The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-04-29


the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth
constitutional amendments were adopted
and indicating the source from which
Cangresa derives the pouar to protect
che colored man ia his newly acquired
rights. The court say:
The most cursocy glance at these asti.
clss discloses unity of purpose when
taken in conneCtion with the history Of
lhe times WHICH cannot fail to have an
important bearing on any question of
doubt concerning their true meaning
Speaking OF tho thirteeath amendment
they say:
sI'l.e word Servst&&e is oflaTger NJ Gaming
than sJ4WTy, as the latter is popularity
understood in this county, and the
obvious purpose was TO forbid all shades
and conditions Of African slavery
Passing on to the fourteenth amend
mens the C 2urt say:
Among the first acts OF legislation
adopted by several Of the States in the
le2istaiYe bodies wh4ch claimed to be
In then normal relations with the Fed
erdGDvernment were laws which imposed
coIored race onerous dlsab,l-
itirs and burdens. a ~ = X
pbey were in some States fol- hidden
TO appear in the towns in any other
than mental servants. They
gReTe acquired to reside en- and cultivate
tAe,soii without the right TO purchase or
cwn 1t. They were excluded from
many occupations of gain, and were net
permitted to give testimony in the
courts in any case where white man
wasaa. party. It was said THAI their
ilges were at the mercy OF bad men eth
eg because the laws for their protection
we're insufficient or were not. enforced.
Taerc 'urt, after saying that the gem
tietaen who had conducted the Federal
Government safely through the crisis of
the rebellion, being convinced that con-
stitutional protection was necessary for
this unfortunate race, proceeds:
They accordingly passed through
Congress the proposition Tor the four
teenh amendment, and they declined
to treat as restored To their fail partici-
patton In'the Government Of the III nion
the States which had been ID iasurreC-
ton untrl they ratified that article by u
final vote Of their legislative bodies.
A few years experience satisfied
thoughtful men who haG been the au-
thors of the two amendm ents that not
withstandlng2the restraints of those ar
ticles on the States, and the laws passed
under the additional powers granted TO
Congress, these were inadequate for sshe
protection OF life, liberty, aud property,
vii hout which the freedom Of the slave
was no boon. They were in all these
States denied the right OF suffrage. The
laws were administered by the white
man alone Il was urged that race of
men distinctly marked as was the negro,
being in the midst Of another and a
dominant race, could never be fully.
ecule1 in thelr person and heir property
without the right of suffrage. Hence
the fifteenth amendment. which declares
ahat 'the ght OF citizen of the United
States to vote shall not ne denied or
abridged by any State on account of
race, color, or previous condition of SER
vitade."
The negro having by the fourteenth
amendment been declared to be GILL
zen of the United States, is thus made
q voter in any State Of the United
States of the Union
Thug. Mr.. Speaker, it Will be seen
that the thirteenth amendment emanci-
pated the slave, but virtually left him
an outlay the fourteenth amendment
clothed him with citizenship and the
fifteenth gave him the right of suffrage.
The three combined raised hi1a to the
dignity of a man, and invested him with
the rights, the privileges, and immuni-
ties OF o cltizens The court say:
On the most casual examination OF
the language Of these amendments no
one can fail to be impressed with the
~hO PoA '"NAnS uAPooO Auuuu III Gu6m
all, lying at the foundation of each, and
without which none IF them would have
been suggested. We mean the freedom
OF the slave race, the security and firm
establishment of that freedom, and tho
protection of the newly made freeman
and citizens from the oppression OF
those who had formerly exercised unlim-
1tad dominion ovar him
X X x X
We do rot say that any one else can
not share in this protection x + II
but what we do say, and what we wish
to be understood, is, that IN any fair and
just construction of any section or phrase
Of these amendments it is necessary to.
look at the purpose which we have said
was the pervadipg spirit of them all,
the evil which they were designed to
remedy, and the process Of continued
addition to the Constitution until that
purpose was supposed to be accom-