Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-02-24

| tlves OF Michigan, and the Legislature
of that State equally, regardless of the
wishes of her people. voted TO ratlfy
the amendment. In the State of Mis-
souri,, Notwithstanding that six months
before the people Condemned the prin'
ciple hy 10000 majority, the Leg,slH'
ture actually adopted one'half the
amendment upon telegram. lie did
not know of one State outside Of New
England aud the late rebel States in
Shich had not been rejected by the
people, Nevertheless il hail been de
hanily hurried through. A yoke had
been fixed upon the necks of the peo'
Pile, and they we're CALLED. The govern
ment had right 10 look into and de-
termine an allegation Of fraud IN the
ratification ofa Constitutional amend
men,. III amendments could be adop'
ted ns the Fifteenth had been, against
the wish OF the great mass of ;he peo.
pie, We might soon have one to make
the government munarchical and the
President of the Senate an officer for
. life. This might easily be accomplish
ed through the instrumtnIaliIy ot The
carpet.bag States. Upon the argument
now made use of, We would have uu
right Ia protest against such proceed.
ing nor to attempt to expose the per
idy by which the people had been be
trayed, for We would he called revolu>
tioaists il we did. The argument Of
the Senator from Wisconsin Mr..
Carpenter. the other day. upon the
uneonstitutionality of the test-oath,
WAS vindicaliOn of the Democratic
position on tha. question, but II was
not new one TO the people OF Mis-
souri,.
Mr.. Carpenter Rad, Mich.) here
interrupted to affirm that his argument
did not go 10 the full extent of declar-
ing the test oath unconstitutional.
He had no doubt of it's unconstitution-
ality, but be did not see the relevancy
of that question TO the present subject
Mr. Blair thought it directly rele-
want Resuming his argument and
replying TO what Mr. Morton had said
about Furnishing the South for her
treason, he reminded that Sebator that
the Congress of the United States had
no right To 20 outside the Constitution
10 find puuishments for rebels or any
one else.
Mr.. Morton Rad, Ind asked
whether the Democratic party, ia the
last Presidential election, did not take
issue squarely, that the reconstruction
acts were null aud void aud ought to
be disregarled. and ii they were no,
beaten on that,
Mr. Blair Dem. Mo- thought they jid;
aud he also thought the only rcasul they
were beaten was because some OF them
wanted TO dodge lis held that thOse acJ'
were void. because Congress undertook Ga
infiicl punishment outside ofthe Constilu-
lion. AfteF the Thirteenth amendment
had been secured by the votes ot the ear.
pot-bag States, Congress had gone o. work
81 disauAlify without a trial or COM ioiion
one half tho y hi;e eltizens ai that section.
Such punishment, being IN the nature oi
+
Constitution. The deprivation of the sui.
iragc 10 certain classes, and its extension g.
Others the exercise 81 ultimate military
authority, and other features Of the Recon
structiun acts. and particularly the Fit-
teeuth Amendment enforcement bill, were
commented upon By the speak rrns aagrAn'
violations Of the Cungituiiou. lie then
referred "a the decisions 0f the Supreme
Court prior tn the Enforcemeu; act, and
the priactplcs there enumerated. 90 show
that members Of Congress know that bilitu
unconstitutional and that !, was designed
lysso framed The senator from Indiana
Mr.. MoTionl was seTtainly familiar with
the ease uf Milligan. IN his own State. who,
though condemned 90 death by a military
commission in disregard oftho constitution.
was released. and - now living In that
State. Treas n could only be- punished
under the constitution, and any ateWp e.
act outside that instrument made GuEggrs.
equally guilty with the gTeatcst traitor ui
an attempt 20 override a. Nor should .
President allow himsclfto be dictated tu
in such case, Thomas Jefferson, aud not
the New York Democratic convention. was
the first 10 assert the duty Of the President
to G0ttFAiul lur himself the Constitution.
ality or unc0nsiii0IionallGy ug acts uftnu-
grcss. These were simply. without ,nu-
cealmCnt, bis views upon the theory ~ our
government That Congress had been
usuFping the powefs of two r8.oriiuatc
branches ofthe government he had not n
particle Of doubt. The overwhelming ma
jorities hay had obtained during ,hcrrhcl-
lion, aud by bringing ia unauthorized per-
sons, had tihet0mi party hcadlung
upon IA career. aud they were now gra ~
ing every particle OF power invested in the
President and the courts In the first con.
tested election case IN Congrcss--ihnt of Mr.
Hrcston. of Nirginia-the sitting member
was expelled because his brother marched
volunteer company through the streets
on the dsy Of his election But now an
election was not valid unless superintenisd
by the bayoneis oflhc regular army Our
army moved whegcvlr there wa, an clec-
tion, and no longer mAdo war upon the
eountry's enemy, but upon the enemies Of
the Administration. Tie Mr.. Blair was
perfectly well aware that this thing, though
commencing at the South. would not end
there that the necessities of the Radical
party would extend the use of the bsypnei
ut elections 10 tho AnTtE. ~ hRduov b0eu
introduced into the States which furnished
the most powerful aid and the largest Eum-
ber Of men to crush the rebellion.
Mr. Morton Rad, Ind desired 90 ask
the Senator n question-whethcT he rcgar-
ded thcfftccnth amendment ns having been
rAtlueu, ana now 4 lNi4NAultiNAl ART OF tNt
law of the land?
Mr.. Blair thought the senator ought 20
hago got lis GpieiSn of tic G1cSptE gueLd-
nIent by this time. I.augh;eI.) II thought
the ratification Of his own State was in To-
gal form, though accomplished by tho most
Infamous periidy
Mr.. Morton substantially repeated his
question, when Mr.. Blair said he would
endsavor To be sufficiently explicit. He
did regard the amendment ~ complete aud
rs psst of tho lay Of tho land. lie had
never held any other doctrine ia regard To
IL. He did mol nu 4 and never had regarded
the reconstruction acts ~ any part Of the
lnw Of the land. and 1t be had bocn IN a
place of power, aud called upon 10 net upon
those 80 called laws, he should have acted
out his conviction. let the consequences be
what they might. He never did believe
them constitutional In the celebrated
"Iiraadhead Letter 50 much talk about,
be Mr. u airf bad said tho arlny should
be made Ia uIdp their usurpatinnA. lls
inca wa- that would be ldone by recalling
the army when the carpct-bag governments
wJuid dispersc ai once
s-@-s -------
In Ohio. in the Guernsey County
Court of Common Pleas, Mrs. Fran>
ccs Wnlt recently recovered $4,000
damages from one Boyd for selling