Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-02-11

The original notifications by Kansas ard
Missouri were imperfect, but the Lcgisla.
lures in both States have since corrected
the errors There are several States yet
20 ACT on the amendment, including Ne
braska and Texas, both of which will
ratify, and it is probable, now that the
amendment has been actually adopted,
that Tennessee will also ratlfy it.
The rebellion may now be regarded as
over and the great war finished. The re.
bellion was undertaken to preserve and
perpetuate human slavery, and, within ten
years from the date of the first secession
ordinance, the great struggle has been
terminated in the adoption of the Thir-
teenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
Amendmendts, which abolish slavery, pro
hibit compensation therefor, secure the
civil and political equality and citizenship
of all the people of the United States, and
make every male citizen of the United
States a competent voter at all elections.
For the first time in our history, impair
tial suffrage has been made the national
law, and its nnal establishment might
appropriately be followed by removal
from the statute book of every political
disfranchisement known TO the law.
Armed with the ballot, it is denial Of
the intelligence and patriotism of the
whole people to assume that they may
not successfully defend themselves from
the Vaccinations of the gradually dimin-
ishing number of those who participated
in the late rebellion. The Democratic
party has been the bitter opponent of the
Publications OF these amendments. When
the amendment abo fishing slavery was
proposed in Congress there were but three
or four Democratic members who had the
courage to support it. When it was be
fore the Legislature of the States the
Democratic members all voted against it.
When it was before Congress, MIR George
II. PendletOn took the high ground that
ii was not constitutional for Congress to
propose, nor for the several States TO
ratiiy, an amendment abolishing or
prohibiting slavery; and that though
such an amendment might pass
through all the forms of law, il
could never be valid, and could never, in
fact, be entitled to respect or recognition
rs part of the Constitution. That, though
slave e.owners might have their property
taken from them and the slaves might be
declared free, the legal title of the owners
in their property and the obligation of
servitude by the blacks would remain,
because they were iudestructible. The
Democrats in Congress and the State
Legislatures Ms rcsolutoly opposed and
resisted the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments, and on each of these ques-
tions they are on record as having deter
minedly protracted the close ot the rebel
lion 10 the present day. Their advice
and their example, aided by the ambition
of Andrew johnson, delayed until 1870
the reconstruction which might have
been completed in 1866 The very inten.
slty OF that opposition, more than any
other cause, produced the Fifteenth
Amendment, and made its ratification cs.
sentialio the future security of the ma.
tional peace,
For twenty years the peculiar condition
of the negro race has been tho absorbing
topic of our national politics, and one
great cause why the American people
should rejoice at the final adoption of
these amendments is that the negro has at
last been reduced to common level with
all other people, his civil and political dis.
tinctiop removed, and henceiGrth lcgisla.
tlon will be general and include all races
alike. The negro, by boing merged polt.
lcally with the rest of the people, ceases
TO be an object for special attack OF special
defence, and thus drops out of general
politics. Hereafter he has tn run the race
OF life dependent, IKE all others, upon hi,
own energy, ability, and worth. -Chicsg,
Tribune, Eco. 4.