Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-01-07
'oIINUMBER0lS2.o
successfill.-.party. Is. /. seen

people 'f5ff anticipating mn tlie -lECg13ciR
strife. q peh<yl yltnlA10lRn Aalg at tlies
time they engaged in-tlgg- against the
General iGovernnfkut0 IIt0is dndkedo
ing tilat neasufesut tehegliiN Nbqlo seriously,
urged by an American + fioP PgEess, and az g
tempted to be made a. part ot the fuhdap
ssaI Ecars, hass Mse @E SS eGreS OF
every philosophical thinker and statesman.
Secondly object to this sectton becatse
itirnboses penalties upbnuS0u uheruoleadg1s
themselves 10 ffliS ffnflicSt.s Effe S56tkeFn Ststls
are required each to ratify thisAmendmeus
this seotiOln ineludedg pefpgs tpeE. are re-
TSeTs iSes i sEaSt u SSS8R "a s s SRSR; gnS:s
sitfon wiiith OIL gdit' Co Ondemndhinprliyi-.
sion in the eyes of allymenoQf homer, aThed
case taplsf thus !: ~ There has been great
civil war. The people bf thd SOUTH keAt
into the contest With singular f9unauimitEu
and selected men todn9page their afiailssof5
State aud lead their armies; These leaderss =
they loved and supportet!D The pe0pl6oi
pushed tlIem f6rwardy and theglwereEe rather
the indieat0fs( of the public sentiment of
their section than, its guides.s The tadse
in which they were all engaged proved fih1s
successful. Now in the hour Of their de-D
featgyOu sayD the Southern people. You
shall lberestored TO your political tquaiity
with the people Of Tie North When yo1,bys3
your own votes, disgrace your lezder hndJ
render them incapable efhereafter holdlpgx
positions of public trust. l very much
mistake the spirit OF. that conquered pe3-si
pie, If they do not unanitn0usly reply, rive
will forego political rights fforevers rath ri
thancons6ntto such degradation Suppose,
that the i.sue of the contest had been
otherwise, Inste I'd of tie Federnyl
armies being successful, suppose sthat
victory had iperehed upon the Standard
Of the ConfedSrates. Grant surrenders to-
Lee, and the Federal forces, broken and dis
pirted, seek their homes. TIE Soushen'@a
ers, In theli0aroftheirt triumph, say ,totbe
brave men of thea Federal army, "Bstole
YOU enjoy your rights as American citi-"
zens, you Shall punish, tdisfranehise andH
Disgrace by your own votes. the greatb
leaders you love-" What, think you, would
be the answer? The"bpys in blue, would
reply, You may conquer, but you cannot
degrade us. Though we lie at your aeetd
Overpowered, you cannot compel sus to sac-,,
ridce our manhood. Wefought with Grapt :
and Sherman, and Sheridan, and Meade
and we will share their fate now" -Anda
What honorable man would answer 9TH
erwise?s That which no, brave soldier or
man Of spirit in the North would do, VIII
not require OF thepeople OF the Soath. dfs
their leaders and Generals have been 4 Ruilty,,
,
in the name of all that is generous and no4'
Bile in our nature, 90 not ask their comrades
and friends to strike the bow,+ric,, -sf,,,,
Section, four provides that the validity OF
she public debt of the United States, ati-
tho lied by law, including debts incurredy
for payment of pensions andlCbauntiesof oforfr
service in SURPRISING, ipsurrection, or re-
bellion, shall not be queSriOted. ButneiGh-
er the United states nor any State shall as4i0
sumo or pay any debt orO6ligation ineurr, 8
red iin aid sQk iHsurrectiono pr rebellion "a
against the United States, or any claim for "
the loss or eInatcipatfon of any slaVeJ butt
all such debts obi Satiohsiaul lulaitls shall"
be held illegal and void. s1I.s,,,
object ,tOrthis section. first, that it en-
dangers freedom OF speech and the press.
The phraseology ofthesfirst elanseDiSs,pe-S
euliar ardMoFthyiof especial notice. The
language is, the validity of TIL" public
debt of United States shall not be quesSy
toned" 1t is not very difficult t0Tdeterrio
mine the meaning of this clause. If it was
only Intended to provide that the
United States debt should bepaid, itwoaldH
have beenvery easy tolhAYe sosaid.aiEyJH
IDENTIFY more il meant for the Language -is,w
sthe debt shall, not be questioned" ~ Now,
men can question any given matter 0hIyd
by speaking or writing. It1is true othatA
they may question by thought, but If that
be an otfense, no human TRIBUNAL can pun
ish the offender. 1t Is manifest, then, 6data
this section is intended to- prevent anyii
speaking oDwriting, sqpestiOnsl the
validity of the public debt. But what IS.
questioning? Is it questioning TO say or
write that the interest paid by The UnitedS
States is too high, or that the law, making
treasury notesa legal tender Is, unconsti-.
tutional, or that the United States bonds,
should be taxed asiother property, on thata
the principal Of the bonds, when IL; isn0ty
otherwise,provided, should be paidain cur
repey, or, that it, is as fair tor the United.
States to pay its debta in. "greenbacks,
after it has agreed to pay In gold, asot0i
compel the creditor to takc currency, from
the debtor who has likewise agreed to pay
In gold? Then who Is to determine What
questioning is? 9These are igraVe nattersI
They involvethedear rights of Amerirw
can freemen. If dissection Is adQpted it
is in. the power of Congress to, compel the
people to Keep silent as to the measures
chidtefest them themost. The subjectn
Of finance the people, may talk ,abQptyso
long as they do not interfere with the,
rights OF the government creditor. This
section appeafsato have eNbeennpFoposed inn
ltheainterestl of the, bOnd-hOldeFs, ratherD
than of the people who must pay, the bonds,
For one I am opposed to any restrictions
upon free speech and a free 'pfess. They
are thesbulWarksof AmerieaH NbeEtYY4n
their fullest and ,treeSt exercise is the only,
safety Of our Institutions. Limit them
with reference TO finance anu -fvwilt tbe,4
precedent for restrictions iIf' 0th9i1 sdireees
tions, until theEpeOple with their mouths,
closed will be, forced TO acQuiesce In thes
loverthroWal OF their liberties. A fre6 pe0-s
I Die who even diseEss the npf0priety1iOp
giving hupglor placing hmitati0nsrup0ns
tIEeiE great rights araAlrsady half prepared
fSTSes isss pro5SisiOh Fs tGst the eUREFess
SHAH have power to ehtofce By appropflatsi
Hgislation5 the lEp0wefs Of this sdHrtlclea
Section 8pfi Article "A provides thataCQpz
gress shall have power TO make all laws
lfecessary and proper for carrying fhty
execution aila powers that may b09vest6d
By the eGonstitntion1in the Government OF
tAe United States. u this proposed amends
mrpt is not inlended to vest more power
Ill Congress than Is conferred IN this sec4
ton thehiit IS Udneo0ssafg \ t1Bdt fsOdins
tsudedfthen .itisi dansyesagsss beeapseiit
makes the discretion or Congress, and not
the language of the section, the limit 0f
the iD0WefS.t otiiiAA Aehy ~" n0itA15sinimba
aTFalb6f etr0rs asl thiso pnopnseda amehds
neptqiRi themOaain which it IL attempted
be made. a, part of, the ConsttutIA1 E
stili more iobjectohAbIe. Many Yof tliB
States chat are called upon t6IA6Ilg i6A A6fh
not c6nbuitedms todthaspropfietgzdf ffpk
posing it. 1t is an exceedlnglyHngvRatir
question:, by what right ,Yoa, term South
carolina, for example, q State Tor t1e pur-