The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1867-01-10

pNmty Oi'EtCu1StIu&iun htCH nAu ute*
} sdcptcd AID acted upon by Presided
Lincoln. rnd was proppsea to be contiA.
aea without variation lin any materifl
Joint BY bis successor b office. | wls
sincerely Impressed with the conviction
that 10 bring utoiit harmony and good
Z feeling snd restore our financial .ailaiss
to the channels from which they had
been diverted By the war, this WAS The
best practicable mode in which il could
be successfully accomplished, This
plan proceeded upon the recognized
principle, that this Onion could not be
! dissolved by amy effort OF the Stategcy.
ernmepts--either by peaceablo, o. VIC
lent secession, or thatof any other mode
Tho General Government was as ppwcr.
Fless as the States in prceipiiatipg aly
Hsuch result, 10 have conceded this
revolutionary power, would have been a
llrhtW.laband9nmeut Of the whole theory
upon which ;our compact was based
3 Tho States, il broken BY the successful
detection ofaa single member, would
have established the inabikyy ,ef the
Fedessas power io,lnailtln its national
supremacy, aud dissolution would have
resulted US au inevitable consequence.
The revolt Of the Southern States was
treated, aud properly SO, as an ins~ree-
ta, against the power Of the Union,
aud when subdued, lett the States un-
,tchangcd 10 all their former relations. -
This view was not eontroyerted by the
iGencral Assembly at that time nor have
\ tsince heard that any other plan OF re.
+ construction, based upon the true theo-
lryof our government, has been presen-
tod. Thelpassage Of the constitutional
Amendment as condition precedent to
the rehdmission of the States 10 the
right of representation presents to my
mind objections OF the grayest charac,
ter, So long as the Constitution coutiu-
ucs to be recognized as the supreme law
uudes which VIC arc acting. 81. l.i 81
e. may also express the opinion here,
that whether withor without the author
/ lty OF the Constitution, Congress should
hesitate 70 make any radical chnnge Ia
the organic law without the Concurrence
Of the requisite vote Of all the States,
4 South as well as North. n.ii a..4.
Il cannot have escaped notice, that
the proposed amendment, comprising
five distinct propositions, talbodies more
than itsslanguage would seem TO convey,
and that the clause to enforce these pro-
visions by appropriate Legislation may
leave tile Southern aud Border States
at the mercy of tho majoFity'in Congress
IN all future time--suhversiyc, as ! be-
licvc, of every principle Of justice and
equality among the States, and 10 times
of high party excitement and sectional
alienation, dangerous to the Liberties Of
the people. e.i l,asr " u4
assume, without the Gear of contra
dietion, that the eject of this Ameud-
inent Of the Constitution Us condition
( precedsnt 10 the re-admisSion of the re-
VOTED States. will be tn :. ultimate en-
I forcen,ent OF negro suffnlge and negro
equality, by indirect legislation, depriv-
ing the Southern and Border States of
their OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the
National Councils, unless purchased by
the clevation.of the negro TO the ua
trammeled right Of Suffrage 1,.ss a3
Admitting the proposed Amendmei,t
to be ever so jnst and liberal, ought T.
in common justice to be thrust upon the
people Of the Southern States to be used
as a leyerio secure to tho negro ia thai.
section what has not been attempted
with the people of the North BY direct
legislation 90 .-f-.
There are ten States nov held in
abeyance by tho dominant party in Coa.
sress, without sufficient cause, us / be.
lieye.s The var has ceased, and the war
power OF which We hear 30 much has
ceased with it. The submission Of tho
Constitutional Amendment to these ex-
eluded States by Congress is a virtual
Recognition that they are still in the
Union, and have.aqightte entertain or
reject it,as may seem mast conducive
to their political safety. Suppose they
reject ii, as they ccrtainlylwill do, what
them Is the North to reopen the war
upon them ?--to dissolve the Union---far
it will amount to tllat,--by reducing
thcm TO Territories, OF what is worse, asf
some have threatened, todegrade them
BY cou6scating their lands aud allowing
the ucgroes to conc IN and occupy them.
The South makes no resistance to the