The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-10-18
Amendments 70 the Constitutions
Prospects for the Fifteenth
Amendment.

Amendments 70 the Constitutions
Prospects for the Fifteenth
Amendment.
The favorable result ofthe election In
OHIO and the influence It will have on
other States, rensws the interest In the
fate orsuccess ofthe Fifteenth Amend
ment.
Three amendments to the Federal
Constitution have been proposed by
Congress- lsince the commencement OF
the war, Ofthsse, two, the Thirteenth
and Fourteenth, have been ratified and
are part OF the Constitution. The Thlr.
tenth Amendment abolished, and for.
ever prohibited slavery. The Four
tenth declared:
l. That all persons born or natural
lied In the United States are citizens
thereof; and that no State shall abridge
tho privileges, or deny to citizens the
equal protection Of the law.
.. That representation 10 Congress
shall be npportiOnGd among the States
according to the number OF the people;
but when any State shall deny 10 any
portiOn.Oi Its male inhabitants of q
years of age the right 10 vote, the basis
nf representation in such State shall
bD reduced In the proportion which the
number OF males thus excluded may
bear to tho whole adult male popula-
ton in said State.
3, No Iperson shall hold any Office,
civil or military, under the United
States or any OF the States, who, hav-
lug previously taken the oath to sup
port the Constitution, shall have en-
gagged in the rebellion, or given aid and
comfort to the enemies Of the United
States; Congress, however, by two.
thirds vote OF each House, to have the
power to remove the disability
i. The validity OF the public debt
shall not DO questioned; but neither
The United States nor any State shall
pay or assume any debt incurred In aid
Of the rebellion, all OF which debt Is
declared Invalid md void.
The Fifteenth Amendment reads as
follows:
Tho right OF the citizens Of the Uni.
ted Staten TO vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or any
State, on account Of race, color, or pre-
vlous condition OF Eesvltude."
A statement telegraphed from Wash.
ington Friday, announces that the re-
cords In the State Department show
that the Fifteenth Amendment has been
ratified by twenty States, as follows:
Arkansas, March 90. 1859; Connecsi-
cut, March IL, 1860; Florida, March Is,
1869; Indiana, May Il, 1859; Illinois,
March 8, 1862 Kansas, February q,
1862 Louisiana, March 6, 1869; Missouri,
March !, 1869: Massachusetts,, March l2,
1861 Maine, March u, 1869; Michigan,
March s, 1860; New York, April Il, 1869;
New HAMPSHIRE, July 7, 1869; Nevada,
March !, 1863; Nebraska, March 6. 1860;
Pennsylvnnia. March 20. 1869: South
Carolina, March l6, 1860; West Virginia,
March ., 1860; Wisconsin. March 0,
1869; Virginia, October 8, 1860.
And that 1t has been rejected by these
three: Delaware, March IS, 1869; Ken.
lucky, March IS. 1860; OAlo, May 4,
1869. 'a.. I
The whole number OF the States Is
thIrty'seven, and twenty. eight, being
lhree-fourthsr arc required to ratlfy. II
Is to be noted that Of the twenty recited
there tH informally in the ratificat!o ns
OF Missouri and Kansas, but that will
be corrected; 30 that these twenty
may BIO counted In the afTlrma>
tive. Eight more arc therefore re.
quired. A statement made recent
ly by tho New York Times In
cluded North Carolina among those
rNtifying; and we believe that Ia cor.
rect, but have not the means at hand to
verify II. We Will assume, however,
that the foregoing list Is accurate. We
have, therefore, tho following which
have not acted, either for or against:
Oregon, California, Minnesota, Iowa,
Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ala
bamA, Georgia, North Carolina, Mary
land, New Jersey, Vermont and Rhode
lsland-l4. -
OF these It may be considered nj.
most certain that the following will
rntify: Vermont, Rhode Island, Iowa,
Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas. To
these We now add Ohio, who will doubt.
less reconsider and reverse her action,
making seven, or twenty-seyen atIir.
NATIVES In all. This still leaves one
lacking, which must come, II at all,
from tho following:
Oregon, California, Tennessee, Ala
bans, Georgia, North Carolina, Mary
land, New Jersey, Delaware aud Ken.
tucky-l0.
These ten States :mny be put down
as either against or doubtful. Tho con.
Iinued refusal of ten to tatIfy will de-
feat the Amendment. IA we have said,
however, We are not clear, that North
Carolina has not ratified. II she has
would render success almost certain.
ltnot, It leaves tho matter In doubt.
Yet 1t has beCn recently reported from
Georgia that an arrangement between
parties there had been made whereby
that State would ratIfy this winter, and
the report takes color from the fact that
Tue Senators from Georgia have not
yet been admitted to their seats. We
40 NOT perceive that anything can be
expected from any OF the other ten
States named, unless possibly from
Alabama.