Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-04-07
2ulftifal.
Proclamation of the Fifteenth
Amendment.
w ,Su1xcro1 d G. March so. 1870.
Message From the President.

Message From the President.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March so, 1870.
To The Senate and House Of Representatives.:
1t is unusual to notify the two houses
of Congress by message of the promulga-
ton by proclamation of the Secretary OF
State of the ratification of constltu-
tional amendment. In view, however,
of the vast importance of the Fifteenth
Amendment of the Constitution this
day declared part of that revered lu-
s,runent, deem a departure from the
usual custom justifiable. A measure
which makes at once four millions of
people voters, who were heretofore de-
clared by the highest tribunal in the
land not citizens of the United States
nor eligible to become so, with the as
sertion that at the time of the Declara-
ton of Independence the opinion was
fixed and universal in the civilized por-
tien of the white race and regarded as
an axiom in morals and as we'll in poll
tics, that black men had no rights
which white men were bound to respect,
is indeed measure of grander lmpor-
tance than any other one act OF the klnd
from the foundation of our free Govern
ment to the present time.
Institutions like ours, in which all
power is derived directly from the peo-
pie, must depend mainly upon their
Intelligence, patriotism and industry.
call the attention, therefore, of the new
Iv cnfranchised race to the Importance
OF their striving in every honorable
manner to make themselves worthy of
their new privilege. To the race more
favored heretofore by our laws would
say. withhold no legal privilege OF ad-
vancement to the new. citizens. The
trainers of our Constitution firmly be-
lieved that republican form OF govern
ment could not endure without lntelli-
gence and education generally difused
among the people. The Father of his
Country, in his farewell address, ,usedthis
language: Promote then, as matter OF
primary importance, institutions 1or the
general diffusion acknowledge. In pro-
portion as the structure of the govern
ment gives force to public opinion, it is
essential that public opinion should be
enlightened In his first annual mes
sage to Congress, the same views were
forcibly presented, and are again urged
in his eighth message.
Irepeat that the adoption of the Eff
teeuth amendment to the Constitution
completes the greatest civil change, and
constitutes the most important event
that has occurred since the nation came
into life. The change will be beneficial
in proportion to the heed that Is given to
the urgent recommendations of Wash
inpton. Ifthese recommendation were
important then with population efbut
a few millions, how much more impo--
tant now with population of forty mil
lions and increasing at rapid ratio?
I would therefore call upon Congress to
take all means within their constitu-
tionai power to promote and encourage
popular education throughout the coun-
try. and upon the people everywhere to
see to it that all who possess and eXer-
else political rights shall have an oppor-
tunity to acquire that knowledge which
will make their share in the Govern
ment q blessing and not danger. BY
such means only can the benefits con-
templated by this amendment to the
Constitution be secured.
TSio-ed1 U. S. GRANT.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, March so, 1870.
HAMILTON FISH, Secretary of State of
the United States.
PROCLAMATION.
To all aUhona these presents may come,
Greeting:
KNOW YE, That the Congress of the
United States, on or about the 2Ith day
of February, in the year 1869, passed
resolution in the words and figures fol-
lowing, to wit:
"a resolution proposing an amend
mect. to the Constitution of the United
States.
"Resoyved, 6yHie Senate and Hause Of
Representatives Of the United States Of
AnlericG, in Congress assembled, two
thirds of both houses concurring, that
the following article be proposed to the
Legislatures of the several States as an
amendment to the Constitution OF the
United States, which when ratified by
three-fourths of said Legislatures, shall
be valid as part OF the Constitution,
namely:
"ARTIcLE IS. Section 1. The right of
citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States, or any State, on account
of race. color, or previous condition of
servitude.
"Section 2. Congress shall have pow
er to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation"
And further, that it appears from offi-
ciaI documents on file it the Depart
ment. that the amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States. proposed
as aforesaid, has been ratified by the
legislatures of the States of North Car
olina, West Virginia, Massachusetts.
Wisconsin,. Maine, Louisiana, Michi-
gan. South Carolina, Pennsylvania,
Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, illinois,.
Iowa, Indiana, New York, New Hamp-
shire, Nevada, Vermont, Missouri, Vir-
ginia, Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi,
Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Ne
braska and Texas, in all twenty-nine
States. And further, that the States
whose Legislatures have so ratified said
proposed amendment constitute three
fourths of the whole number of States in
the United States; and further, that it
anpears from an official document on
file in this Department that the Legis-
Iature of the State of New York has
since passed resolutions claiming to
withdraw said ratification of said
amendment, which had been made by
the Legislature of that State, and of
which official notice had been filed in
this Department.; and further, that it
appears from an official document on file
in this Department that the Legislature
of Georgia has by resolution ratified said
proposed amendment.
Now. therefore, be it known that /,
Hamilton Fish, Secretary OF State OF the
United States, by virtue and in pursu-
ance of the second section of an act of
Congress approved on the Goth day of
April, in the year 1918. entitled IAN act
to provide for the publication of the
laws of the United States, and for other
purposes" do hereby certify that the
amendment aforesaid has become valid
to all intents and purposes as part of
81 I,aI Tpi taA