The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-09-18

and all who held or pretended to hold III
the service of the said pretended Confeder-
ate government military rank or title
above the grade of Brigadier General, or
naval rank or title above that of Captain,
and all who were or pretended to be Gov
errors of States while maintaining, abet-
ting, Or submitting to or acquieseing in the
rebellion. % 9ai t4+sA
2. All persons who in any way treated
otherwise than as lawful prisoners of war
persons who, in any capacity, We're en-
ployed or engaged in the military or naval
service of the United States.
3. All persons who, at the time they may
seek to obtain the benefits Of this procla-
nation, are actually i'll civil, military, or
naval confinement or custody, or legally
held to hail, either before or after convic-
ton, and all persons who were engaged, di4
rectly or indirectly, in the assassination Of
the late President of the United States or
in any plot or conspiracy in any manner
Herewith connected. la ahl ai'it
No person, therefore, with the above
exceptions is liable to be indicted or
tried Tor treason, or deprived of life,
limb or property for participation inthe
recent war against the United States
The right to pardon for the commission
of offences is vested in the President by
the Constitution of the United States !;
the individuals who have been par
doned are, therefore, beyond the power
of harm at the hands Of the revolution
airy majority in Congress-.
While the proclamation of1865, when
the people feared punishment, created
but little sensation, and its benefits
were even ignored by many who might
have availed themselves of them, the
proclamation Of 1867, when the people
are pretty well satisfied that all the
"febels" will escape punishment, has
been hailed with no little delight and
satisfaction. The reason is that, by
some means or other, they have mag
ined that the proclamation upsets the
recent Congressional reconstruction
acts and confers the right Of suffrage
on every one who takes the amnesty
oath. The people sometimes imbibe
very crude notions of executive power.
Whatever may be the Presidents ulti-
mate intentions, when his hands shall
have been sufficiently strengthened,
there is nothing now to indicate that
the proclamation is susceptible Of any
such construction.
The National Intelligencer says that
amnesty relieves the people from disa-
bilities with regard to the right of suf-
frage $50 far as the general govern
ment is concerned" Now this SEN
tence of our venerable and much es-
teemed contemporary is devoid of any
substantial meaning whatever. If it
means anything it means that par
doned individual may vote for officers
Of the United States, but not for State
officers, if the Constitution of State
denies him the privilege. Now, it is
well known that there is no such thing
as a national right Of suffrage; the Con-
stitution leaves to the different States
the power to regulate the right of suf-
frage within their own limits for officers
of the general government. For in
stance, the qualifications of voters for
representatives in Congress are the
same as those of the most numerous
branch Of the State Legislature. Now
if a State Constitution should say that
q certain individual should not vote for
q member of the State House Of Repre-
sentatives, then such an individual
could not vote for Representative in
Congress. And so with Presidential
electors and other officers.
That the President of the United
States, in his two amnesty proclama-
tions, did not intend to confer the right
of suffrage By these documents alone, is
abundantly proved by his own acts. In
1865 it required a second. proclamation
to confer the right of suffrage. In each
of his proclamations providing for a
government for the Southern States, he
conferred the right to vote for members
of the Convention only on those who
had taken the amnesty oath required
by the one first issued. So now, there
has occurred nothing to indicate that
the President win not faithfully exc
cute the acts recently passed by Con-
gress for the government of the South
ern States. He appoints the District
Commanders /; removes them when they
exceed their powers and takes partic.
ular pains to tell everybody that he il
in favor of carrying out the will Of Con.
gress as expressed by the recent mill.
tary bills. Now the seventh section O
the supplemental act declares that nj
person shall be entitled to register O
vote By reason Of erecntice pardon wh
,could otherwise be disfranchised for reg
isteang or coting. How can the Presi
dent carry out the military bills and ig
more such ain important provision
provision which would render nugator,
the whole bills, and defeat the objec
of their passagog
Moreover, universal amnesty ha
long been a fayorite hobby with som
If the most radical of the Norther
Radicals. Horace Greeley has bee
clamaring for it, in return for negr
suffrage, for nearly two years. Wi