The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-03-15

gested as continuance Of Lincolns statesman like
program Of reconstruction.
1t was designed primarily so far as the American
public aware, to protect the Negro in his newly
civil rights. It penalized leading Confederates
by excluding from federal or state Office those who
had once held important posts in the federal or
state government and had later on supported the
confederacy.
The amendment aroused bitter feelings on both
sides The north regarded it as a test of whether
the south actually admitted its defeat in the Civil
war and repudiated slavery. The southern states
looked upon it dangerous and rash measure
with respect to Negroes and especially resented it
insult to their most distinguished citizens
Even clear headed southerners recognized that it
was to their interest to ratify the amendment to
escape something worse. Refusal to ratify only
would enrage the Sumner Stevens clique in congress
and assure their complete domination over federal
policies in the future Tn fourteenth amendment
may have been, in part, indefensible from the
standpoint Of either craftsmanship or sportsman
ship, but it certainly the best that the south
could expect from congress.
Yet the south succumbed to emotion rather than
embracing wisdom and ten out Of the eleven south
ern states rejected the amendment by an over
whelming majority in each case. Only Tennessee,
which never had been thoroughly with the confed-
eracy, ratified the amendment in the summer of
1866. The south able to block ratification for
it had more than one-fourth of the states.
The result was what had been predicted by far
sighted leaders in both north and south. Sumner
Stevens Wade and their associates hailed the re-
lection with JOY They always had regarded the
amendment a rather feeble measure which did
not go far enough in Furnishing the south.
Now they had apparent proof that the south
still was defiant and unrepentant The rejection
of the amendment helped them greatly in electing
a congress in the autumn of 1866 which was crush
ingly in favor of the Sumner-Stevens program of
humiliating the south.
Once Sumner and Stevens were in complete con-
troll of congress, they put through the savage con-
gressional plan of reconstruction, dividing the south
into five military districts and putting the whole
area under martial law. Each state was ordered
to call constitutional convention and to revise its
Constitution.
The new Constitution had to guarantee the Negro
the right to vote Not until the legislature pro-
vded for under the new Constitution had adopted
the fourteenth amendment and the latter had be-
a part of the federal Constitution could any
southern state be readmitted into the Union and
military government terminated.
1t was under this congressional plan of recon-
struction that the notorious carpet Dagger rule Of
the south was carried out in many ways bringing
more damage to the south than the Civil itself
On top of that the southerners had the fourteenth
amendment poked down their Threats at the point
of the bayonet.
Not until the spring of 1877 did the south escape
entirely from the yoke of military rule. Rarely
have a people paid dearly for any stand than
did the south as penalty for their rejection of the
fourteenth amendment.
1t is not likely that we shall resort to military
rule of a part of the United States to ratify the
twentieth amendment calling for prohibition repeal
Yet any failure of prompt ratification will exact a
heavy price in continuance of the present graft
ruption and defiance of law, to say nothing of the
loss of federal revenue.
But it is not beyond the range of possibility that
determined defiance upon the part of small minor
ity of relatively unmporant states will force action
quite as drastic as that which followed the rejec-
ton of the fourteenth amendment by the south.
Certainly, it will be rash people who would in
vite any repetition of the mistakes and disasters
which swamped the country in the decade after 1866