Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-01-10


ing its terms Tennessee was promptly
50 restored. It is stiu q part Of the re-
construction plan framed by Congress,
and must be ratified by the Legislature
of each insurgent State prior to the re-
admission Of its Congressional Repre-
sentatives.
This amendment was approved by the
last General Assembly by a vote of q
TO Il in the Senate and of 43 to II IN the
House. The Bourbons have now COM
menced the ''hob-raising'' process by
introducing In both Houses a PROPOSE
tion to revoke that approval because,
as alleged, the amendment has not been
sustained by public sentiment at the
elections. They utterly ignore and re-
fuse to be taught by the verdict given
upon that subject in 1856, when this
amendment was substantially the plat
form Of the Republican party and was
made the direct issue in the contest. On
that issue we carried I6 out Of the 70
Congressional Districts in this State,
electing Mr.. Hamilton IN the Eighth by
], $50 majority, and carrying the State
at large by a majority of 2,696. Upon
the direct issue of that amendment we
swept nearly every Northern. State,
netting an aggregate majority for the
amendment as against Johnson's policy
of over 100000 votes. It was subse-
quently ratified by the legislative as
semblies of Connecticut, New Hamp-
shire, Oregon, New Jersey, Vermont,
Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
New York, Pennsylvania, West Vir-
ginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Wiscon-
sin and Nevada. IF this measure was
not approved by popular sentiment as
expressed at the elections no measure
ever was.
BY proposing To revoke It's approval
the BourbOns commit themselves once
more to the tftalnaedidJs and asacoHdition-
al restoration" of the rebel States. Let
US see how this viii work. The Con-
stitution as it nov stands declares that
Representatives and direct taxes
shall be apportioned among the several
States which may be included within
the Union, according to their respective
numbers, which shall be determined
by adding to the whole number of free
persons, including those bound to SER
vice for tern of years, and excluding
Indians not taxed, three-ffths of all
other persons"
The class described here by the phrase
ssother persons were slaves of whom
there are now none. By counting
three-fEths of these in the basis Of rep
resentation the Southern States obtain
ed some thirty more members of Con-
gress in proportion to their voting pop
ulation than the Northern States. But
with slavery abolished and the Consti-
tuition as it now stands not only three
fffths but all the eOlored race viii be
counted in the basis Of representation
thus giving the rebel States at least IF
ty more Senators and Representatives
in Congress, in proportion to their vo5-
ing population than the Northern
States have. Thus the insurgents will
have immensely gained ia political
power by the act of rebellion, and a
Southern rebel will have more than
twice as much voting power as a North
ern loyalist. Instead of rebellion hay
ing been made odiOus a bounty will
have been paid for it and loyalty viii
have been made the crime instead OF
treason.
This and no less is what the Bour-
bons propose to accomplish by revoking
the ratification of the Constitutional
Amendment and restoring the rebel
States Immediately and uneondition-
ally"
We have not time now to notice in
detail the other provisions of this
amendment or the reasons given for
resembling its ratification The pro
priety and justice Of extending the
protection of law to all citizens of the
United States; of disqualifying the
rebel leaders in allegiance of their good
conduct from holding office; of forever
debarring the assumption of the repe
debt and establishing beyond recall tih'
validity Of that of the Union, are prop
ositions 10 obviously correct to need sar.
gumentative support.
Retrenchment having been proelai M
ed as the special mission of the present
Democratic majority, the retrenchers
find themselves somewhat surprised
by the declaration in the Governor.
annual message that t'The reduction. il
the burdens of taxation, of which the
estimate was presented in my last mes
sage, aOas carried into effect ,t,,der III
legislation Of last lCiIlteT, making saUiRq 0
three millions Of dollars to the people.
They have also been somewhat fore
stalled by the resolution offered on tht
9th by Mr.. Scott, Republican Repre-
sentative from Warren. that whereas
the State, county and municipal, to
gether with national taxes imposed up
on the people by the rebellion are Oner-
GUS, therefore
Resolved, That it be declared as tht
sense of this House, that we will, by
appropriate enactments, Tetre3tcb eg
l peIldLt8sreS and reduce taxation as far a.
| consistent with the welfare and pros
perity of the people of the State"
The self-appointed retrenching ma
jority will ind precious little poIitica
/ capital to be made out of State ia xa
ton and the minority quite as ready t.
/ reduce so far as possible the burdens o
the people as they are. Already ther,
is much said by the retrenchers abOu
smelling committees, andnext to "r;ais
ing hob'' smelling out hobbies will
| probably be the great mission of tht
/ retrenchers. Exactly what is to b
smelt out is not yet definitely kno wn
though there is a bare possibility of I
s'miee'' being smelt before the end o
it.