American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-07-24


The former is the one which was in
powe" in the State in 1868 it formed
a Constitution which was submitted
to the people, and was rejected by a
large majority of votes. That Con
stitution Is matter of record, and as
it was Sormed in the flush of a great
party triumph, with every prospect
of permanent party ascendancy, it
will furnish the best test of the true
sentiments, motives and purposes of
the party it will show us very clear
ly how and by whom it was intended
the State should be governed. Had
high patriotic motives, looking only
to the establishment of good gov
ernment, predominated with the par
ty, that was the time and the occa-
sion to show them. Had spirit of
liberality prevailed, that was the
time and the occasion to show it.
Unfortunately, however, in its impor-
tant provisions, as we'll as in many
its details, it looks more like con
stitution for a party than for the
State at large. shall confine my
remarks on it mainly to its provi-
siOns under the head of f." franchise y
This article starts out by manifest
ing great liberality towards new
cOmers and transient visitors, in
greatly abridging the length of resi-
deRce heretofore required to give the
right to vote and to hold office. 1t
requires, however, an oath of a most
extraordinary character as qualifi-
cation to the right to vote or to hold
office, in the concluding part of which
the party swears that he admits the
political and civil equality of all men.
Why such all oath should be required
can only be matter of conjecture
it certainly was not necessary to pro
tect the ballot; it cannot have even
a remote tendency in that way. 1t
must have been obvious that some
men would decline to take such an
oath, as they would consider it de
grading to do so; perhaps therefore
it was intended to narrow the circle
of eligibility to Office and the right
to vote.
But the 9th section of the same ar.
ticle, more fully discloses the pro
scriptive character of the convention
its purposes and its objects, and a
total absence of that Hberality, OF
that justice, which should ever guide
a deliberative body of the kind; il
short. it discloses a desire to contro
and govern the people by select
few, to the exclusion of the many. il
declares ineligible to Office all mem
bers of the Legislature, who voted
for convention which passed al
ordinance of secession, or as a delegate
voted for or signed an ordinance O
secession, or who gave voluntary aid
countenance, counsel, or encourage
mcnt, to persons engaged in the re
bellion, or who accepted or attempt
ed to exercise the functions of an,
office, civil or military, under th'
Confederate States, with saving
however, to mere priyates in the az
my. So broad an exclusion, woult
probably extend to one-third of tn,
citizens of the State. All Who wer
engaged in the military service, from
the lieutenant up to the general, in
Guiding all those attached to tn
army as surgeons, commissaries
= quartermaSterS, &c; and in civil life
from the coroner, or justice of tn
peace up, and all private citizens VIII
aided. countenanced, counselled o
encouraged relations or friends VIII
might be engaged in the rebellion
, Even the father who had given she
+. ter and food to his sOn-the relatiO
/ who had ministered to the wants c
| sick kinsmen, are rendered ineligibl
t to ofiice-in short, almost every pre-
minent citizen in the State-thOs
. persons in whom the people had bee
= in the habit of cOntiding, and t
= whom they had looked as guides, al
l. made ineligible to otfice-eXcludet
n perhaps, for the exercise of ths
l. christian virtue, charity. The pr
4 scriptive provisions of fthereconstru
V ton plan, including the fourteent
amendment, are certainly very con
O prehensive, but this goes far beyon
i. them. And the idea forces itse
l. upon the mind, that this was
Y scheme devised to retain power al
!. place, by making it impossible tn;
is either competition or opposite
If should come from the permanent ci
4 izens of the State, which is the mo
a manifest, as the same section max
n. very singular exception in favor
V :! all persons who aided reconstru
i ton by voting for this convenUio
st and shall continuously and in 90,
n faith ddrocdte the acts of the same.
n 1t was known that very many hig
b. minded, honorablem had console
G. tiously opposed the meeting of t
Y convention and it was also know
e. that many such would oppose its ;
I'd tions all such were to be eXclud
ID from office. Was ever a more tyra
ne nical anathema uttered against t
a freedom of thought and the freedC
al ofaction, those great essentials viii
q. even Tiberius, Il tyrant, held to
he necessary to Il free government
Those men were certainly ignOra
Int of the great principles of republic
,c. governments, or if not, they ha
to shown such a hostility to them as
,Ie merit the Severest cOndemnati
of from a people who have any rega
We for liberty.
ell Such a provision could only ha
in been dictated by determination
le retain power; hence, all who wol
lat give in their adhesion to the pa
ill and become its slayes-all who col
e; forfeit Selt-reSpect, as well as the
ar spect of their fellow citizcns-all W
nd would forfeit their integrity and til
Dy freedom. were exempt from the o
ty. ration OF this proSclIptlvc article.
ice But if this broad proscriptive p
list vision, by which so many of our
ate izens are made ineligible to off
raj could find any justification in pril
the Pile, the ruinous and dangerous C
oSt sequences Of such Il policy, in sue
to population as we have, should I
zen cnuId not, have been overlooked
md those who passed it. They ough
in have known that they were hut $
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