The Montana post., 1869-03-05
FIFTEENTH AmENOmEsU

SEC. l.. The right of citizens of the Unitas
States TO vote shall not be denied or abridgsd
by the United States or by any State on AZ
count of race, color, or previous condition Of
servitude.
SEC. 2. Congress shall have power To On
force this article by appropriate Legislation.
Such is the Joint Resolution, which
after innunerable amendments, reports
and oscillations from one House To tbs
other, has been adopted. and will b.
submitted to the Legislatures. We arr
of the opinion it will be ratified 10y the
reouisite number of States-three.
fourths. Slavery is dead: This buries
it's old clothes. The shackles have fall
en-: This wipes away the rust that re,
mained. 1t brings us back to fist prip.
ciples and is eminently democratic. H.
recognizes and adopts the sacred afFr
nation that "God hath made of one
blood all nations OF men aud ratifes
Jefferson's great truism that all men
are created equal. endowed by their Gre.
ator with certain inalienable rights" L
is government edict of impsrtiality
towards it's citizens, of whatever preyi>
GUS nationality. 1t applies to the Irish.
man, the German, the Italian and the
negro citizen alike, providing that their
race and color shall not be an admissa-
ble evidence to deprive them OF voting
1t does not arbitrarily invest them with
suffrage. Under this amendment, States
may make such educational, or proper
ty, or other qualifications necessary as
they deem essential to their welfare
when not in conflict with other parts Of
the Constitution, and enforce them alike
on all citizens. IL does not in terms
guarantee the right to hold office, thai
having been stricken out. There are
but eighteen States that now exclude
citizens from the polls on account OF
race or color all the other States and
Territories being now in the same con-
dition proposed in this amendment. Il
is certainly as fair for the North as the
Reconstruction acts were for the South.
and 10000 majority of the voters OF
the Union ratified those acts in Novem.
ber. 1t is claimed by some Democratic
cotemperaries that the submission Of
this amendment to the Legislatures
previously elected is unfair, anc they
would undoubtedly cry out "unconsti,
tutional" against the entire routine and
demand it's postponement by submit,
ting it at the polls, were it not express,
ly stipulated in the original Con-
stitution that il shall be sub
mitted TO the Legislatures or Con.
ventiops, at the option of Congress,
There have already been fourteen
amendments to the Constitution rati.
fed, and in every instance it has been
by Legislatures. Why should the ff,
teenth be submitted to conventions. en-
failing needless expense ? 1t is claimed
again that the Legislatures have not
been instructed on this measure. Nei-
ther have they been, or are they ever
instructed on one in a hundredof the laws
they enact, and il was asserted by Sen,
ator Ferry, in Congress, without contra,
diction, that a majority of the amend,
ments have been ratified by LegislS,
lures elected, as IN this instance, be.
|
Congress. Believing firmly and stead
fastlY in impartial suffrage that no
mans race, nor nationality. nor religions
beliefs, nor previous condition of LIE
should prevent the full rights and ben
efits TO which citizens of the United
States are inalienably entitled under the
letter and intent of our institutions
believing that we are in these year
tramplinG down rank and poisonous
up-growth of false prejudices that beH
ter befit barbarians than an enlightensd
Government ; believing, as we have from
the first, that an enactment proper iG
the Territories was proper for the States
whose Representatives enacted il;
lieving taxation without representauol
is tyranny and that ten million colored'
people have their rights as thirty NIL
lion white people have theirs, we shsA
trust hopefully this amendment will De-
come part of the American COnstitn-
ton.
A company of men have been formed
in this city, says the San Francisco ne
aid, who propose TO emigrate with thg.
families to White Pine in the Spring.
which the principle of the co -operalel
has been carried to the Fourier I'm.
The company consists of 12 men, tns'.
wives and little ones. They are havlDs
their houses framed on the Trucks
ready to be freighted piece-meal :
Treasure City in March. A corner gp
Gerry store will occupy one angle IN 1If
building the company number VIII
reside in the house, and have rooms