The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1871-12-22
Nr. Coxs Figures and Facts.


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Mr.. Cox's Figures and Facts.
There was a spirited debate in the
House at Washington. few days ago
ON the Appcrtionmcnt bill. After
what Shellabarger and Garfield had
said Mr.. Cox Of New York. rseogniI'
inc the fourteenth amendment as para
mount, insisted that. as O consequence
Of their logic. the House should take
the Census Bureaus statement. Thai
statement shows that the male citizens
above 2l years Of age whose right &c
vote Is denied or abridged. ON other
grounds than rebellion or other crime
have not been eonsti,utiOnally deduct
ed from the rate or the fractions ~
the bills before the House. Mr.. Cox
appealed to the majority 10 stand by
their fourteenth amendment The
House seemed to 10 on the idea that
only the disfranchised should be de-
Quoted from the ratio. That is not
the Constitution. The fourteenth
amendment says that when the right
TO vote, &c, in denied to any Of the
male inhabitants Of such State being
tweaty-Ons years of age and citizens OF
the United Stats, or in any way
abridged, except for rebellion or crime.
the basis Of representation shall be re-
duesd in the proportion which the
nu,nber of such male citizens shall
bear TO the whole number Of male cit
irens twenty-one years Of age In such
State. Mr.. Cox contends that the
numb. 10 be deducted was more than
the number ofthe disfranchised. This
gathered around him the House on
both sides, while he eiphered by the
rule Of three and the Constitution,
Rhode Island, for instance: the dis
franchised, by the census returns II =
S25; the males over q. 1896; the
whole population 2l7,s5S. By the
Constitution and arithmetic 1878
should be deducted from the whole
number ofpopulatiOn. leaving POS. .625.
Deducting from 2Os.l2o. the lowest
ratio. IS6,2lr. leit oaly 81 .4O6. being
less than the ratio fixed by the bill Of
Mercur or other bills. Ohio. by the
same rule, would lose one Congress
man, and Massachusetts, comes within
four hundred of losing another. by the
rule of the two bills fixing 2s0 as the
number Of Congressman. Dir. Cox
contended that as the Democracy had
accepted the amendments, and had al
ways stood by the unamended Consti-
tuition it was a fraud for the Republi-
cans to wriggle and squirm about their
own amendments when such amend
ments cut down Massachusetts,. Rhode
Island, and Ohio. The fourteenth
amendment was meant TO force the
South to take negro suffrage or lose
representation. They took it. Now
the Radicals desire 10 avoid its effects
ON New England. They squirm be-
fore the figures Of their own creation.
They are hoist by their own pstsrd.
They depart from their own amend
ments. and the Democracy stand by
the Constitution and ito amendments.
Quite q CONSERVATION was created by
DIR. Cox's figures. a. no Republican
had contemplated these results Of the
fourteenth amendment. If Kentucky
or Georgia had laws prohibiting those
who can't read and write. or who don't
own real estate Of n certain amount,
who doubts but that Congress, under
the fourteenth amendment. would
have deducted such disfranchised per-
sons from the ratio! II so. why not
the Germans and Irish Of Rhode Is
and and the illiterate of Massachu-
sstts for the same reasoni