The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-14
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
No. 1.-The Fourteenth Article of Amendment
1865-1874
(To Be Continued.) )

explained that he had been unable to en- franchise the negro there because the at
 tempt if acceptable to the ruling party
 must have required a change of suffrage
 laws in the northern, middle and western
 states"
 Mr Fessenden of Maine, one of the ablest and most consistent of the oppo- nents of the south and supporters of the dogma of race equality, said his attach
 ment to his cause filled his heart He had lost several sons on the battle fields of Virginia and the sole survivor was battle maimed for life. He could not be- lieve that the articles as 1t came from the House would be ratified. Personally, he favored the contention for race equality and would if necessary vote for the House
 measure with enthusiasm, but without hope. Public feeling on the race ques- tion in the loyal states must not be dis regarded. &The loyal states were not | ready for equal suffrage of the races. The senator had returned to his mem- ory a recent incident in one of the New England towns. vote was taken and the majority of the white citizens resolved | to refuse to negroes the right to settle there. "If we report provision of this kind" exclaimed the senator from Maine, l 'is there the slightest probability that it will be adopted by the states? It is per | fectly evident there could be no hope of
 that description Congressional Globe, | first session, Thirty ninth Congress, Part | 1. D. 704.)
 | Senator Sherman took the floor to pro- | test in the name of Ohio. Tn a majority I of the northern states to this hour." he | said, there is a denial of the right of suffrage to the coored population. In
 Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York that right is limited, and these three states contain one-third of the population of the United States. In large majority of the states, including the most populous, ne- gro suffrage is prohibited" l The attempt to introduce negro equality
 of any kind into the constitution had sig
 nally failed. The original report of the
 reconstruction committee amending the constitution was dead.
 The committee resumed activity. The | original report was recalled for amend | ment. Senator Sumner yielded opposition. Senator sherman cancelled his apprehen- I sions of defeat.
 | The total debt of the United States l June l. 1866, while the fourteenth article | of amendment fingered in Congress, was | s2, ,670, 900 900 round numbers.
 | President Johnson advised the liquida- tlcn of this debt. large part of it was | contracted at 40 cents on the dollar. The | interest now being paid was 0o,0oo. The President advised holders of the government bonds, who had already re- ceived in interest all they had paid out | for the bonds, to surrender them without | additional price. He advised Congress to | scale the debt.
 l Public meetings in various parts of the | country at the north, where all the bonds were owned, made vehement protests | against making vassals to a new aristoc- 1 racy of those who had at so great cost | to themselves extinguished the lords and | masters of negro slaves.
 | All shades of opinion on the merits of the | negro question united in demand that the | public debt should be held sacred. Sam
 uel ]. Randall, foremose among demo-
 crats, introduced resolution in the House
 declaring the public debt must be held 1 inviolable.
 | Senator Wilson from Massachusetts, 1 from the reconstruction committee report. l ed in May, an amendment to the original
 report which now stands substantially as | section of the article. The senator said | ''rhe holders of the public securities. the possessors of the currency founded on
 the public faith. the scared veterans of | the republic and the heirs of fallen heroes | are hardly ready to intrust their inheri- | tance, ever small. to the men who have lost 5000, 00O,000 invested in the
 | sinews of race emancipated by the na-
 tional authority, and the holders of thou
 sands of millions of Confederate bonds
 and obligations If the southern people
 were permitted to burden their productive