The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-05

The Fortieth Congress assembled De cember [, 1868, for it's short session and last work. Acute appreciation of the crisis precipitated by the long session preceding possessed every member of each house. Not before had the leaders of the radical movement been so per plexed. Thadeus Stevens, chairman of the reconstruction committee and the Ajax Talemon of it's activity, was dead.
 In Alabama, neither the defeat of Sey- mour by General Grant. nor full possess sion of the state and county offices by the revolutionists had reconciled the in congruous elements of their organiza- tion. The scalawags were disappointed that the carpetbaggers failed to embrace their proffered help. The carpetbaggers were in despair over their intractabe freedmen. Meantime, the few feeble at tempts of the freedmen to break entirely "a way from the whites of all classes and to put Into practical effect their spas modic haruIn scarum aspirations to raise up q political party with negro leaaers leading a negro constituency for negro supremacy, went no further than to make an indecent exposure of the in- capacity of the race.
 We have seen that the overwhelming majority for General Grant, in the cleo loral colleges, seemed to discourage some of the more brilliant and effective supporters of the national democratic ticket in Alabama. The discrepancy be- tween Grants strength at the polls and his electoral college vote, these alarmed orators overlooked. The fact that the politicians had controlled the electoral colleges filled them with gravest fears. .l.- 4l.y h. &.s, had been forced by the army in the cleo tion thus to augment Grants majority was ignored.
 Lewis E. Parsons, head of the demo- cratic delegation to the Seymour eonven- tion; Samuel F. Rice, Alexander White, Alexander McKinstry and other strong seymour leaders became proselytes to the Grant column. This abnormal defecton had no apparent effect upon the masses of white people.
 So when the second or short session of E the Fortieth Congress met to discover the indomitable opposition of the south to the reconstruction policy and modes and methods the leaders stood in dismay. Their disappointment had but one com pensetory attainment, and that was Gen. srai Grant as President. Grant might be relied upon to take up the spirit of the most extreme legislation. In many ways and on many occasions the famous soldier had indicated the bias of his mind.
 The routine of the opening day of the session was barely completed in either House when, as if by prearrangement among it's members, forms of fifteenth article of amendment of the constitution were offered in both. The confession seemed spontaneous on all sides that the fourteenth article had fallen short of the purpose. as to the introduction of the negro race into the politics of the re- publican party, and as to the anticipated humiliation of the southern whites.
 The last resort of the dismembered Con- gress was to shift the foundation of the federal government from the ancient rule that the electors for President and vice president and the electors for rep resentatives in Congress shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legis- lature."
 ' The shift was to be made from state s regulation of the electorate to federal gov ernment regulation, and the change would include the qualifications for state as well as federal elective system.
 In order to reach more definite reali- xation of the learned and prolonged de- bate upon the proposi.,on to enact a fif- teenth article of amendment. the perfect cd resolution is set forth here:
 ''6ection 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, nor by any State on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.
 Section ?. The Congress, by appropri- ate legislation. may enforce the provisions of this article"
 Senator Sumner from Massachusetts pro- tested now as he had done three years before in discussing the proceedings to give form to the fourteenth article, so recently adopted over his wishes. He said the proposed article to the states, where cause 1t made no advance over the estab- lished law of the land. Assent by a sim pie statute the principe of the Declaration of Independence. Nothing more was needed But it was said simple statute was liable to repeal. He could see no jeo- pardy A statute reafirming the Declar- ation would enfranchise all men. It wou.4 require a two-thirds majority to submit the proposed article to the states, when it would assuredly finger long in doubt. Enact a statute to enfranchise all men. President Johnson might be expected L. veto it, but the same two-thirds majori- ty would be present and the veto would avail not.
 The Declaration was sufficient; the con- efitution was already ample. Let all American organic law be interpreted as the fathers intended. 'fn favor of human rights" and the existing law was suffi- cient to the present ends. Two reasons op- eratsd te compeI tho senator to hesitate