Year: 1866

in the Constitution itself a clear and
unmistakable provision, irrepealable by
congressional partisanshp, which shall
be the palladium of civil rights,


Next as to the amendment relative to
the basis of representation, we really do
not see how any one can hold that to be
unimportant. The question of allowing
the conquered rebels to vote or hold Of
flee bears no comparison to it in actual
Importance. AS things now stand, four
millions of the population Of the south
are totally excluded from voting These
are the emancipatcd slaves. No one
has yet proposed to entrancbse them,
and the national government seems to
possess no power to do so. The whites
monopolizc all the political power
They hold the Offices and do the voting.
OF these whites, the loyal minority ap-
pears to be helpless in the hands Of the
dominant rebel majority, Yet this lat
ter element is an actual minority OF the
southern population taken altogether
1t governs the south absolutely. 1t
usurps all the power, and sends to Con-
gress a solid delegation of rebels.


The friends of the President profess
to regard this as a trihe. We do not
We do not believe that the rebel mino,i.
,y of the south has any right to repre-
sent the whole south in Congress -
When our forefathers were framing the
Constitution they took similar view of
the matter Of southern representation.
They said emphatical!y that the slave
holders had no right to represent the
whole body OF their slaves as well as
themselves, and therefore they deprived
the southern States Of MISREPRESENTATION
in Congress Of two-iitths of the whole
colored population. 1t is proposed that
we should let this provision stand, now
that the slaves are free, aud if no rebels
lion had occurred perhaps we might
agree to tha. But the spirit of the cons
quered rebels is sach that we are clear
as to the impropriety of en,ruSting them
with the representation of the loyal
blacks. lf'he latter had the power they
woulc send men to Congress zealouSly
loyal to the government, and not dis
posed to liorize rebels. AS we cannot
give them that power, we arc bound not
to let them be misrepreSented by ,ral.
tors


There Is no conccalment about the
hostile spirit and rebcllous purposes Of
the men elected to Congress from II c
south, and they are stimulated and en-
couraged in this by northern Democrats,
so that the moment their delegations
shall be admitted to Congress the two
elements will work together to undo all
that has been so laboriously achieved by
the people Of twenty five loyal States.-
The amendment now pending proposes
to restrict the representation of the
southern communities to the white popu.
lation, as that is the only element ems
franchised, and we think it as near to
exact justice as we can now get. 1t is
supposed by some that the effect of this
amendment, if adopted. will be to in.
duce the conquered States to grant the
right of suffrage to the colored popua-
ton. We are doubtful of that, as the
rebels know very well that as soon as
they do SO they will be left in the mi
nonty by the loyal whites aud blacks
uniting together under the Republican
flag But the amendment will restrict
the power of We rebels tor mischief, and
this is very important.


The determination of the rebels to
demand the assumption of their war
debts by the national government and
the payment of compensation of slaves
is now concealed, because the rebellious
element feels the necessity of waiting
until safely admitted to Congress. But
the fact that they are bent on attaining
these ends is well known, and the north
ern Democrats are prepared to back
them in so doing. We cannot trust
these men in mere professions. We
must establish fixed limits to their AFRO,
gance. We must secure our tax payers
against any such outrageous burdens -
Nor is it less the settled purpose Of the
rebels to repudiate our national war debt
unless their demands be aoceded to. II
is one Of their standing sources Of dis
content at the south that they have to
pay tax TO meet the interest on the debt
incurred to subjugate them. The mag.
nitude of the interests at stake demand
that we should secure our creditors
against any possible Democratic and
rebel Congress hereafter.


As to the probability of these amend
ments being ratified by the requisite
number Of States, wo see no reason to