The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-07
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Mr.. Summers Views on 7ReeOnstrue-
90 ls -.--.. tion. ......-.......a.szsr
From the New York LHdependeat oil
this week we take the following letter
Of Senator Sumner, addressed to Theo-
dore Tilton, editor of thatJournal:
SENATE CHAMBER, Goth April, 81.
3Ly Dear Sir-You wish to have the
North, '.reconstructed,o ~ so al least that
Chise on account of color, But you
postpone. the day by insisting on the
preliminary ofa constittltional amend
ment. l know your vows to The good
cause; but I ask you to make haste.
We cannot wait. ID, ID 5l.i iirsd.ti..4. III. !.
OF course, we can always waitifor the
needful processes; but there are at pres
ent, reasons why we should allow no
time to be lost. THIS question must be
settled tOithOLt deLhy. In other words,
1t must,be settled before thYPreSiden-
tial election which is at hand. Our col
ored felIow-citizens at the South are
already voters. They will vote at the
Presidential election But why should
they vote at the South, and not at the
North? The rule of Justice is the same
for BOTH Their Voteslareneeded at the
North asiwen as at the South. There
are Northern States where their votes
can make the good cause safe sbeyofEl
Question. There are other States where
their votes will be like the last prepon-
deraut weight in the nicely balanced
scales. let 0at1,i .col6red.. feltotk Citizens
U0te in Maryland, aud that State, noIO so
SeUerety tried, will be .ffEed for .HItYgqn
Rights forever. Let them vote in Penn
sylvauia. and you will give more than
twenty thousand votes to the Republic
can cauEs. Let them voIBin New York,
and scales which hang so doubtful,
will incline to the Republican cause, 1t
will be the same in Connecticut. ]
mention these by way ofexample. But
everywhere the old pro-slaVery party
will kick the beam. Let all this be
done, L say, before the next Presfden-
tial electiOn-ET 4 rrnCsyrrFrr
Among the proposed ways of doing
it is, by a new constitutional amend
ment. But this too dilatory, It cam
not become operative till after the Pres
idential election. Besides it is needless
Instead OF amending the Constitution,
read it. -.r'Islz.i =. IL t.ei
Another way is by moving each State,
and obtaining through local legislation
what is essentially right of citizenship.
But Ithis again is too dilatory, while it
turns each State into "a political INSET
strom, and, submits question of 7lu-
tiondt interest to- the chances OF local
controversy, and the timidity of local
politicians. This will not do, Eman-
cipation was a national act, proceeding
from the National Goyernment, and APP
plicable to all the States. Enfranchise-
ment, which is the coTollary and COM
plenent Off fIsmancipation, must be a
national act also; proceeding from the
National Government and applicab BILE
to all the States. If it be left to fhe
States individually, the eresult, besides
being tardy, will be uncertain and frag
mentary. ..f fIs=s 'r4,5r.., '-l ta =,5.
There is another way, (which is at
once prompt, energetic, and compre-
hensiVe. II is by act of Congress-,
adopted bya majority of two-thirds in
spite of Presidential Veto The time
toned. Congress has already exercised
1t in the Rebel States. do not forget
its hesitatiOns. g Only a year ago, when
1 insisted that 1t must do SO, and intro
duced bill to this effect, L was an
sWered IS that "a constitutional amend
ment was needed, and i was voted
down. "A change came, and in u happy
moment Congress exercised the pow er.
What patriot questions it now p But
the power is unquestionablein the other
States also. It concerns the rights of
citizenship. and this SUBJECTS as essen
italy national as the army or the navy.
Even without either of the recent
constitutional amendments, lam at a
loss ito, understand how w4ndenial Oflthe
elective franchise simply on account of
color, can be otherwise than unconsti-
tnttonal. cannot see boI1, SeIldeTI Wq-
Homdl Constitution fCjticf doeS not cOntdt IN
the tV0Td "tDhite1 or H'bIdck, /" there can be
any exclusion on account of color. There
iSl1l0i such exclusion in The Consultation.
Out, of what textiis this oligarchiCal
pretension deriyed7 But, putting aside
this question: which will be clearer to
the jurists of the next generati en- than
TO us, i vouch the authorf atiVe words
OF the Constituti ion, making it our duty
to guarantee q republican form of gov.
ernment in the States. Now the great
est victory Of the wal, to which ali other
victories, whether in Congress or on the
bloody field; were only tributary, was
the definition of a republican govern
nent according to the principles of the
Declaration of 0fDndependence. "A gov
iernmentwh hich denies the elective fran
chise on account of color, or, in other
-WOEuSI aeLS up any NS''4uhllucdLlOubdtO dtOl
votes in their nature HISttFHI0lsE1tn6Le,l
cannot be republican; for the first print
ciple in acreppblican government is
equality OF rights, according to the.
principles Of the Declaration OF Inde-
pendence. And this definition I in,
s1st j Is the crow ming result Of that war
which beat down the rebellion under its
feet. , It only remains for Congress to
enforce it by appropriate legislation.
But there are two recent constitution
al amendments,S each of which 'fam-
ishes ample and cumulative power. II 4
There is, first, the amendment abol-
ishipg slavery, with its clause confer
ring on Congress the power to enforce
it by appropriate legislation, in pur-
suance of which Congress has already
passed 1.-The 1CfUit Rights act, which is
applicable to the North as we'll us the
South. Clearly, and most obviously
beyond all question, il 1t can pass a
Civil Rights det, ,itc can also pass a Politi-
cal Rights act; fof each is.appropdatet to
enforce the abolition of slavery and to
.thisswork. Without it the work Is only
hall done; - y'g.}s. s'9ols 7Tz' p siF-5
There is yet another amendment re-
Gently adopted by three -fourths of the
loyal States, which is itself an abund-
ant source ePt power. After declaring
that All persons born or nRturalizedy in
the United States and Esn6j jeCt iolthe
jurisdictiont thereof, are '.citizens," !" this
amendment proceeds to provide that
''no State shall make or'eaiorue sny
law which shall abrfdge the pFfviIeRes
or immunitieS OF citizens of the Unifed
States;n and Congress is empowered to
enforcs this provision by apprppriate
legislation. Nothing can besP sPlaiher
Here, then, are three different foun-
tains ofpoWer in the Constitution itself,
each sufiicients the three together three
times suft1cient; each exubeFant and
Overlooking, The three together three
times : exubeFant and Overlooking.
How, In the face Of thesei provisions,