The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-05

was passed by the Legislature Of California Il
its last session, and q similar one was intro
duced into the Senate at Albany last winter b.
Mr.. Tweed, but for some reason or other u
failed to be acted upon by the lower house.
Taken in connection with Mr.. Eliot's bill these
measures on the part of the State Legislsturcs
should hasten the action Of Congress. ~
Apart from the salutary effect Of this bin
upon the morale and efficiency Of the mercan-
tile marine, it is calculated to build up .
powerful naval reserve, which would be, n
education and training, to our comparatively
small navy what our militia and volunteer
system is to our small standing army. Tho
establishment of system Of proper nautical
schools would open means of instruction to
large portion Of the community that have
never before enjoyed such advantages; and n
connection with the remote results Of beae-
fting the country in time Of war by providing
men to command the fleets of cruisers that are
to cut up an enemy's commerce, hosts Of boys,
now vagabondizng on the streets or becoming
candidates for the reform schools and other
penal institutions Of the large cities, could -
instructed in the manly duties of able seamea.
Every one at all familiar with our merchant
service must be aware that it numbers among
its members many first class gentlemen whose
professional reputation and long experience in
command would exempt them from any ex-
animation by board, and to these officers the
successful organization of these local schools
should be con6ded. Their rare intelligence
would obtain practical results out Of the ex-
listing chaos and infuse into these educational
efforts the vigor and vim Of selftaught men.
Mr.. Eliot's bill has many commendable features,
and if he succeeds in urging it through Con-
gress he will have laid the foundation Of .
system of wholesome education which will b
a lasting benefit to the country and an endur-
ing monument for himself.
The Reconstructed States and tho PrcSa-
Dental Election.
Mr.. Trumbull, from the Judiciary Commit
tee of the Senate, has reported bill to admit
North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana,
Georgia and Florida to representation in Con-
gress, with the following conditions THAT
each of said States shall first ratify the con-
stitutional amendment, known as article four
teen, and shall agree that there shall never b
in the State any denial or abridgment Of the
elective franchise to any person by reason or
on account of race or color, excepting Indians
not taxed" The admission Of each Of said
States shall date from the proclamation Of tho
President announcing the acceptance Of said
conditions, including in the case of Georgia
condition requiring the striking out of her
State constitution the seventeenth section Of
the fifth article depriving the courts of juris-
diction in all cases for debt contracted
before the first day of June, 1865. There
is a separate bill for Arkansas pending
between the two houses. We expect, then,
that these six States will be admitted in season
to participate in the Presidential election, and
it is probable that Virginia, Alabama and
Mississippi will yet finish up their appointed
work in time, making nine in all. Texas, the
tenth, is 80 far behindhand that she will most
likely be excluded from the Presidential list,
in pursuance of bill introduced by Senator
Edmunds, excluding from the electoral colleges
every State not fully reinstated according to
the terms of Congress.
The constitutional amendment known a.
article fourteen according to these terms win,
with the restoration of the States concerned.
become, past all dispute, part Of the supreme
law of the land, by the notifications from three
fourths of all the States of the Union; and this
will settle the question of suffrage upon this
basis-that suffrage and representation In
Congress shall go together, restricted or uni
versal as each State for itself may elect. Thus
property or educational qualification, or both,
may be adopted by the several States, sub
ject to the loss of representation in Congress
in proportion to the population excluded from
a voice in the suffrage, taking male citizens
above the age of twenty-one as the basis Of
the calculation. For example, If one-fourth of
the voters of q State on the universal principle
are cut off from the suffrage by an educational
or property qualification the State loses one
fourth of the members of the House of Repre-
sentatives which universal suffrage would give
her. This is fair, and this will be the end Of
the suffrage agitation in Congress.
As for the vote of the reconstructed States In
the Presidential election, we believe that with
Chief Justice Chase as the conservative Union
candidate they may all, excepting, perhaps.
South Carolina, be carried against the radicals;
for the Chief Justice is known among the
Southern blacks as q just and liberal man
towards their race and one upon whom they