The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-20
New York and the 18th Amendment.

New York and the 18th Amendment.
Nav the people undo what the people
have done Or, to put the case more &C
curately, may the people undo what has
been improperly done in their name |
The Republican party, almost with one |
voice say no, their opponents say yes.
The event that breaches this important |
question is the repeal, by the State OF New |
York, of its ratification of the Fifteenth |
amendment The ratification was enact |
ed by the last Legislature of the State
the repeal has been enacted by the present
one. The latter act goes before the world
with clearer stamp of the popular au-
thority, and as q more accurate expression
of the public will, in that it is the work
of representatives freshly chosen by the
people, and chosen, too, partly on this
very issue. The ratification by the last
Legislature was in disregard of the will
of the people; the undoing of it is an
obedience of the popular will. If this Is
not true, then both acts, the ratification
and the repeal, are faithful expressions OF
the peoples will, the one OF their will
in 1868, the other of their will in 1870.
But, even in this view of the case, the re-
peal is the expression of their latest AMI
freshest and best matured will, and should
therefore override the other.
This is the simple logic of all the &C
cepted maxims of popular government
But the Republican party boldly disputes
it, and proposes to deliberately disregard
it. The philosophy of that party's whole
policy is that the people of State have
not the right 10 govern, except with the
assent of Cengress-that is, with the in
termeddling assent Of the people OF other
Tbo ftu Qtat
what Congress wishes them to do, but 1t
cannot do what Congress wishes them not
to do Nay, minority in State may falsl-
~ the wishes Of the people OF that State, In
obedience to the caprice OF Congress, and
Congress will accept and establish the
falsehood as part of the Constitution ::
but, if the majority fairly and solemnly
undo the wrong, Congress will take no
notice of it. This is Republican logic.
Its chief characteristic is its unbounded
effrontery.
Some party will, perhaps, have to de-
eide the question. There will, in few
DAYS, be on file in the office OF the FEEDER
al Secretary Of State at Washington New
York's ratification of the amendment, and
New York's repeal of that ratification.
VIII the Secretary of State decide be-
tween the two. Or will he submit the
ident decide it, or will he submit it to his
Attorney General? Most probably he
will submit it to that body which, OF all
others, has the least business with it
Congress. The question is legal and
litigant one, and Congress is an interested
party on one side 1t would, therefore,
decide in its own favor. In other words
it would ratify the amendment itself, and
call the act the ratification OF tie people
of New York.
This would be an application of the
Reconstruction theory to Northern
State-the most powerful of the Northern
States. 1t would be Congressional in
vasion of New York, precisely similar IN
nature to the recent Congressional inya-
sion of Georgia 1t would, in short, be
the reduction of the Empire State OF the
Union to the condition of vassalage in
which the reconstructed States are
held Several of these reconstructed y
States were compelled by Congress to rati
fy the Fifteenth Amendment, against the
will and wish Of their peoples. Congress
instituted minority of their peoples tC
enact false ratification, and then accepted
the falsehoOd as the true voice of their
peoples Would not the acceptance by
the President, or by Congress, of the So
called ratification of New York, and the
disregard of the latter repeal of that rati
ficatiOn, be treating New York as Georgis
and Texas have been treated? Would II
not, in truth be an instant reduction OF s
great Northern State to the humil alton
of the reconstructed" States? Nay
since what may be done in and to New
York, may be done in and to any State
and all the States-wOuld it no. be plac
ing the yoke of reconstruction on the
necks Of all the States, and lashing then
together in the bond of a common degra
datiOn,
The Southern people, while being dis
membered by the machinery OF recon
structiOn, have warned US that the turn O
the loyal States would come next. And
has, indeed The machine is about to b
carried into the heart of the North, an
the prOudest State of the Union selectc,
as the first victim. The predominant sen
timent of the Republican party, which
the unerring indication of what we are I
look for from Washington, demands tn
acceptance and recognition of New York
ratification of the amendment, and tn
disregard OF its repeal of that ratification
and as the party has made the amendmen
mortal issue, and resolved to carry 1t il
defiance of the will of the people, we ma
be certain that the present Congress Wi
not adjourn until 1T has declared, or force
the President to declare, the amendment
adopted. In doing this it will have to "a
tort the ratification of New York, as it ha
extorted the ratification of Virginia, an
thus, by one daring stroke, made thirty
seven State autOnomics the dependent crea
lures of power which was once conten
to be their simple agent. The Republica
leaders hope this will be the end of thei
party usurpations; but as each Of thei
violations of the Constitution has been tn
provoking necessity for others, so TIL
daring act will, instead Of being the en-
of career of usurpations, be, in tact, tn
beginning of a new one.-1Hissouri Il,
publican Jan. o.