Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1870-04-14

TEE l5rH AxEsDnExF AND rus Dsx-
ec.ar1aPAsrr-z>we have ksen = .spc
|seusf u sslees tks scs* PC R1|
Demossa.is party. in sei.rsree % the "a b.
Am~sdnrss. ., evideseea NJ @essn'ion-
. resossss. By shs,dee:.-.iiaps e it.ss<
th"ris~d representatives in fuhiie POSITION
and BY The manifestations Of ito pres
We admit that there are exceptional ca
sos 10 Re found n each Of the three sour
ees Of d. moes.sis sutiori.y named. A
few resolves and speeches and newspaper
articles may be read which favor the ahan-
donment BY the party Of further contest
in regard to the l5h Amendment. snd
the sd"psioa Of . policy Of aequieseeoee
in the essablish.sat q negro saiFrsgs IN
ths etsSss y Fs1rs.l isassvrnsiss. bat
The srsat Weight q ds.sevasis authority
. ss.issaksbly tie ssher vsy and l. uu-
nsrisslly - 10 10 I q more. AZ nc nm
derstsnd il. the opposition Of the demo-
cratic party % . nsticpal party il not.
primarily. IN negro suffrage, bat to the
18th Amendment, which Is claimed to
have been fcrcibly snd frsudulently adop-
ted. 10 be aggressive upon the reserved
rights Of the States or the people thereof.
and to be without constitutional vibrant
even II it bad not been forcihly and fraua-
ulentiy adopted. It is claimed that IL
the PEOPLE Of Maryland. for instance.
choose to have negro suffrage. they have
. right to have it. bu. il they choose not
to have it. they are entitled to their vc'o.
30 far a. themselves are concerned. in
despite Of tho 18th Amendment or the
opinion Of the people of.hcir sister States.
! Whether this be good Law or logic or not.
il seems to be the anin,us whichris i'm
pelling the democratic party to contest
tie legality Of the Amcudmens-the force
and fraud features being merely incidents
Of opposition. These incidents, bowev-
or. are. in our opinion. quite sufficient Of
themselves to justify an appeal to tho tri-
bunal Of last resort --
And 1st-Thc amendment was not
legally proposed. Amendments may be
proposed BY Convention Of oil the
States. or BY Congress. In tho latter
case the Constitution distinctly provides
that $40 State. without its censcns. shall
be deprived Of its equal suffrage in the
Senate" TIE amendment in question
was proposed BY Congress. and at time
when several Of the States wcrc refused
any voice in the Senate. though present
and demanding their equal suffrage.
lit has not been ratified by the
requisite number of States.
There are admitted to Re thirty-scven
States belonging to Or in the Union -
Tven'y-eighs Of these constitute three
four'hs. The Secretary Of State emu
merates twebty nine ~ havins roted for
ratification. The list includes New York.
UnIo. ana Inclana. Tho body claiming
to have ratified tho instrument in Indi-
ana was not the Legislature Of tina. State.
1t was les, than quorum Of that body.
It was really q caucus Of the members Of
that Legislature Who we're friendly to tho
ratification. M,ni!estly that action vas
illegal. thus leaving but twenty-sisht
States favorable to ratification. according
to Mr.. Fists showing.
Ohio and New York havo each pissed
upon the question twice. The Legisla-
ture Of Ohio year ago rejected the
amendment. and the Legislature of New
York ratified it. These Legislatures
have each reversed their action during
their present sessions. so that OHIO stanGs.
by her last expression for ratification and
New York against. Clearly. then, If
Ohio may reverse her expression. New
York may do the same; or if the FIRST
expression in either case is to be acccp-
ted as fnali,y. it must be in both ca
ses. Therefore bu, one Of these States
can be counted in the affirmative. The
court must determine which may be coun-
ted for ratification. We submit III the
rule BY which it determines tho matter
must be applicable to both States and if
applicable, vii. throw the vote of one or
the other out. thus leaving less than three.
four,hs Of the States for ratification.
1H.-Mili.ary Districts, having no
representation in Congress and no status
as States. have boon permitted to vote as
States. .s- ....-. .-.....
Georgia. Mississippi. Virginia. and
Texas arc counted as four States to make
the number necessary Zoe raii6catiou.-
Neither Of thee so-callcd States had any
representation in either House Of Con-
gross at the time il is pretended that they
voksd fap p>k;fscaf;on mar had shn~ ~,