The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-03-17

scented in Congress, acknowledges that
the charges which have been made by
the late unrepentant rebels against
that thep party are true. Now, 1 do
not know that L shall not vote for this
report rather than to lose any all pro
positions on this subject but 1 believe
that in some of the States which have
been recently reconstructed, the Leg
i~slatures, strongly Republican as they
are, will hesitate before they adopt
this amendment. 1 believe there is
quite as much risk of its being lost in
a number of those States as there is
in an equal number of the Northern
States, if You put into the proposition
the right to hold office.
You may say, and Senators on this
floor do say, that the right to vote in
wolves the right to hold office. l a
the discussion on this floor, and the
private opinions of Sene tors as express
sed in debate, show that that PROPOSE
ton is denied ; and l put it to the in
dlvldual conscience of each Senate:
on this floor whether he is wanting in
perfect clearness about that fact. We
know, certainly. that the gentlemen
of the ID mocratic party on this floor
do not entertain this view. We'be-
lieve that there are many Republican
Senators on the floor who do not en-
ter in this view. At any rate, it will
go before the country tlta PROPOSE
ton to hold office has been suggested
to form part of this amendmenf, and!
that 1t has been deliberately voted
down. If it e nothing why vote
it down? 1.-THE right to vote c-rries
with it the right to hold office. ask
YOU if to-day in Geogia the right to
hold office is recognized by the Req
publican party:
1 hold, Mr.. President, that if we
are TO ruin a risk in this matter of los
ing this amendment because there are
some States which will not adopt the
proposition to held office, it is better
to run the risk in the direction of the
right. Whenever it is necessary to.
run a risk in a matter of this sort, lei
us run it for the right and not for the
wrong and L appeal again to the
conscience of every senator on this
floor on the Republiszr side of the
House whether he does not believe
that the right belongs to every citizen
of the United States to carry a vote
and to hold office if it belongs to my
other man? Is not that the ground
work of the action of the Republican
party in past? And have we not
preached that doctrine among our
selves? Have We not preached it to
the people? And now when we come
to the proposed a constitutional amend
ment hall We halt and stop short of
what we believe is right and what ey-
cry one of US has been preaching I
submit there is more danger of losing
this proposition, of losing the confirm
alton of the amendment on this ac-
count if we have it half right than if
ne have i wholly right.
Now, the right to vote, as it seems
to me, will inevitably be given to the
colored men in the various States by
i do not like to use the term-the
memorable logic of events in the next
five years. 1t can not be refused. 1t
will come as a matter of course in the
States. If therefore, the proposition
to amend the Constitution is confined
simply to the the right to vote, it is a
matter of not so much consequence as
has been attached to it. But #, on the
other hand, the Republican party dc
sire to put squarely before the nation
the platform upon which they have
professed to stand in the past, the plat
form upon which We claimed in the
South that they did stand upon, true
t. their professions and their principles
they will made a constitutional amend
ment which is right, and submit it to
the people ; and if the people vcte il
down let us wait until the public senti
ment gets up % the right point.
This is the view which we take Of
it in the. Southern States. ] do not
wish to put my individual opinion
1 presume there is no Senator from
the lately reconstructed States who.
would desire to put his opinion.
against the opinion of the wise men on
this floor and defeat th:s amendment
if they show a tfdan;mitv ofzopiniou
upon it !; but when we see that the. e
is a great division between those Ee.s
who have. been tried in the party r.
the public councils for many years :
submit we may be right. fl vote
for this propositi IL, if 1 vote to con
cur in this report of the Committee OF
Conference, I do it with great ,%eluc,-
ance, l do it with great hesitation, |
and d do it because | am advised that
we must have something, and that
this is the best we Can get.
Mr.. HOWARD, of Michiap-Mr.
President, / was remarking that this |
proposed amendment to the Constitu-
ton will operate as Il repeal, as an an
nulment OF hat clause of the sixth ar
ticle of the present Constitution which
declares that "no religious test shall
ever be required as a QUALIFICATION to
any offce or public t-Gst under Il Q
United States" The article which
proposed to us declares that no State
shall pass any law and that the Uni
ted States shall pass no law which will
abridge or deny the right of voting and
holding Office to any cisizen of the
United States on accent of rate
or previous condition of
The implication is PERFECTLY
irresistible in the mind of every liz
structed lawyer who has had any prac-
tice at the bar that with the exception
of race. color, and previous condition
of se:vitude, ever the United States
imnosa whatever notification