The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-03-28

before hG is allowed 10 vote in most Oi
The States. must appear IN opeu court
lnd after five years residence, prove by
the testimony Of two citizens good
moral character aud that he is well dis.
posed towards the Government and insti.
tutions OF the United States-to compare
him with the poor degraded mass of AZ
ricans, plantation slaves just set free, is
AZ atrocious libel upon ourselves. upop
our ancestors. upon the results Of Chris.
tan civilization. and upon that Cnucas
ian race which for thousands Of years
has ruled the world. The effect Of tho
adoption Of this amendment would be "a
allow all who have tho qualifications re.
qnrcd by the constitution Of those States
before the rebellion. not specially disfran.
chiScd, To vote; that is to say. the mass
of white men. and at the same time il
would allow the most liberal negro suf.
frage at all compatible with the main.
tenance Of civilized governments in those
States. Let Congress now pause, and
modify it's course in accordance with the
provisions Of this amendment. and have
every reason TO believe the people &C the
States would at once take part in the
work of reconstruction. solution Of our
difficulties would be attained. and peace
restored To the country. But if Congress
is still delerni ned to establish those gov.
crnmcnis upon negro supremacy, then
chaos comes again ; a war Of races IL in
cyitable mt the South. But, sir. why
press this negro supremacy over the
whites What reason can you give |
have heard three answers TO this question
worthy Of notice First, because the
States of the South rejected the constitu.
tional amendment submitted by Congress:
second. because the negroes urc loyal and
the whites disloyal; and third. because il
will secure party ascendanev Let us
consider the first answer. that the States
Of the South have rejected the consii.
tutional amendment submitted BY The last
Congress rs a basis OF reconstruction. |
admit the legislatures Of all the Southern
States rejected that amendment with
great unanmiiy; but is that any sufficient
reason for the adoption ot the harsh pol
icyg ! think not. In the frs, place.
that amendment coniains one provision
which made its adoption impossible by
The Southern people. at least until YOU
change the human hear, aud destroy all
.nsc ni personal honor. II DISTINGUISHES
from holding office ali the men Of the
Sonfh in whom they had ever placed any
public confidence. al who had ever held
any Office, State or federal, On account.
mainly, of that provision the amendment
was rejected. almost unanimously, by
every Soughern State. Again. when
examined more closely, we fad that pro
vision required them 10 vote in disfran.
chIse thousands who had received pardon
ani restoration 10 nl their rights a.
citizens under ,he proclama',nu- III Pres
idcut Lincoln aud President johnson. by
virtue of law 81 Congress you yourselves
enacted, aud which expressly authorized
them t0 grant such pardon and amnesty
upon such terms as they thought proper
Again. sir. there is another feature Of
that provision which no sentiment Of jus.
tIce shoul tolcrafe* or excuse. In tha,
sweeping disfranchisement no distinction
whatever il made between those who vol.
unfairly engaged aud those who were
compelled TO engage in the rebellion, no
distinction whatever is made between the
innocent aud the guilty. 1t contains
still another Objectionable feature 10 vio.
lation Of an important principle in every
good government, confounding executive
with leg slative duties If there be any
prcrogativc which more than another
pertains to the executive in all govern
ments, ancient or modern, that peroga.
tive is the power of pardon. This amend
ment proposes to change the Constitution
so as to take that power away from the
Executive and confer il upon the houses
Of Congress. 1t is revolutionary, and
worse than that. 1t vetoes the power Of
clemency in advance. 1t not only takes
the power from the President, but it takes
it away from majority Of Congress, and
requires two.thirds of both houses in or
der to exercise power Of pardon, the
same majority which is necessary to pass
law over the Presidential veto. Sir,
this amendment makes it impossible for u
majority of the people of the United
States, by the choice Of President
or by the election of the houses of
Congress, to grant pardon and amnes
ty. Congress has proposed from time to
time many schemes, but they may be re-
solved into two distinct policies, radically
opposed to each other-frst, reconstruc-
tlon by the constitutional amendment on
the white basis second, reconstruction
by negro suffrage and military force The
first assumed that peace had come; that
the States were in the Union, with gov
ernments organized, with legislatures
having power to ratify or reject constitu-
tional amendments; and, furthermore,
that those governments were in the hands
of white men, with power, as in all the
other States, to admit or to exclude ne
groes from suffrage. And, in case the
amendment were adopted by three-fourths
of the States, the only effect Of admit
ting or excluding negroes from the bal.
lot, in any State would be to change its
number of votes in the other house Of
Congress and in the Electoral College,
The second assumes that we are still at
war; that the Southern States are not
States in the Union at all, but conquered
provinces, with no legislatures which
can either ratify or reject constitutional
that the white people of
these States shall no longer have any.
power over the question Of suffrage that
Congress by the bayonet will disfranchise
the whites and enfranchise the blacks ];
and thus by military power and negro