Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-01-11
promptly repaired BY the Commission

mediate arrangemen t Of the State LIZ
| brary upOn a permanent plan with 9
view TO the protection Of the boots and
/ to general conveniece. In reference TO
/ the utility of the library hg. says;
The use and value Of public tbEa1es
are multiplied MANIFOLD at the close Of
a historical period which will always
be regarded a most memorable one
/ The judiciOus accumulation Of docu-
meuts Of all sorts calculated to throw
/ light upon the time, is universally ad-
mitted by intelligent people to be q
thing upon which no money value can
| Be set. It is not q question oRthe style
dignity OF. present value Of the book
| preserved the most trivial pamphlet,
| the rudest and most unfinished story
Of soldiers personal experience, may
| have a value for pOsterity chat no elab-
crate history which could now be writ
fen would have. To collect and care
| fully preserve for the Judgment OF tq-
/ ture times. all the testimony Whlcn ls
now so abundant, appears TO me Q sol
emu duty. In connection, therefore,
with the subject Of increasing the
shelf-roon Of the library, / would re-
| commend a specific appropriations 20 pc
/ expended only for publications direct
/ ly connected with the history Of the
/ great rebellion.
/ Sundry minor improvements upon
| the Stabe House and grounds are re-
An appropriation to provide the
commissioner of Statistics With q CLERK
/ is advised.
The message closes with the follow
i ing remarks in regard to the COnstitu-
! tional Amendment.
The Secretary of State Of the Uni
/ ted States has, since your ad5ournnnenJ .
/ transmitted TO me copy OF an amend
ment to the Constitution OF the United
/ States. proposed by Congress, and now
awaiting the ratification OF the legsla-
i lures of the several States, it teonslsts
of several sections containing proWIs-
/ ions which In the wisdom OF the Ma
/ tional Legislature are necessary to Sc
/ cure permanent peace tnroUghoub the
ioountrv, and to correct the most pale
pabla evils remaining I'll, those states
which were lately in rebell1oni eYli.a,'
which, without such corTecuon WQnlo
eudauFer che NationRl safety, and pc
i lasting source Of irritation and stEife.
In examining the proposed aIne9o-
ment, its extreme modefan0h ls' un4sL
all the circumstances Of the country
and the time, most ren2aE i1s9let ~
1 contains four provisions, 0t Rhlen shrso
would become irrepealable and un-
changable except BY new aiastioL. Lls
I of the Constitution but the Obher
could be suspended or annulled by act
Of Congress. 70
The three former consists 1lgst, Of
/ the erant of power to the Natlonal
/ Government to protect the citizens OF
4 the whole country In their legal pElVll-
eges and immunities, should any state
! attempt to oppress classes or 1ndlyIdu-
ais. or deprive then of the equal pro-
! lection of the laws second; OF the
equitable equalization Of representa-
/ ton, BY forbidding any State or dis
I triet to increase the number Of It's
1 Representative in Congress by emu
meratinq in the electoral basis, classes
/ of United States citizens who are still
denied the elective franchise and
third, of the affirmation OF the IN
vioIability Of the faith pledged 70 the
payment of the existing public debt OF
! the United States, coupled with the
denial Of power to the Natlonal OF
I State Governments to assume or pay
anv debt incurred In aid Of the late
rebellion.
A simple statement Of these propO-
/ sitions is their complete justification.
! n AAI 4ADu was ia y AeAA
| before the war. when It was notorious
i that any attempt to exercise freedom
of discussion In regard TO the system
which was then hurrying on the rebel
/ lion. was not tolerated in the South
-ern StRteas and the State laws gave no
! real protection TO immunities Of this
4 kind, which are of the essence of free
government. The necessity, also, Of
] having somewhere reserved right to
! protect the freedom of the slaves whom
! the war emancipated is too palpable
for argument. If these rights are in
/ good faith protected By State laws and
! State authorities, there will be no need
of federal legislation on the subject,
and the power will remain Ia abey-
anoe but if they are sysbeHlatlcai.ly
/ violated, those who violate them VIII
/ be themselves responsible Tor all the
| necessary interference of the central
1 government.
The second proposition is so just in
| itself that the only objection raised to
it is, that It is a change OF the original
sO-called Compromises Of the Gonstl-
! tuition" It is an all sufficient answer
/ to say that the rebellious States long
/ enjoyed a very dispropo poWer
i in the government, which they used
| for the destruction Of the government
/ itself, aud that after such rebellion,
a readmission of the insurgents to
true republican equality ef represent
| atioufs the most that the loyal citizens
/ of the country can allow, IN Justice to
+ themselves. 1t is neither denied nor
concealed that this Is q diminutiOn of
/ the present political power Of the
i Southern States which Is a penalty for
rebellion but when the penalty CON
sists only in looping Of that which
was an excess Of power before, and ia
applying an equal rule to them. and 70
ourselves, 1t may we'll be doubted
] whether defeated insurgents were ever
before treated with equalsmRgnaulmtty.
The third proposition, relatlFe 20
the debt, has, I believe, found no opOn
opposition,
ment IS that which provides for the
disqualification for holding Office Of q
class regarded as peculiarly ,responsi-
HE for fhe rebellion. This disuualtu
cation may be removed by Congress
sional action, and It's c0ntInuance OF
discontiuance would be determined by
the evidence of a real return OF honest
allegiance to the National Government.
IL may fairly be said, therefore, TO
deDend upon the Southern people
themselves whether it shall long con-
tinue to operate and they cannot reas-
onably complain of the burden Of e.
provision which their own loyalty
could remove. It is as a necessary
! provision for the public safety that
this is insisted upon, and am sure
there is no disposition in the North 60
continue any disability beyond the
! period which the necessity shall seem
real.
Such is, In my opinion, the charae-
ter of the amendments proposed /,
which it is my duty 60 lay before you
. for action. Several Of the States
have already ratified it, but I deeply
regret to know that ID has been rojeo-
ted several Of those whose ratification
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