Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-01-23
AN ISSUE PRESENTED.

Boua Houses of the Ohio Legislature
10y a stslct party vote adopted the joint
resolution Withdrawing the assent Of
Ohio, given January IL, 1867, to the
amendment of the Constitution, known
as Article XIV. This extraordinary
resolution was forced through the Senate
under the operation Of the previous
question, aud all discussion of its merits
was cut off by the application of the gag
law, which now at all times IL enforced
at the will and with of a single MEM
ber.
The Democracy have therefore pre-
sented an issue which we are most hap
py to accept, and we arc prepared to
meet them on the merits OF the general
principles contained in the amendment
which they now reject. Dismissing for
the present the question as to their au-
thority to take any such action, let US
see what proposition the Democracy
have by this action affirmed and de-
MED.
Section l of the amendment reads:
"All persons born or naturalized in the
United States, and subject to the juris-
diction thereof, are citizens ofthe United
States, and of the State wherein they
reside. No State shall make or enforce
any law which shall abridge the priv
ileges or immunities of citizens of the
United States, nor shall any State de-
prive any person Of life, liberty or pro-
perty, without due process Of law, nor
DENY to any person within its jurisdic-
ton the equal protection of the laws. 1"
The majority Of the Legislature by
Withdrawing their assent to this section,
therefore deny the right Of citizenship
to persons born and naturalized in the
United States, they affirm that any
State may abridge the privileges and
tmmunities Of citizens of the United
States, that State may deprive any
person of life, liberty and property with
out due process of law, and may deny to
any person the protection Of the law.
The I'd section of ArticleXIV in sub
stance provides that representatives. shall
be apportioned among the several States
according to the number of persons in
each State above the age Of twenty-one,
and than when the right to vote shall
have been abridged, then the basis
of representation shall be reduced in
proportion.
Every man of average intelligence
can see that there is no negro suffrage
in this provision, but only the reasona-
BILE requirement that if colored citizen
is deprived of the right to vote by the
ltate rebels of any State, his worst
enomy shall not vote for him, as if by
proxy. The amendment provides that
if the negro is not allowed to vote for
himself and the interests of his race,
that surely his vote should not in effect
be counted against him, his interest, his
rights and his liberties. The Democracy
North and South take issue with us on
this ground.
Sec. of the article in question pro-
vides that no officer who has taken an
oath to support the Constitution of the
United States and afterward engaged
in a rebellion to destroy the Constitu-
ton which he had sworn to support,
shall hold any Office of trust under the
Government.
Our legislature thinks that men who
have committed perjury and who have
been engaged for four years in cutting
our throats are now the best qualified
to golern. us, to make laws for the Union
they tried in vain to destroy.
BY section it is declared that the
validity of the public debt of the United
States.shall not be questioned, and that
all debts incurred in aid of insurrection
or rebellion against the United States,
and that all claimes for the loss or eman-
cipation of slaves shall be held illegal
and void.
Inc SOnIeueTAto DeIIOCldCy, III hSS-
islSture assembled, could not find ii in
their bowels to approve this doctrine,
from the fact that they have already
questioned, In athousand ways, the valid
ity of the United States debt. In point
of fact they have already resolved, under
the leadership of Pendleton, not to pay
the debt at all, but to run offon the Gov
ernmont printing presses, several thoas-
and reams of paper promises to pay the
debt when the Government, that Is the
debtor, sees fit. Applied toprivate trans
actions it 10 paying" one series of prom
issory notes, drawing interest, with an
other lot of promissory notes not drawing
interest, and payable when one party to
ths original contract, that is when the
debtor, pleaaes. None hut first-c class fool
will he deluded by a scheme which falls
so far short even of scientific swindling.
The unwillinsness Of these honorable
Copperheads to declare the Confederate
debt illegal and void, is doubtless in part
owing to the fact that it is the result Of
a systsm Of finance similar to the one
they now propose to adopt, and hence do
not wish its failure to be q permanent re-
cord against the paper system of finance.
AS the Southern Democracy were light
ing for State Sovereignty and other DEM
ocratic doctrines, the Northern wing OF
the party can very properly assume the
debt incurred i'm the common defense Of
common principles.
PROTEST OF UNION SENATOR'S.
Mr.. Griswold, of Lorain, in behalf of
the Union members of the Senate, pre-
sented the following protest:
The undersigned, Union Senators of
the State of Ohio, desire to record their
protest against the unprecedented course
pursued by the majority of this body
during yesterdays proceedings, upon the
occasion of resembling the resolutions by
which the General Assembly of Ohio rat
flied the 14th amendment to the Consti-
tuition of the United States, for the fol-
lowing reasons: .-..I
lst. The necessity and justice of the
proposed amendment. Its provisions
are so manifestly right and fair, and OF
such vital importance to the future well
fare of our common country, that they
believe no good argument can be offered
against its Incorporation into the Consti-
tuition of the United States.
I'd. 1t was fully canvassed throughout
tbs State previous to the election of 1865,
and received the hearty Endorsement of
the people. The largest majority, save
one, ever given at Congressional cleo
ton in Ohio, fully attests the will of the
voters of the Commonwealth upon this
important proposition; and that decision
remains unreversed and in full force.
Cd The manner in which this meas