The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-23
sairhmond nispattlt.
Who are DISTINGUISHED ?

W lA' aNIt |as#iA thAAA.iADS'A
cone apoStatc is worse than ten Turks"
One mean white southern man is worse
than ten northern Radicals. While Seha-
tor WILSON, speaking for the Senate OF the
United States saws that the "conStitu-
"tioual amendment disqualities from mold
cling office certain persons who have taken
% an oath TO support the Constitution OF the
o1-n;ted States and then engaged in the
.rcbcIlion. or gave aid or comfort to it,"
o,d odds that "thiS class OF persons are
"a;sfranchised, and all other persons are
4. or,;tled 10 vote" certain malignants
in this State are crying out 'ha' persons
a;srrapchiscd by the Alexandra Cons'itu-
tom arc no. entitled 10 vote. a CORE
,so,t of the Baltimore american,
mr;,;rc from Piedmont, declares that it
wouId have been "bcttcr 10y far that the
a. crrinc. shining, prodigal South should
/. have been peacefully permitted to have
" dcpar,cd the holy sisterhood than have
:. the hallot-box now filed with the seeds
"of rebellion, or to permit diSloyaity
"lopgcr 10 rule, and treason 10 hold firm
seats in high placeS.'
And he argues that the DISTINGUISHING
feature of the Alexandria Constitution is
still in force.
Il i said that Attorney General STAN
rrpr will soon publish an "opinion as to
,,bo mr>, be allowed TO vote under the
sherman law and the supplementary act.
ve have no doubt-indecd, there is no
r,o,, for doubt-that he will confirm what
Senator WILSON has said. As, however,
We occasionally meet with some man who
enormously supposes himself to he one of
the prescribed, We give below the exact
language of the constitutional amendment.
/, is a follows:
.SrrTIox 3. No person shall be sena-
,,r or representative in Congress, or cleo
.a- NJ President and Vice President, or
hold any office. civil or military, under the
United States. or under any State, who,
having previously taken an oath as mem
hrr al Congress, or as an officer of the
United States. or as a member of any
STATE legislature, or as an executive or
;r,:r.aI officer Of any State, to support the
Constitution Of the United States, shall
have engaged in Instruction or rebellion
AGAINST the same, or given aid and comfort
10 the enemies thereof. But Congress
nav. nv vote OF two-thirdS OF each House,
remove such disability"
This. il will be observed, only prohibits
certain men from holding office. But the
Sherman law goes further. 1t provides
that the same classes of persons shall not
he allowed to vote so long as we refuse to
crcaui1ea State government under its ope-
ration. The sixth section of that act
says:
ain all elections to any Office under
such provisional governments all persons
Shall he entitled 10 vote, and none other,
who are entitled 10 vote under the provi-
sions OF the NTH section OF this act and
n person stall be eligible to any office
under any such provisional governments
who would be disqualified from holding Of
ice under the provisions OF the third arti-
Gle Of said constitutional amendment"
"All persons shall be entitled to vote,
land none other, who are entitled to vote
"under the provisions of the fifth section"
Of the Sherman law. Now, what are the
provisions Of the fifth section! They de-
scribe the qualifications of voters as fol-
lows
"The male citizens of said
State twenty-one years old and upward, OF
whatever race, color, or previous condition,
who have been resident in said State for
one year previous TO the day of such cleo
ton, except such as may be DISTINGUISHED
for participation in the rebellion, or for
felony al common law: ProCded,
That no person excluded from the PRIV
lege Of holding Office by said proposed
amendment 10 the Constitution OF the
[ uited States shall be eligible TO election
as member of the convention to frame
constitution for any of said rebel States,
nor stall any such person vote for mem
bcrs OF said convention"
In order TO know who is meant by the
language "such as may be disfrahchlseo
Tor participation in the rebellion" 1t Is ne
cessarv to recur to the constitutional
amendment. That amendment is intended,
OF course. to operate upon all the States,
and Il contains the following provision
uWh.neyer the right to vote at any
election for electors OF President and Vice
pra.ident of the United States, representa-
ives in Congress, executive aud Judicial
nf;cers. or the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied TO any Of the male in
babitants of such State, being twenty -one
years of age, and citizens OF the United
States, or in any way abridged, except for
participation in rebellion or other crime,
the basis OF representation therein shall be
reduced" &c.
Now, in Missouri, Ohio, and other States
land in Maryland when the amendment
was proposed by Congress) rebels are dis
franchised; and if Congress had provided
that the basis of representation should be
reduced on that account, those States
would have refused to ratify the amend
ment. To avoid this difficulty the words
except such as may be disfranchised for
participation in the rebellion" were in
serted in the amendment.
This simple recital of the facts of the
case is sufficient to prove that Congress
never dreamed of DISTINGUISHING the per-
sons whom defunct constitution, formed
and adopted by miserable little nest of
LaI Ia Il, 81,