The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1872-06-15
THE ENTERPRISE LDIiOR ON DIS
FRANCHISEMENT.

The above is a fiattering allusion to,
and denial of. the statements in our
article OF Tuesday on the passage of
the late Amnesty bill, and as a speci
men of sublime i%mpudence and I'M
initigated a>inine instincts coupled
with profound Ignorance Ofthe subject
referred to. we challenge the press of
this State to produce an equal. Were
it not for the evident stupidity OF the
author of the above quotation, we
would not expend time oil labor to re-
ply; but, plying his ignorance. and
jealous of the reputation ofjonrnalists
everywhere. we have taken pains to
refer to the laws of Congress upon the
subject of reconstruction, not for the
purpose ofiufOrming READERS. who
are too well posted to need II light
on the subject, but solely out of pity
by the prominent Grant paper in this
State.
On the 10th of July. 1866, Congress.
by joint resolution, proposed what is
now known aSthe Fourteenth Amend
ment to the Federal Constitution. the
third section OF which provided that
mo person shall be a Senator or
Representative in Congress. or eiector
of President and Vice President. or
HOLIDAY office, civil or military, under
shn rIraI ~rara- ar 1rIiar N ~faTa
who. having previously taken an
oath As a member of Congress or as an
officer of the United Sta e or as a
member of any State Legislature or as
an executive or judicial officer of any
State tn support the Constitution of
the United 5 ates. shall have engaged
III insurrectiun or rebellion against n
same n given aid or comfo to the
enemies thereof. But Congress may
by a vote of two thirds of each House
remove such disability
And afterward made the adoption OF
this proposed amendment a pre- requi-
site for the admission of the rebel
States to representation in the Federal
Congress.
March I'd, 1867, Congress passed
San Act t provide for the more eff
Gent government of the reoel States"
which included among other things,
the conditions upon which the States
therein enumerated ten should toe de-
clared entitled to representation in
CongreSs-by whom the delegates to
conventions TO form State Constitutions
should be elected-the provisions of
the constitutions of said Stares as to |
the elective franchi~e-that the States
must adopt the Fourteenth Amend
ment proposed therefore by Congress
and that
"N0 person, excluded from the
privilege of holding office by said pro
posed amendment. shall be eligible To
election a a member of said cOnven
ton. nor shall any such person vote
for members OF said conveution.'
Bearing in mind that these conven-
tons were for the purpose of framing
the organic law of the land-not only
of the several States but OF adopting
an amendrnen. to our Fundamental
national law-how can any person
with the least fractional part of the
brains Of aniiiot assert that Congress
neve denied the right of suffrage to |
any man"
The next section of this Act provides
who may vote in elections to office un
the PrayiSiouaI oyprnment and
who shall not, in these words: .All
persons shall he entitled to vote and
none others who are entitled to vote
under the provisions of the fifth sec
ton of this Act,' which is the section
lust before referred to.
Does this deny the ballot t any man
account of participation in the re-
beIlion?
This bill was supplemented by an
Ac5, passed March %. 1867, providing
registration of voters, which was
to .'include only those persons who
ire qualified to vote for delegates by
Act aforesaid" and shall have
and subscribed to a certain
la.h. il which deponent must swear
hat he has mot been DISTINGUISHED
or participation in any rebellion"
on July 10. 1857. the original Act
vt- farther supplemented by an Act
, which it is provided thatthe boards
+ registration (lppointedl Shall be