Nebraska advertiser., 1868-01-16
Democracy VS.. Reconstruction.

DeMNOCTbC! Use Reconstruction.
One year ago the Legislature of Ohio
ratified the Constitutional amendment
proposed BY Congress, and which was to
be known as article fourteen when rati-
fed BY three -fOurths of the States Of the
Union.
This article provides that all persons
born or naturalized in the United States,
and subject to the jurisdiction thereOf,
are citizens of United States, and of the
State in which they reside, and that no
State should deny them the equal protec-
ton of The laws; that if any Stale deny
any portion. of her adul; mail population
the right to vote at any of her elections,
tie population so denied shall not be
counted in making up the basis of repre-
senIatiOn of that State in Congress
That no person, having previously Ia.
ken an oath as a member of Congress, or
as an officer of The United States, or as
a member of any State Legislature, or
as an executor or judicial officer of any
State, 70 support the Constitution of the
United States, and having thereafter co.
gagged in instruction or rebellion against
the same, shall be eligible as a Senator
or Representative in Congress, or elector
Of President and Vice President, or hold
any Office, civil or military. under the
United States, or under any State /; that
Congress may have power 10 remove this
disability; that the validity of the public
debt of the United States incurred il sup.
pressing instruction and rebellion, shall
not be questioned; that neither the United
States nor any State shall assume or paw
any debtor obligation incurred in aid of
instruction or rebellion against the
United States, or any claim for the loss
or emancipation of slaves and that all
suchsdebt, obligations or claims incurr cd
in aid Of rebellion shall be held illegal
and void.
This amendment has not yet been rat
lied by three-fourths of the States in .he
Union. The Legislatures of some Of
the States are now about converting for
the first time since said proposition of
amendment was proposed by Congress,
and will doubtless ratify the same.-
Among the States which have already
lone so are Ohio, New Jersey and Cali.
tornia. The Democracy carried the Leg
islaiure of these States by small major.
lilies on local issues last fall, and as the
Legislatures so elected are about to con.
vene, leading Democrats of the cOuntry
recommend the Legislators so elected to
repeal or rescind the action of the previ.
Gus Legislatures in r~atlfying the said
amendment. In accordance Herewith
resolutions to this effect have been intro.
duced in both houses of the Ohio Legis-
lAture. This amendment was proposed
as a distinctive public policy on the part
of our wise and far seeing statesmen, in
the summer of 1866. and the fall ell
ectiOns were carried overwhelmingly in
favor of this policy and the Republican
party. There were many reasons why
the rebels and their allies Of the North
should Indefatigably work for some form
Of reputation of the public debt, or the
assumption of the rebel debt. There
was no reason why the leading rebels, if
clothed with The same powers as thew
exercised before the rebellion, would not
work as .zelOusly for dIsunion hereafter
as heretofore. 1t was 10 check this ten.
nency, and to preclude the possibility Of
such a result, that this amendment was
offered by Congress to the States for
ratification. This does not, il seems.
suit the Democracy. They are pledged
10 use the short lease of power granted
them in defeating the adoption of this
amendment. They desire the question
Of reputation, Of assumption of the rebel
debt, of the payment of emancipated
slaves, Of the restoration of rebels 10
power, except on their own terms, to re.
main open for solution and for political
strife hereafter. They are determined,
so far as they have the power, to keep
the country in a turmoil and unsettled,
as long as the Republican policy is pur.
sued, hoping that when the nation shall
relax its vigilance they may get full coz.
troll Of the government, and settle these
questions in the interests of the recon-
StruCted Democracy.
As at this season farmers and others
have more time to write than during the