Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-02

The Amendments.

The Amendments.
we have been requested by distinguished
Tiycinsan 10 give more in detail than We did in
cur article Of a week or two ago the history oil me
thirteenth, fourteenth, and niieeph amend
menis 70 tho Federal Consiitntion. Let us pro
mise that Ia complying with his request ne sh"ii
not write in the expectation that anything Whioh
can be said az This late day can change the TACT
,h.t the three ancniments are now part OF the
Constitution. We only wish TO hoip the historian
OF the future 70 knowledge Of the fact that these
amendments are a superstructure erected upon
N foundation Of fraud aud falsehood- We don't
emplov these as cutting words, but merely as
expre.sinc The exact truth, though the circum-
stances are almost enough 10 induce everybody
% dee]are with Sir ROBERT WALPOLR that all his
cory is lie.
Tho incorporation Of tho thirteenth amend
rnent into The Constitution wss what paved the
way for the fourteenth aud fifteenth Without
the thirteenth there was no occasion for the oiher
two. And vet the thirteenth was ratified only by
tie casting vote OF Yves! yrgiuia--a state which
has never had any constitutional existence. Inc
Constitution Of tha fathers Il conclusive On TINS
point We quote from Article ", section .,
paragraph:
$50 now state shall be formed or erected
within the Jurisdiction Of any other STATE
within the jurisdiction Of Virginia
In order 10 give color q constitutonsiity 70
the erection Of the State Of West Virginia the
claim was sol up that this prohibition might be
avoided by getting the consent Of Virginia % the
erection OF tho new state. This claim was based
upon language which refers TO another subject.
The whole paragraph We quoted from above Is
e. follows:
New States may DO admitted by the Congress
into his linton: but no new state shall De FORM
ed or erected within The jurisdiction of any other
STAG. nor any State formed by the Junction OF
two OF more states ot parts OF rtstes without me
consent Of the Legislatures Of the st.ies con-
cernod as well a. Of tho Congress"
Wehave pur.tuafod the paragraph just Is 1t
Is punctuatod by sPoFFORD. the Librarian OF
Congress, tho best authority in tho lsnd. Butt
needs no authority 20 establish the truth OF our
present contention for the proof is Inherent in
the language. IL there were not a punctuation
marx ia the paragraph the meaning would be |
plain
And yet the country has accepted a. a fact
That constitutional amendment which was rati-
ned only by the vote OF a bogus State is part aud
parcel OF tho Constitution handed down TO US BY |
our fathers
But IL was also necessary 70 count the vote OF
Virginia a. having been IN favor Of ratification
before the needed three fourtbs Of the states
could be claimed as having ratified It, When |
did Virginia rstify the thirteenth amendmentf |
1ir SEWARD certified that she had ratified II
February q 1885. and yet it was not until lS'O |
that Virginia Was Teadmttef 10 representation
IN Congress! From April, 1865, TO 1870 th@e Was
no such thing as a STATE Of Virginia. IL was a
mere province or satrSpy. Bogus-Goyernor
PERPOIHr was In the Governors mansion por- !
ton of the time; HENRY HAsPY WILLS a por- |
4 Cru n n Of
tic time; General sIOEEMAN q portion Of the !
fme; and General CAEBY the rest OF the time. |
Five so-caued Governors ia Ave yearsi Several !
years after this alleged ratification by Virginia |
one Of these Governors Used orders forbiidns !
the Legislature % meet at the time fixed by Law |
for It's Assem- biaEl This WAS the kind Of Logis- |
ture that ratified O. the thirteenth Amendment |
Il required tho votes OF tweniy-soven States |
out Of thlrty-s.x TO give soldity 70 any amend !
uent We now quote from the certificate OF Mr.. |
SEWARD Secretary OF State, proof that no had to
pretend that Virginia aud West Virginia had
ratified the thirteenth amendment In order 70 |
make up the twenty-seyon votes necessary to
the SUCCESS Of this scheme o. conquest and re-
taiston. After reciting how the thirteenth
amendment had been proposed Sir. SEWARD
eays:
.Wbereas II appears from oflcisl documents
on file IA this department tint tue amendment
a. The Cons,itution OF tho United states pro-
posed aforesaid has been ratified by the To-
c.lataFes OF the states OF Illinois, Rhode Island,
tttshiQan. Maryland, New YORK, Wesf Virginia
Msine. Kansas. Massachusetts, Pennsylyania,
Ffrrtufa, ohio. Missouri. Nevada. Indiana, Lou
isisnG Minnesota. Wisconsin. Vermont, Iennes-
zee. Arkansas, Connecticut, New Hampshire,
south Carolins, Alabama. North Carolina, and
Georgia, IN all tNeaty seven states;
And, whereas the whole punn Der OF States IN
the nitec states is thrty-stX;
And. whereas the before specialiy-named
States. whose legislatures have rauned tho said
proposed amendment constitute three fourhs
cf the whole namber OF States IN the Unitod
btal0s:
"Kcv, there. be Il known that !, William II.
Seward Secretary OF Stato OF the United states |
90 hereby certify ulat tho amendment
aforesaid has become valid 20 all intents aud
purposes as a pari OF tue Constitution oil tue
l nitcd states"
Note that exoctiy twsnty-8even states we're
needed 10 rttify tho amendment, and that this
numbcr was obtained by counting West Viz
einia which had no constitutional eIistoDco,
aud Virgins, which in February, 1851, was the
capital Of the COufsdorats Stzte'. The Legisls- /
ture which pretended 90 rAhiy the thirteenth
amendment was not elected by tho people OF |
Virginia, and did not IN any sense represent
them. II was a bogus body made up OF pre-
tepded delegates not from no State NJ large but
from tho counties srolud Alexandria where no
eksletCn Legislature sal. and where, under the
projection Of Federal b4yonets, PEIHPoIST pre-
tended 70 be and 10 act as Governor Of Virginia
The real Governor aud government OF Virginia /,
we're recognized by President LINCOLN In 1851,
when 10 called upon Governor LETCHEa for
troops 10 put DOM "the rebellion" and that
real government never had an existence outslde
OF R.cnm0nd. During tho same year, 1851, the
bogus State Of Virginia which WAS manufactured
out ON tho borders OF Pennsylvania was recog-
x,szcd nv the same President LINCOLN
ION what tangled web vo weave
When ihu6 NO practice 70 deceive"
Note. too. Nj. 6gEAED's language lie certi-
fes unqlGuaedly mat tl.e Thirteenth amend
meat had boon ratified by tho requisite number
Of States, bat when he came 10 certify IS ~ the
foprtesah amendment he declined. as we in
tenc 10 shoW hereafter 70 say tnst it had been
ratined by the requisite namher Of staeS
Itthus appears clear thai the thirteenth amend.
ment has never been ratified. Tho government
recognized by iIsceLS 80 1901 ~ the real gov.
ornment Of yirglnis was still IN Richmond and
s,il IN the fun exercise Of rs functions on the
Fth day OF February. 1876. when dozen or two
scalawGgs assembled In Alexandria from not
one thlrd OF tho counties Of this state went
through tho ruockery Of rsiifyiag The thirteenth
amendment
-~-------
NOT lire Of editorial comment In Snnday,s
issue OF Mr. wnifELAW Reds paper on the |
HAIsfEAD case.
Mr. REID tromDles 10 think how near he WAS 10