The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-14

bound thereby, anything IN the Con-
st.tution or laws of any State to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
If this is the best exhibit which the
constitutional luminary Of the MtelH-
gcnccr can present Of either his early or
present training on constitutional con-
struction, the reader will readily con
clude that it has been extremely de-
tectiye, and does not make him fair
representative OF either Story or Mar
shall. For while this clause OF the
federal constitution very properly makes
the constitution, laws and treaties OF the
United States, supreme over all State
laws or constitutions, il is nevertheless
very careful to guard against abuse
by going only SO far as to assert that
'thc Judgcs IN erery State shat be Jo,U,d
McreJy' They are TO interpret it, and
not the petty Registrars of this State
who are violating their oathS Of office
in registering negroes against all the
la,o they have any right to execute.
But when did this new born zeal of
the MteiligG.cer for the binding obliga-
tons OF the Federal Constitution first
develop itself? Not until recently we
suppose, and then only in defense of the
negro, for THAD STEVENS himself de
clared that the Reconstruction laws
were "oatsidcMc Constitutions, and yet the
h,tclhgmcT we suppose, supported them
all! And then here is a clause of
Radical manufacture III the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Federal Constitution
which reads as follows:
"All persons born in the United
States and subject TO the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens Of the United
States andhe State wherein they reside.
No State shall enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immu,
mites Of citizens or deprive any person
Of property without due process of law,
or deny to any person the equal pro-
lection of the law
This makes every person born in the
United States "citizen" of West Nir-
ginia if he live here, and no power in
this State can "abridge his privileges or
immunities" as such. But the follow
ing odious clause was intcrpolatcd
into the Constitution of this State by
the Radical Legislature of 1866, placing
the above provision OF the Federal Con,
sttutiOn atdetiance:
NO person, who, since the first day
'of June, 1861, has given or shall give
laid or assistance to the rebellion
against the United States, shall be a
"cit;-cn of this State, or allowed to vote
"at any election DC.
This makes at least $4,000 white
people born in the United States, and
entitled to all the privileges and immu-
mites of citizens, of West,
Virginia. not Citizens" of this State,
and not entitled to equal rights; thus
directly ignoring the Fourteenth Rad,
ical amendment to the Federal Constitu,
ton, Now, fit is the duty of the Reg,
istrars of this State to register negroes
in defiance of the State Constitution and
law, will the ActciEgncer please in
form us why it did hot make the last
Legislature repeal the Registration law
and alter the State Constitution 50 as
make them both conform to the Four,
tcenth amendment of the Federal Con.
stitution? And having failed to do that
why does not its constitutional editor
now come to the defense of the disfran-
chscd white men as it does to the dis
iranchiscd negroes, under the Fifteenth
Amendment, and compel Its Registrars
to disregard these State disiranchise-
mentS of white men as well as of negroes,
and respect only the amendments TO the
Federal Constitution Its only con-
sistent answer can be that what is sauce
for the negro is not sauce for the white
man.
When the Mtclligcncc shall have be-
come sufficiently educated in the rcspcc;
which is due the Federal Constitution
as to teach its party and itself how to
observe it, and how to observe the rights
of citizens" under it as it came from
the fathers OF the Republic, its lectures
to other people may be entitled to weight.
But 50 long as it champions party
that has tramplcd its most sacred pro-
visions under foot outraged the rights
of white people, and crowded negro
amendments into the Constitution by
violence, its reserve on such question
is is only prudence
.z-sz-a---z.-z.ss-..--<sz--
Secretary Of State.