The Van Buren press., 1868-09-04
The Van Buren, Press.
VAN BUREN,, ARKANSAS.
Judge English's Speech on the Oath.

the ,chite men taking the oath, SO tha
they may be enabled to vote at the mex
election:
repeat, therefore that the trainers o
the clause of the oath mdcs discussion
did not intend to require the elector e
swear, as condition of registering ant
voting, that he accepts itas fact that al
men, everywhere, are on civil and po
litical equality; for the oath in that sens,
would be false, and they themselves coul,
no: tako H. Nor did they intend th'
elcctor to swear that all men, everywhere
should be upon an equality, for what
business has an Arkansas convention to
require men here TO take an oath express
ing an opinion rs to what should be the
political and civil relations of men in
other States and countries ... ID
What then, is the true, legal intepreta-
ton of this clause Of the oath? II is
this That J accept it as n fact, that all
men-that is the white man and the black
man--arc, by the existing constitution
and laws of Arkansas, placed upon a civil
and political equality. .....
Well, accept this as an existing fact,
and am willing to swear to it as such
but in that oath | make no expression OF
opinion, as to whether the constitution
and laws which establish this fact should
be permanent or temporary in their dura-
ton; or whether the fact is founded in
expediency or inexpedieney, wisdom or
foil. The eleotor may take the oath, af-
frming his acceptance Of the existing
fact, whether he approves or jisapproves
of the policy of the fact. ... ..
ss
We accept disease when il is not to be
avoided. The sick man accepts and
swallows as an existing necessity, an Of
fensivc dose of physic, whilst he would
greatly prefer something more palatable,
The dying man accepts death rs an inev
table event, but sinks into the gloom of
the grave with the pleasing hope, that ere
long the angel of the last day, standing
with one foot upon the land and the other
on the sea, shall proclaim the end of the
dominion of DEATH and that the loud
trump of tho resurrection morn shall
awake him to 4 new and better life.
SO we accept the existing constitution
of fArkansas, with all its oppressive pro
visions and Objectionable oaths, as an ex
isting evil, but we sink into the political
grave which radicalsm has dug for us,
with the cheering and confident hope,
Seymour statldtfig at'ffb ca3Ftor HIaraiie
nation, as its honored chief, and extend
ing one arm to the North and the other
to the South, shall proclaim with voice
swellcd into tones of thunder, by the
chorus Of millions of applauding voices,
that the dominion Of radicalism has ter
minated, and the reign Of constitutional
liberty has revived
Second clause" and agree not to at
tempt to deprive any person or persons,
on account of race, color or previous
condition, of any political or civil right
privilege or immunity enjoyed by any
other class of men,"
Well, agree to that, in the sense in
which it must be interpreted, and in the
only sense in which the trainers of the
oath had power to prescribe it, conccd.
ing for the purposes of the argument,
that they were legally assembled as a
convention
That scnscis this The constitution
by which this oath is prescribed, through
out all of its provisions, places the black
man upon cirH and political equality
with the white man, and the oath must
be construed to bind the person who
takes it, not to attempt by any illegal
means, so long as this constitution re-
mains in force, to deprive the black man
of this civil and political equality, because
of his color race or previous condition
that is, because he is black, ofthe Afri.
can race, and of his having been slave.
But tie oath viii not bind man, nor
had the convention the power to prescribe
any oath that wouN bind any man, not
to exercise the inalcnable right 70 test
the validity Of this constitution, with all
of its provisions, or Of resorting to the
old established modes Of abrogating or
reforming it.
The first section of the very constitu.
ton itself, which prescribes the oath, dc.
clarcs that. Gan political power in in
hercnt in the people; government is in.
stituted for the protection, security and
benefit of the people, and they have the
r,ght to alter or reform the same when.
ever the public may require it, f.
And the Declaration of Independence
declares it TO be an inalienable right OF
the people to alter or abolish their gov
crnmcnt and institute, whenever the pub
lie good may require it, n new form OF
government. So that if all the people OF
the State were TO be guilty Of the folly OF
swearing that they would never abolish
or reform the present constitution, the
oath would not be binding on them. For
men can neither grant away, nor swear
away their inalienable rights and the
trainers of the oath were not such con
sumatc fools as to intend it to have that
effect
But when the people Of this State shall
no longer he deprived Of their just politi
cal rights by force and fraud, and shall
come to abolish or reform the present
constitution, whether they will continue
to the colorcd men VII the civil and polit
ical rights and privileges granted to then
by the present constitution, depends very
much upon their conduct in the mean
time. II they permit themselves to b'
marched to the polls by designing men,ii
companies, like tlocks Of sheep, aud TO b'
used as mere voting machincs--if they al
low themselves to be made to do the dis