The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-05
ia, CouuiiIuiiOnnl AmendIncni-The
Ohio Legislature.


repealing that States ratification ofthe
,o,dius Amendment To the Federal
constitution has vexed the loyal soul
,mazinr '. "Pcrfdy," treason" and
.yiIIaipy" are among the energetic
,,r,rs with which the repeal is denounc-
ed.
Sp,h of the Indignant aS possess the
lr,ips and have taken the time To con-
.;d,rtLe onestion have, in al! likelihood,
loo, more enraged, over the perfect le-
.,,itr of that repeal than because of
any had faith or impcopriety IN tue leg
;.Iatjye action of which it is the roSSlt.
The Stiffness of SUMNER i'll advancing
heid,a that i state, ratifyinE Con
.ti,u,ional Amendment. is b'und by
chat ratification, whether the Amend
-,,.ut Incomes law or not, may be imlta-
tod but il Will hardly he surpassed by
any of his admirers. The effect of his
l,ctr;r.Wnnld ha rs follows: Ohio sud
thar STATE, OF tie UniOn. Ia the num-
her of apr l,ss than the requisite three
.,nrtL, flhr whole, ra'ify Coustltu-
iona, Amendment For want of the
VOC of onr SAFE the Amendment fails.
An Au4,aca years hence the deficient
pur. or two or three States conclude to
rafify and 50 doing the entire nation Is
hnunl by their action.
Ne believe il 70 be correct principle
that one party to a contract cannot be
boaud ihercby until all the parties to
tia, contract have agreed to be so
hsnnt ludeed il is no contract until
ali the pII;ics have Rade i; such. I'm
iii thar time, any one signing, is at lib
eft, 10 recrte, and in 50 doing he merely
o,cu2p, the position of those wh4 have
refused oI failed 10 Sign. Contrary to
this practice, Ohio is to be held to an
imperfect contract; >he is 10 be bound
aud the mum-ratifying States are to be
free. \ century hence, should their in.
,eye>ts demand it. they may ratify, and
Ohio must shen comply, although her
Interests may then forbid ii.
Say, cotemporary: There is 10
clearer principle, either Of law or NOR
a.. than that a contract does not bind
one parry until 1t has receiy-
ed the assent of the other; or if
there be several parties, that
no one j. bpuad until ali hJye entered
!a;o the en- aErment Whrs three
fourth, Of ,'t. Sta t, have as,cntrd 10
an imrnjmrn:. il .s the Supreme law
Of the land. aud binds everybody: hat
unit. three-iuurthS have ass-ntcd, it is
mere draft AMI binds nobody"
The argument gains force from the
tact hat the Radicals in Congress have
rcpndiated the conditions upon whick
the Amendment was ratified. 1t was
offered as fnality. The people were
assured that it embodied the policy of
Congress upou reconstruction. The
people accepted ana sanctioned it as
such. But scarcely was that sanction
obtained before tho very authors of
that Amendment rejected it as basis
of reconstruction aud proposed new and
still more iutolcraJlc terms to the
South When the people II Ohio found
that their ratification had been obtain,
ed uuder false pretences, their repeal OF
that ratification WAS necessary eX.
preston OF their opinion of the fraud
that had been p:acticed upon them.
1t IL no defence to say that the South
rejected this Amendment aud Justified
other and more stringent measures. 1t
was never offered them as tinality, and
they wou.d have been unpardonably
foolish TO accept the proposition which
carried with il no assurance that their
acceptance wOuId restore them to their
rightful place within the Union.
Finally he Amendment is wrong in
itself and works great injustice TO the
North. 1t represents the DISTINGUISHED
white people Of the South aud places
IN tue hands OF ;ar negroes the pollti-
ralpower that rightinlly belongs ia
those whites. If the Congo Conven'
iions or Governmeutsd disfranchise three
tou:tbs of the whites in the
South, they will still be represented,
aud the negroes will do the voting fol
them.
Thus it NAV happen. that in Con
gge>sional District controlled by ten
thousand negro votes. and where there
are as many non-votiug white men, ole
urgros vote will count as two. In the
North it requires from twenty-five ta
thirty thousand white voters to send q
member to Congress. In the South one
third that number of blacks will do the
same, provided the disfrauchised white
residents are in sufficient number to