The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-04-01
Tha14th Amendment.

The 18th Amendment.
We have had so many inquiries lately for the text
of the l4th amendment to the Constitution, that we
give it in I'LL:
Resozred 6y the Senate and House of Representatives
of tie United States Of america in Congress assem-
lied, (two-thirds of both Houses concurring(, That the
following article be proposed to the legislatures of the
several States as an amendment to the Constitution OF
the United States, which, when ratified by three-fourths
of said legislatures, shall be valid as part of the Con-
s%titution, namely:
ARTICLE IA.
SECTION l. All persons born or naturalsed in the
United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
are citizens of the United States and of the State
wherein they reside. No State shall make Or enforce
any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunl-
ties Of citizens of the United States; nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process Of law, nor deny to any person
within its jurisdiction she equal protection of the laws.
SEC. 2. Representative shall be apportioned among
the several States according to their respective mum,
bers, counting the whole number OF persons in each
State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the
right to vote at any election for the choice of electors
for President and Vice-President Of the United States,
representatives in Congress, the executive and Judicial
officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied 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 crime, the basis
of representation therein shall be reduced in the pro-
portion which the number of such male citizens shall
bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one
years of age in such State.
SEC. 3. No person shall be a senator or representa-
tive in Congress, or elector Of President and Vice
President, or to hold any office, civil or military, under
the United States, or under any State, who having
previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress,
or as an officer of the United States, or as a member
Of any State legislature, or as an executive OR judicial
officer CT any State, to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in Instruction or
rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to
the enemies thereof. Congress may, by a vote of two
thirds of each House, remove such disabilities.
SEC. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United
States, authorised by law, including debts incurred for
payment of pensions ald bounties for services in sup
pressing instruction or rebellion, shall not be ques-
toned. But neither the United States nor any State
shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in
aid of instruction or rebellion against the United
States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of
any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims,
shall be held illegal and void.
SEC. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce,
by appropriate legislation, the provisions Of this ar
ticle.
--~e--
1NPEACHMENT.-The impeachment Of the President
is but a part of the desperate game Of the Radical par
ty to perpetuate their own succession. Long ago the
New York Tribune declared, that with the Executive
hostile to the policy Of congressional reconstruction,
the restoration of the States, under that policy, was
uphill work. Since that time the President has been
able to throw more obstacles in the way osits success,
by a change of commanders and by the removal of
Stanton. The Secretary being, in the Cabinet, a spy
upon its action, and at The same time the principal cx-
ecutive agent for military domination over the States,
his removal was made the occasion Of the impeachment.
IF tho praS;1ant oan hn iD,ncorbpd anI rap,ova1 from
Office, or suspended, the duties of the Executive will
then deyolve en- Wade; and he, assisted by Stanton,
fully restored to his lost position, would be able to
force in the excluded States in time to give the Radi-
cal candidate for the Presidency the benefit of negro
votes in the electoral college. But after the removal
of yoheson, the next step would be the dismissal of
McCulloch from the Treasury, and the appointment Of
a Radical partisan who could be relied on to make the
treasury a powerful auxiliary Of the Radical candidate.
This, we believe, is the secret meaning of the impeach-
ment movement. 1t is simply to remove a political
opponent in the executive department and then fill
his place with a partisan who can be relied on for par
tisan work. Whether it can be done depends, in our
opinion, very much upon a question Of time. IF a trial
can be hurried through, in time to- make Wade Presi-
dent during the coming ca~mpaign-without shocking
the moral .sense Of the country by an indecent haste
that would recoil upon the impea clers-we believe
the president will be ,impeached. IF the trial is pro-
tracted beyond the summer months we think no con-
vic+ion will follow, for it will then be too late to ben
eft the party by a conviction.
CANDIDATES OR NoT.-A veteran in the service OF
the State-a resident of a ncighboring parish-urges
us, in a strong letter, to advocate the policy Of run
ming candidates for the Legislature. He thinks, if we