS, bills to transfer this function
from the Secretary Of State to the o.
ticers of the Houses of Congress the
secretary of the senate and the CLERK
of the House. The evidences Of lHti-
| tication are to be transmitted to them
and they will be under such inStruc-
/ tionS as Congress may provide by law.
| As pant of the same course OF action,
there are before Congress, or under
reference to its committees, rcs0ln.
tons and bills, the object of which Is
/ to declare, on til" part Of Congress,
that thrce-foUrthS of the votes Of
states represented in Congress will u"
/ sufficient to ratitY an amendment to
the constitution. If these measures
be adopted. the ratification by TWEEN
ty states will be accepted Ivy Congress
and sustained by its whole power, Us
having the force to amend the con
stitution in other words, to make Il
new government for the twcuty-SiN
states that are in the recognized
Union and for the ten states declared
to be out Of the Union, as Terri
tories or as dependencies.
The dilemma of Congress in regard
to the amendment is therefore this:
If they make it a part ofthr coHsti-
tuition, by comp fct0t. declaring the
functions of ten Of the states extinct.
they have first to defeat, perhaps to
dcposc, the President; aad then to
encounter the Judiciary and the risk
of being drawn into the necessity OF
overthrowing that too.
If they yield this point, and con
ccdc no the southern states the right
to vote on the amendment, in the
present instance. it is the right to
veto it; and the concession oI that
right destroys, by inevitable logic the
right to impose any conditions in.
compatible with their continued cEis
tence as full states. o.
In respect to the XIII amendment
the final vote was such that it comic
be declared to be ratified in either
form, fOrit received the votes Of three
fourths of the represented states
Hence, no formal protest against the
Executive notice which enumerated
the eight southern states.
In the present case, that of the pro
posed amendment XIV, the SAME
convenient facts cannot recur. The
southern states must be excluded
OF the amendment will be lost.
We believe that the anxiety Of {
considerable portion of the Repub-
Leans to obtain the votes of som,
southern states, arises quite as HGcl
from their desire to escape from thls
dilemma as from any abstract pre-
ference for the great changes taC
onondmant nrnnoSpS and fine upY