The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-12

ted States nor shall any State deprive any per
son of life, liberty, or property withouVdue pro
cess OF law, nor deny to any person within II:
jurisdiction the equal protection Of the laws.
Sec 2 Representatives shall be apportioned
among the several States according to their re
spective numbers, counting the who1e nunloer o.
persons i'm each State, excluding Indians not
taxed But when the ri gilt TO vote at amy clec.
ton for the choice OF electors for Presldeh' ana
Vice President of the United States, representa-
tive in Congress, the executive and Juocial ON
GERS of State or the members Of the Legislature
thereof is denied to any of the male inhabitants
of such State, being twcnty-one years oil age ana
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 in the proportion which the
number of srci nltic citizens shall bear to Tao
whole number OF male cltiZens twenty -ohe years
of age in such State.
SEC. s. No person shall be q Senator or Rep
resentative in Congress, or elcctor OF President
and Vicc-President or hold any Office, civil or
State, who, having previously taken an oath as a
member of Congress, or as an officer OF the
United States, or as member OF any State legls-
laturc an executive orJudclal officer OF amy
State, to support the constitution OF the United
States, shall have engaged in instruction or re-
bellion against the same, or given aid or comfort
to the enemies thereof But Congress may, by a
vote of two-thrds OF each House, remove such
disability.
SEC. l. The validity of the public debt of the
United States authorized by law, including debts
incurred for payment OF pensions and bountics
for services in supprcssing instruction or rebel
lion, shall not he questioned. But neither the
United States nor any State shall assume or pay
any debt or obligation incurred in aid ofinsur-
rection or rebellion against the United States, or
any claim for the loss or emancip patton of any
slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims
shall be held illegal and void
SEC. 5. The Congress shall have power to en-
force, by appropriate legislation, the provisions
OF this article.
This plan, after recognizing, as the Prcsi-
dents plan docs, the existence of the States
as States. proposes first that a colorcd man
from Massachusetts, shall have the same lib
erty in North Carolina that he possesses in
his own State, and that colored man from
North Carolina shall have the same liberty in
Massachusetts which he possesses ut home
1t provides that no State shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizen of
the United States, or deny to any person
life, liberty, or property, or the equal prOtcc-
ton of the law Who objects to that |?
am sure President johnson does not; for
the civil rights bill, now in existence rs a
law. and which will in no event be repealed,
makes the same provision for the colOred
race, and the objection of the President was
not to this feature of that law, but to that
part of which, as he thought, improperly
subordinated the State Courts to the Courts
of the United States. If it be said that
there is some concealed purpose in this pro-
vision hereafter to force negro suffrage on
the States as the only means Of securing to
colored people the ''priviliges or immuni-
ties" referred to, the answer IS that this cam
not be so, for the reason that subsequent
section in the amendment leaves the queS
ton of suffrage wholly and solely with the
States.
The Congressional plan also proposes that
representatives in Congress shall be appor-
toned among the States in proportion to
qualified voters. Who can justly object to
that Under the Constitution while slavery
existed. not only were the white Inhabitants
counted in apportioning representatives but
threc-tifths OF the slaves were added to the
whites. This rule has ceased with the eI-
tinction of slavery. There arc now no such
persons rs those referred to in the Consti-
tuition, of whom three-fifths must be count
ed, but the whole population of both whites
and blacks must be counted in apportion-
ing representatives. Under this new rule it
has been estimated that the Southern States
would gain eight members of Congress. Is
it to be expected that the free white popu-
lation of the North will agree to this : As
it is, and as it has been from the beginning
Vi TIC SOfcl llN0 uCSIOcS uuNc Ilu(l DIS
much weight in the Congress of the United
States as three white men, for, for every
three white men five negroes have been
counted il apportioning representatives,
The proposed amendment provides that the
Southern States shall be entitled to their
present number of members until the period
of the next apportionment, in 1872; but at
ter that time representatives must be appor-
toned according to voters and not, as now,
according to the whole population. Up to
1872 this State will be entitled to seven
members, the present number; after that
time, she will be entitled for the next ten
years to eight members, provided the color
ed people are allowed to vote, and if they
are not allowed to vote, she will be entitled
to five members. The same rule will apply
to all the States. fit is said that this rule
is I'm Just. and that the whole population
should be counted, l answer, that rcpresen-
tation and taxation should 90 together, and
that it is not just to claim representatives on
a certain class of population, and then deny
to that population the privilege of voting
for those representatives. If am told that
the whole population ought to be counted,
though one class of it only should be allow
ed to vote, | answer that the free white men
Of the North will never consent that the
Southern States shall add by tue results of
their rebellion to their power in the House
OF Representatives by counting the non-vot-
ing negro population; and that, as citizen
of North Carolina, l am unwilling that the
Eastern part ofthe State shall thus count their
manumltted slaves against the free white
loyal men of the West. 1t will be for the
people of the State to dccide,in 1872. whcth-
er they will have eight members of Congress
with negro suffrage, or five members without
negro suffrage. have the fullest confidence
in the people of the State. feel sure that
their decision on this subject will be wise
one, and for one expect to go with them
and submit cheerfully to the will of the ma
jority.
But we are not without light on this sub
ject from President Johnson himself. In his
with Mr.. Stearns, of Boston, in o.
tober last, he said:
Many years ago moved in the Legislature of
Tennessee that the apportionmcnt of representa-.
tves to Congress from that State should be by
qualified voters The appOrtionmcnt is now fixed
until 1879; before that time we might change the
basis of representation from population to quail
lied voters, North as well South, and in due
course OF time the States without regard to color
might extend the elective franchise to all who
possessed certain mental, moral, or such other
qualifications might be determined by an en-
liglltened public judgment"
MIR. johnson is, therefore, not only in fav-
or Of this provision of the amendment bas-
ing members of Congress on qualified voters,
but he looks forward to the period when the
States will establish what is called impar-
tial suffrage.