The Republican journal., 1869-03-04
The Suffrage Amendment to the Con-
stitutiOn.

shape of freedman, has been cu1ously
typical OF the ruling idea Of the party.
That idea is a revival of the ancient dogma
that the end justifes the means The
end sought being party success, any and
all means are Unsuitable which compass it,
however much OF contradiction, recrcancy
or shame they may involve. $ Give us
success, and let principle 60" has been the
cry.
One of the amendments to the Constitu-
ton, proposed and adopted during the war,
is in these words
Representatives shall be apporiioned among
the several States according to their respective
numbers, counting the whole number OF per
sons in each State, excluding Indians not tax
ed But when the right to vote at any election
for the choice of electors for President and
Vice President of the United States, represent
atives in Congress, the executive and judicial
officers of S. ate, or the members OF the leg
isature thereof, is denied to any Of the male
inhabitants of such State, being twenty one
years Of age, and citizens Of the United States
or in any way abridged, except Tor partlclpa-
tlon In rebellion or other crime, the basis of
representation therein shall be reduced in the
proportion which the number or such male cit
j-ens shall bear to the whole number Of male
citizens twenty one years Of age III such State.
The right Of a State to control the mat
ter is here distinctly set forth, and in the
debate upon the amendment the impolicy Of
any other state of things was allowed by
the radical members of Congress. Even
this amendment was SO dlstasteful that it
was forced through two-thirds Of the Leg
islatures only with the greatest difficulty,
and South Carolina. at all other times ont
of the Union, by radical count, had to be
considered as in, to accomplish this purpose,
Soon afterwards negro suffrage, as an
amendment to the State Constitutions, was
overwhelmingly defeated in several strong
republican States. Ii was evidently SO OBJ
noxious that, though desiring to 90 Sc the
radicals did not dare incorporate universal
negro suffrage into the platform at the
Grant convention, but passed this twaldiing
and Janus-faced resolution
| The guarantee by Congress OF equal sutfrag e
to all loyal men at the South was demanded by
! every consideration Of public safety, Of graft
| tude, and of justice, and must be maintained
trhe the question Of suffrage in all the loyal States
properly belongs to the people Of those States.
Had the radicals shown their hand in this
matter before the Presidential election, they
would have gone 10 the wall in the contest,
as they very well knew. They wilifully
lied to the people Of the country in decIar-
ing that the northera States should not be
molested in their right to fix the qualifica-
tons Of voters, aud to regulate the whole
matter, as they always had.
I But no sooner is Grant elected, and til eli
continued ascendancy in Congress made
sure, than the cloyen feet is shown, and a
tinkering of the Constitution began, which
shall be made to declare that the questio r
of suffrage in the loyal States does not prop
erly belong to the people.
Accordingly the radical leaders Of Con
gress, after long incubation, Matched Out
this joint resolution providing for an amend
ment Of the Constitution
Be it resolved, &C., two thirds OF both houses
concurring, That the following amendment tt
the Constitution of the United Stated be sub
mitted to the Legislatures Of the several States
and when ratified by three fourths thereof il
shall be a part of said Constitution.
ARTICLE 10. The right of citizens OF TIL.
United States to vote and hold Office shall moi
be denied or abridged by the United States OIL
by any State on account Of race, color or pre-
vious condition Of Servitude.
SECTIoN2. The Congress shall have power
to inforce this article by appropriate legisla
ton.
This move created fever Of apprehen
sion, for fear the party should be injured
Some wanted it modified by striking out the
office-holding provision, and some wanted
the project abandoned altogether. The ex-
tremeists, vino are the brains and motive
power Of the party, would hear to no com
promise. 1t stuck between the two houses
however, and committee of conference
struck out the provision for holding Office
In that shape it has passed. The measure
is not by any means sure, however. 1t has
yet to run the gauntlet of the Presidential
veto, and an acceptance by three-fourths the
Legislatures. The veto will be easily got
ten over. But, unless public sentiment has
greatly changed, it will be defeated by The
State. And this will be done, quite as
much from apprehension at the continual
tinkerng of the Constitution, and invasion
of the rights of the States, as from re
pugpance to negro equality in the west anc
border States, and determination not tc
admit the Asiatic hordes to the ballot OF
the Pacific slope.
! VELoCIPEDES. We understand that W. Z
Sargent & Co. and John p. Whittier, of Boston
have bought the exclusive right to manufac
ture two-wheeled velocipedes in the States o
New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts,
except in New Bedford, and are prepared tc
take orders for any numoer wanted, from one
to one hundred, or more. See advertisement
| in another column.