New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-22

so far as principle is concerned, that ha
not already emanated from the Repul
lican party. Itgives a statesmanlike vie
of the political situation Of our country
and fully indorses the leading principle
and measures of the Republican part
since it came into power: but this is nc
done without finding fault with the name
in which things have been accomplished
and the party under whose faithful con
troll the nation was enabled to marcl
through its perils. This partisan bias, i
must be conceded, rather detracts from
the statesmanlike views of Mr.. Groesbeck
though it does not blunt the force of hi
argument in favor Of the constitutions
amendments. After setting forth tn,
nature Of the three famous amendment.
that have so much excited the ire of the
Democracy in the past, and still disunits
the party, the Ohio statesman and consti
tutional expounder thus very conclus;yely
disposes of them and makes war upon the
administration:
But do not care to dwell upon the his
tory OF the fourteenth and fifteenth amend.
ments. for see nothing in their history that
will destroy their validity. You can not in
validate legislation by showing it tainted
with fraud. 1t may be admitted that an
act OF Congress was passed by undue
means; that coercion. bribery, and all kinds
of corruption were applied to effect its pas
sage, and yet the court can not set it aside.
The validity OF statute can not be i'm
peached on such grounds, nor can the valid
ity of constitutional amendment. No
court has jurisdiction to inquire into the
circumstances under which either was
passed. The only question is, We're they,
III fact. passed. Ii they were. all courts
must recognize them. Could l go into our
Supreme Court and impair the vitality of
an act of Congress by showing that enough
Congressman to change the result had been
coerced to vote for it. or bribed to vote it,
Certainly. could not. nor could success
fully attack a constitutional amendment on
these grounds. The Supreme Court has no
supervision over the action of Congress in
passing statute. or over the action Of State
Legislatures or State conventions in ADOPT
ing constitutional amendment.
1t would be unwise to confer upon the
Supreme Court such extraordinary i.risdic-
ton. The fault is not III the machinery Of
the government. 1t is as complete as il
should be: but it is not complete enough.
and human invention can not make it
perfect enough. to prevent or correct every
possible abuse: and We must depend, at
last. for the right management of MANY
important political concerns. upon the good
conduct OF the people themselves. This is
tar better and safer than to trust unlimited
power TO any department of the govern
ment
We may not look to the Supreme Court
to declare these amendments uncunstitu-
tiOna: it has no jurisdiction over them We
may not look to the States to annul them by
q further amendment it requires three
fOurths of them to concur in such move
ment: that number will not concur in such
movement. And we may not look to the
people to combine to overthrow them in
some other way: the people have already
accepted them. The destruction OF slavery
Is acknowledged and approved by all. and |
our colored population has voted in every |
state Of the Union at our local and general |
elections. again and again, and without
challenge or nlolestation. These amend |
ments will stand. Suffrage once granted |
can not be recalled: suffrage that has been
practlced Will not be surrendered. approve
the action Of our recent convention On this
subject. regret the unfairness and spirit |
Of domination IN which some of these amend
ments were carried, and this unfarness and
force should always be condemned lest they
become precedent for the future. l regret
also the tendency to encroachment upon
State sovereignty manifested in these amend
nents. But the State Is not DESTROYED, and
We may yet preserve it, if we have the good
sense no longer to waste our strength upon
questions that have passed to final Judgment.
The changes. stated in the fewest words,
ire these: No person shall be a slave
md all born or naturalized here shall be
citizens, with equal civil and political rights.
When but mere handful of our colored
population was free, and the great mass Of
hem in slavery. the question Of their civil
nd political rights was not before u.s. Such
question could not properly arise till
lavery was removed. Now all of this
population are free. They are a great
one-eighth OF our people
do not think it good craftsmanship in such
governments as ours to make SO large
mass Of freemen subject class. or to hold
hem permanently in an inferior or de-
raded condition. Slavery was always
anger. This other condition of the colcred
eOpje would be a danger also. ever
roubling us and threatening our peace.
Many Of you will remember when the
arty now IN power endeavored to disfran-
hlse our foreign born population. 1t sue
eeded for time, but Democracy at last
and saved the political rights of
ur foreign born. One Of the reasons that
lstited us applies to the case of our colored
opuiation. They are more numerous than
ur foreign born population was in the DAYS
Know NOthingisln; they are lust as free:
he constitution no longer restrains or EN-
grasses us. and our very Democracy re-
lures that we should act now as we did
nen. And why should we not! Have this
eople ever wrOnged US ? How or when r
Is they who have been wronged. Shall
'eihocracy point its guns upon the lowly {
nd unfortunate! 1t would be an unmanly +
aiiaie; foint your guns yonder. upon the
.a;i capl1oi-at the high places. against
Imperialism and absolutisln. There is vour ,
anger and there is to be your struggle.
1t IS hard to conceive how SO INTELLIGENT !;
gentleman as Mr.. Groesbeck could be q
"a into the error of stating that the party s
present in power was ever guilty of en- +
to disfranchise our FOREIGN r
orn population. We are not aware that q
lie Republican party has ever endeavored g
limit or curtail the right of suffrage in Il
~ other way than to punish treason. Y
n the contrary, we know that the Re- O
,blican party has been in favor of ex- S
nding suffrage, while the Democratic S
rty has bitterly opposed its extension. Ii
ne members of the American party and v
e Known Nothing party did advocate s.
sidence Of twenty-one years in the p
untry by foreigners before they could t,
te, and proposed to have Congress pass fl