The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-10-07

EEantage can be taken ofa consent which
has been obtained by fraud. 1 had
been taught by the masters o. the law,
of all ages, that consent without free
dom of will is no consent; and from
the great men who est. blished our in
s~titutions--who digged for US this per-
enniaI we'll of our liberties, and babe us
drink of it for all gen%erations--I had
learned, or believed 1 had learned, that
perfect freedom from all restraint, COM
pulsion, or undue Influence, is of rhe
very essence of all lawful changes in
our Constitutional system. So, I am
sure they meant their system to be un-
derstood and acted upon ; and so I am
equally confident their descendants
must regard it, if they mean to preserve
their liberties.
This precedent is of fearful import.
We are told that the Constitution of
the United States has been changed in
respect to the representative basis of
the States ; that the rule which we re
ceived from its trainers, allowing the
States to be represented in proportion
to the relative numbers Of thor inhab.
%itants, has been modified by the intro,
duction of a new principle. which re-
duces the representative basis of any
State that shall not allow the right OF
suffrage to every adult male of any race,
color, or previous condition. We know
that some States can Limit and regulate
Suffrage. and not lose any part of their
Congressional representation, and that
~ Il orc nor nof do G n vNhn. -n ,o~aa
tc inquire how his change in a uniform
and equitable rule of the Constitution
has been brought abo1t, we find that t
has been effected by Legislatures erect
ed by direct Congressional interference
and the exercise Of military power, and
that the primary object of that inter
ference was to compel the adoption o.
this amendment. in order to make the
hnrestrained suffrage Of negroes os per
petual as Federal power can make it
IF. therefore, this amendment is now a
valid part of the Constitution The pre-
cedent has pnt the Constitution at al
times within the power Of Congress to
bring about any changes in it that a 20
lit:cal party may choose to propose -
For in what respect we're the Southerr
States rebel Stairs in March, 1867, OF
in what sense could they be so denomi
rated, that might not be made appiica
bile at any time to any State of the
Union Every Southern army had
laid down its arms two years before
Everywhere the authori y Of the United
States was acknowledge and submitted
to. for the Constitution and laws Of tn,
United Sta'es were everywhere cxecu-
red without the slightest obstruction
IF there is any test of the loyalty of Il
State other than the submission of it.
people to the laws of the United States
it would BE- difficult to give to such 10y
atty a Constitutional d, fnition, tt,
sole evidence of 'disloyalty' that hac
been given by those States after tn
fall Of Richmond and before the passa =,
of the frs Reconstruct on act. coDs's
ed in their rejection OF the proposed
Fourteenth Amendment. Such evi
deuce of disloyalry can be given at an,
time by any State, and therefore tn. |
way can be prepare at any time b, |
declaring any State to be in rebellion
and without a, legal State Government
whenever Congress may desire to re
it for the purpose of forcing
the adoption Of any amendment of IL,
National Constitution. As a citizen O
he United Stiles. shrink from givin:
Ike sanction. of my vote to the candi
of a marty which is responsible f"r
such tamp"ring with the Constitution
would 1 vote for the candidates OF
aTy party that d"rs' not reject such +,
precedent and pledge itself toundo'm
G. r. c."
"Far Rockaway, l. I, August 81"