The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-20
A NUT FOR CARPET-BAG LEGISLATURES TO
CRACK.

In view of the fact that number of the
Southern so-called Legislatures are now con-
templating the feasibility of taking away from
the people of the States which they severally
assume to represent the right of casting their
votes for presidential electors in November
next, the subjoined extracts from the four
teenth amendment to the Constitution of the
United States will prove of peculiar interest
SECTION l. All persons born or nsturalized in
the United States and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United States and of
the State in which they reside. No
STATE shall make any ldto 1otich shall dbridqe The
privileges and inlnlunities Of citizens Of the
United STATES.
Now, knowing what a set Of lawless law
givers would probably, under the workings of
the reconstruction laws" obtain the domi-
nancy in the South, Congress proceeded to
define the most prominent privileges and
immunities" to which every citizen of the
United States is entitled, and also the penal
ties accruing to any State which should take
away such privileges and immunities," as
follows:
SEC. 2. Representatives shall be spportioned
smong the several States according to their re-
spectiye numbers, counting the whole number of
persons in each State, excluding Indians not
taxed. But when the right to vote at any cleo.
ton for electors for President and Vice. Presi-
dent of the United States, representatives in Con-
gress executive or judicial officers of state, or
the members of the Legislature thereof, IL de-
MED TO any Of the male inhabitants of such State
being twenty-one years Of age and citizens Of the
United States or in any way abridged, except for
participation in rebellion or other crimes, the
basis of representation therein shall be reduced
in the proportion which the number of such male
citizens shall bear 10 the whole number of male
citizens twenty-one years Of age, in such State.
Now, as call persons born or naturalized in
the United States and subject to the jurisdic-
ton thereof are citizens of the United
States and of the State in which they
reside" and as by the third article of
the fourteenth amendment, the only
persons excluded from the privileges of
citizenship are those who, previous to the
war, as a member of Congress, or es an ex-
ecutive, or judicial officer of the United
States, or of any State took an oath to sup
port the Constitution of the United States.
and afterwards voluntarily engaged in rebel
lion against the United States, and as it is
expressly ordained that any State which
deprives any citizen not DISTINGUISHED by the
third article quoted above, of the right to
cast his vote for presidential electors, unless
such deprivation be inflicted by law as a
punishment for participation in rebellion or
other crimes'O ''the basis of representation
therein shall be reduced in the proportion
which the number Of such male citizens
shall bear to the whole number of male
citizens twenty-one years Of age in such
State'-we say from the above, is it not
self-eyident that when the Legislature
of any State, by declaring that it itself will
choose presidential electors, deprives every
citizen of the State of a privilege expressly
guaranteed him by the fourteenth amendment,
that the penalty for such deprivation, which,
as plainly set forth in the fourteenth amend
ment is loss of all representation in Congress,
must ensue?
To elaborate the above argument is useless;
it must be plain to every one, that such would
be the practical working of the election by
Legislatures of presidential electors. Let
then the Radicals crack this very hard nut
before they proceed further in their career.