The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-31
Tho Constitutional Amendment and the
Political Parties OF tho Day.

6tltutlOn ueclareS, ur5t 6ectlOn, the equality VI
all citizens in their civil rights, and that per-
sons of all races and colors born or naturalzed
in the United States are citizens thereof and
of the State in which they reside second,
that representation in Congress shall be re-
stricted or extended in proportion as the right
of suffrage may be restricted or enlarged by
the several States; third, that certain rebels
shall be DISTINGUISHED and disabled from hold
ing certain civil offices, State and national,
until absolved by two-thirds vote of each house
of Congress; fourth, that the validity Of the
national debt, pensions and bounties shall not
claims for slaves shall be held illegal and void
fifth, that Congress shall have power, by ap-
propriate legislation, to enforce these provisions
This article the Secretary Of State has pro-
claimed as duly ratified by ''more than three
fourths of all the States, and that, therefore,
it is "valid to all intents and purposes as part
of the constitution of the United States"
Here, then, we have definite settlement Of
the questions of civil rights, suffrage, disfran-
chisement and civil disabilities, the national
debt and all rebel debts and claims for slaves
settlement which, in the State elections of
1866, was Overwhelmingly approved by the
| people from ocean to ocean. But how stand
the political parties of 1868 upon this settle
ment? 1t is the work of the republican party,
and, although it opens the door for the re-
moval of the Congressional policy of universal
negro suffrage enforced upon the rebel States
in their reconstruction and restoration, even
Sumner was an active instrument in securing
this ratification. He and his fellow radicals of
the universal fanatical negro suffrage school
doubtless believe that whatever party may
come henceforth uppermost in any Of the
! s9ssstAhern States il Yi!l give the negroes the
possible representation in Congress and in the
Electoral College, which elects the President
and Vice President Of the United States. The
republicans, then, radical fanatics, and
women's rights men, and all, will adhere to
this amendment, although it limits the suf-
frage to males above the age of twenty-one
years, and restores to the States respectively
| the right to establish universal or qualified
suffrage on the basis of property, education,
| race or color.
The administration, next, with Mr.. Sew
! ards proclamation of this amendment, is bound
| by it; for it is an official act of recognized
officer of the administration. But what of the
democratic party? According to its Tammany
platform the Southern reconstruction acts of
Congress are Unconstitutional, revolutionary
and void" Against the universal negro suf-
frage experiment Of the republicans there was
1867, and also in New Jersey, and the first
regular proceeding of each of these Legisla-
lures was the indignant repeal of the ratifica-
ton of this constitutional amendment made by
the Legislatures elected in 1866. In the case
of New Jersey the revocation was expressed
in terms of such unqualified wrath and denun-
citation that the paper, pronounced scandal
GUS and offensive" was refused reading in
Congress. Nor have we yet heard the first
syllable from any quarter in the democratic
camp In recognition of this amendment. 'The
constitution of our fathers is the campaign
cry of Wade Hampton; and, according to his
own testimony, he had as much to do in the
1868 as had Mr.. vallandigham in the building
of its peace platform of 1864. But if we are
to go back to ''the constitution Of our fathers
we must go back to the regime of Buchanan,
and of slavery and the Southern slaveholding
olgarchy, and the Fugitive Slave law and
Southern lynch law, and the bred Scott deci-
sion that negroes have no rights which white
men are bound to respect" The democratic
Tammany platform recognizes the abolition Of
slavery by ''the voluntary action" of the States
concerned. This would imply that by their
voluntary action" they may re-establish slave
| ry The simple truth is, however, that slavery
was abolished in the slave States by compul-
sion, by war, by the bayonet, and the result
leaves nothing to the voluntary action" of
any State against the sovereign authority of
| the United States.
Is the war-apprOved as q success by the
people of all the States participating in the
election of 1864, except New Jersey, Delaware
and Kentucky-to be pronounced by the people
in 1868 as failure? The position of the
democratic party and its restored Southern
leaders, including Henry A. Wise, the Rhetts,
Wade Hampton, Toombs, Cobb, Stephens,
Semmes and Forrest, against Grant, Sherman,
Thomas, Sheridan and Admiral Farragut, and
| against the results Of the war, Southern recon-
struction and this constitutional amendment,
means the "Union as It was" before tho war
and State sovereignty, and that the 'little un-
pleasantness' of the rebellion and its conse-
quences shall be wiped out, including the
national debt and faith, and that the old
Southern oligarchy, like the Bourbons by the
Holy Alliance or the Stuarts after Cromwell,
shall be restored again to power. Such is the
attitude Of Mr.. Seymour as the candidate for
the Presidential succession against General
Grant, the conqueror of the rebellion. In
| other words the camnainn has aaaumed the