The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-03-09

| State TO use the money raised by taxa
ton, for all of the above named pur
poses, is thus suddenly stricken down
by revolutionary movement ON tho
| part the minority to prevent the dis
charge of duty imposed on the Legis
lature by the Constitution of the United
States, which every member and EN-
ploye of both Houses had solemnly
swore to support and obey That in
-strnmeut provides that, 1.-The Congress
whenever two thirds of both Houses
shall deem it necessary, shall propose
amendments to the Constitution which
shall be valid to all intents and purpos
es, as p rt Of this Constitution, when
ratified by the Legislatures Of three
j fourths Of the several States" In ac-
cordance with this power. and in the
manner thus pointed out, the Congress
of the United States adopted the fol-
lowing: s9'i2szs $50 zo1
o eArticle Fifteenth-"The right of the
citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States, or by any State, on &C.
count of race, color, or previous condi-
g ton Of servitude.'
> "Section 2-Congress shall have DOW.
er to enforce this article by appropriate
Legislation" .-.s ~. +,
This proposed amendment was certi-
fed to the Governor by the proper au
thority, and received by him on Mon.
day March, 1st, 1869. On the same day
the Governor, as was his duty, present
ed this amendment to both Houses of
/, the General Assembly. In the Senate,
immediately on its reception, it's consid-
Grafton was postponed, and was made
the special order for Thursday, the 4th,
at half past two o clock, NJ. 1t was
thus made the special order for the day
above named, without dissenting or
opposing vote or voice. It was well
known that the Democratic prejudice
ahainst negro suffrage was intensely
aroused, and the members of that party
were assured that the measure would
not be taken up for discussion Or action
until the hour and day above indicated,
but the majority in the Legislature wo'd
move on with the regular order of bus
mess until that matter should be reach
ed, and then discharge their duty by Ia
king it up and acting upon it. But so
bitter was the prejudice and so reckless
Incorporation of the minority that, On
Thursday morning at half past eight o.
clock; they placed their designations in
the hands of the Governor, five and q
half hours before the hour fixed for the
consideration of the subject. In that
five and half hours the appropriation
and other bills that were necessary to
prevent an extra session Of the LegisIa-
ture could have been passed, for the APP
preparation bill had passed the House
Of Representatives, had been read once
in the Senate, and was then in the hands
of the Finance Committee of the Sen
ate, and could have been reached and
disposed Of by II o'clock Of that day,
X az +% 4 +
"That passion and prejudice control
led and directed the counsels of these
revolutionary members, there is no
proof needed, other than the fact that
they had not the slightest assurance that
if they had remained in their places the
Constitutional Amendment could have
been ratified and accepted by the Legis
lature If even strong probability Of
its pas sage would have been the slight
est justification or apology for their rev.
dictionary conduct, they are yet without
such apology. In the House of Rep
resentatives it might and probably wo' d
have received the requisite number OF
votes; but in the Senate there was no
assurance that more than twenty-thcee
o.es could certainly be relied on in its
favor Every Dem ocrat in that body
would have voted against it. There were
thirty Republican Senators, one confin-
ed to his bed by illness, with no hope
of ever again being up; three had al
ready declared themselves against the
measure, and three more had not COM
nit themselves 10 III, either oHe way VI
the other, but were understood to be
personally opposed to it.
Such was the state Of things in which
the Republican majority in the Legisla-
ture resolved to 60 straightforward in
the discharge of duty, which was to vote
on the amendment, leaving consequen
ces to the people and the future. The
Republicans were uncertain as to the re
suit; the Democrats were ignorant; the
former proposed to follow the path of
duty; the latter determined to involve aii
in ruin, rather than comply with their
solemn obligations, so long as such
compliance might be in conflict with