American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-10-23
II. C. BoswoRTH, Sec'y.
The Fifteenth Amendment.


From long and well written com
municatiOn in the Columbus DemO-
crdt on the all-important question of
the Fifteenth Amendment, we make
the following extract. We recon
mend it to the thoughtful considera-
ton of our leaders:
"The XIV. Amendment is as follows:
SEC. |. The right OF the citizens
of the United States to vote shall
not he denied by the United States,
nor any State, On account of race.
tude."
1t is plain at the first glance, chat
without this amendment every State
has the power to deny Tie right TO
vote, either on aocouut OF race, color,
or previous condition OF servitude.
1t is also plain that if the Amend
nent is rejected, every Southern
State will re1Hn in the future the
power to deny the right to yULe for
any one OF the three reasons Speci-
fed. 1t is also true that every
| Southern State which contains Il sulii-
cient number OF white votes will III
/ the future withdraw the ballot from
/ the hands of negroes. ThiS can be
done by calling a Convention Of the
OF the people ior that purpose, just
as they would to make any other
change. But it will he perceived
that il the amendment is adopted
all future hope is lost. s ick pin
here in these simple plain PROPOSE
tons, and then read again the state
mcnt of The Inder: "Ihe adoption
of the XIV. Amendment does not. in
the remOtcSt decree, affect the future
status of Il single Southern States
:" In the rem0iest dcgrce.7 What
recklessUcss And for this reason
he asks the white men of Mississippi
whose legs are already in United
States stocks. to bind around thpil
wrists this pGir Of Rjggcr hdRd cH5s
, to lock them there forever, and throw
. away The key. The IRde,c seems t.
think that there is no difference he
tween a condition Of power and 4;
state OF helplcssncss. That Il Stat
sh0rn Of its power will have thj
same future status of a State that re
. taiuS its power. lie loses sight ALSO
whilst contemplating the future. O
the moral status of 4 Sclfdcglade,
l people. lie thinks the Dent mel
t who stand OF the following resoiu
I tioms are truer to the country than
,, am:
ReSolred, That we express our an
LfditcTiRg dec0tiGR to the great priu
ciples Of the National Union Rcput
: iican party. and tlat we l0jk Gol
= ,cdrd ,ciih nope and confluence 10 ia
e early restoration of Our State govern
= ment III strict accordance with iii
Reconstruction laws OF the Congress
rof the United States.
} Rc<0',cd, That we ST,
G ccreiy Jdcor the addition of the pr,
= posed XIV. Amendment to the Con
il stituti0n of the United States.
. som uRfdiierjag drrotioR"! ~
. sincerely Joroyn! "EiHccrcig"! ASA
ccrcIy"t God Of heaven have me
e cy upon us! k,tween all men VIII
" . sincerely favor and all men wh
e express HHtdIteJiHg dcyntiDH" I
It such principles, and ourselves, thri
:. is a gulf as wide, and as deep, AN
-. rs gaping as that which scpuratc
p Dives from Lazarus. We leave
y to an honest heart to say who ,s5la
It occupy ;he position Of Divc4-&ty
u pray heaven if we ever attic Hapts |
il swallow the above rcSpluti45S sfh;
-, they may choke us until we ,4ut dga,
dead, dead. Such is my love for Ill
" section, such my adherence Of ~
st principles, and such is my hatred
the mbounded mcauness Of i}adica
ism, that death would be preferable
! the degrading humiliation their e
dorsement requires. There is hol
u for people who retain their SCI
&c respect and preserve invioiate the
te honor. But for a self degraded pc
@. pie there is none; their fall is Ill
Il THAT Of Lucifcr, never to rise agai
-, Mississippi may cndcr'c Radicals
= and ratily this XIV. Amcudmcr
Y, but, mark the prediction, he 81.
he she does il, she places the black sc
of death on her future. She burr
in the tomb in which she depos
Id the garments Of her, all future pr,
tn pprity. She dcthrOnes the iute
IS. Cnure, reason, and energy Of i