The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-01-16
The Constitutional Amendment---The
action of Congress in relation to the
Southern States.

Extracts from the last Message Of Goo. CURTIN
of Pennsylvania, to the Legislature Of that
State.
present for your consideration the amend
ments to the Constitution of the United
States, proposed to the Legislatures of the
several States by resolution of both Houses
of Congress passed on the 10th day of June
last Twas glad that it was possible, with
out delaying the final adoption of these
amendments, to ascertain the opinion of our
people upon them at the general election in
October last. By the election of large ma
jority of members openly favoring and ad-
vocating the amendments, that opinion
seems to me to have been abundantly ex-
pressed. Indeed, the amendments are 50
moderate and reasonable in their character
that it would have been astonishing if the
people had failed to approve them. That
every person born in the United States and
free, whether by birth or manumisson, is
citizen of the United States, and that no
State has a right to abridge the privileges
of. citizens of the United States-these are
principles which were never seriously doubt
ed anywhere until after the insane crusade
in favor of slavery had been for some time
in progress. What is called the decision of
the Supreme Court of the United States in
the bred Scott case has made it expedient
and proper to re-assert these vital principles
imam authoritative manner, and this is done
in the first clause of the proposed amend
ments
The right of prescribing the qualifications
of voters is exercised by the respective
States, under the Constitution of 1889;
three-6fths of the slaves were counted in as
certaining the representative population of
the several States. The amendment to the
Constitution abolished slavery in all the
States and territories. Though it was for
merly otherwise in most, if not all, of the
old Southern States, yet for many years past
free negroes have not, in any of these, been
permitted to vote. Atpresent, therefore the
late slave States would be entitled to count
the whole of their former slave population
as basis for representation, instead of three
fifths thereof That is to say, they would
have in the existing ratio about twenty more
members of Congress than they had before
slavery was abolished, and the free States
would lose the same number, making diff
ference of about forty members of Congress,
or, say, one-sixth of the whole body. In
other words, the treason of the rebellious
States, the suppression of which has cost us
so many hundreds of thousands of precious
lives, and so many thousands of millions of
treasure, would be rewarded by giving them
vast increase of political power. This
absurdity, the second clause of the proposed
amendments, designs to prevent, by the Just,
equal and moderate provision, that in future
the representative population of each State
shall be ascertained by making a proportion
ate deduction from the whole population
thereof, if the laws exclude from the privil-
eye of voting, any male citizens, not Grimm
ais, of the age of twenty one years. have
yet to learn that any plausible objection can
be offered to such provision.
The third clause of the proposed amend
ments excludes from Congress, and from the
College of Electors, and from all offices. civil
and military, of the United States, or of anv
State, persons who, as functionaries of the
United States, or as Executive or Judicial
officers OF any State, have heretofore sworn
to support the Constitution of the United
States, and afterwards violated their oath by
engaging in rebellion against the same, un-
less Congress, by vote of two-thirds, shall
have removed the disability of any such
persons.
The fourth clause affirms the validity of
the debt of the United States, and prohibits
the assumption or payment of the Rebel
debt, or any claims for the loss or emancipa-
ton of any slave.
The fifth clause provides that Congress
shall have power to enforce the provisions
OF the other clauses by appropriate legis-
lation.
That these wise and moderate provisions
VIII meet the hearty appreciation Of the Leg
lslature, | cannot doubt. If proposed by
two.thirds of each House of Congress and
ratified by three fourths of the Legislatures
OF the States, the Constitution provides that
tney should stand as adopted amendments of
that instrument. y
"a question has been raised whether the
states lately in rebellion, and not vet restor.
ca Y their privileges by Congress, are to be
counted on this yote-in other words. wbetb,
er tnose who have rebelled and been subdnad
snail pc entitled to a potential voice in the
question OF the guarantees to he renn;red 'n &c
tnem Tor future obedience to the laws So 4,
mo mSn s, proposition is it appears to me
1 T supported BY the words or spirit of the
Oopstltgtlon. The power to SUPPRESS ;ns uue
rec!aon includes the power Of making s 'I nro
T)s'on against its breaking out afresb T H.