Year: 1866

are. They are subject to no greater penal
ties or punishment for crime than white men
In all of the Southern States the same en-
actment has been or will be made. 1t would
seem that this ought to satisfy the Northern
people of our purpose to protect the negro
and do ample justice to him in all bis rights
of person and property.


The right to hold Office and vote is po
litical right, which belongs exclusively to
every community, and to be regulated as to
them shall seem proper, without interfer'
euce, in any way, By any other power
There is not civilized community in the
world where restrictions have not been i'm
posed OF the right of holding Office, voting
and exercising political power. The Nor
thern States have done so from their earliest
history up to the present day. To deprive
the Southern States of the same right, would
be the grossest injustice and tyranny. AND
to consent to it, on their part, voluntary,
would be self-degradation and infamy.


The second section of the proposed con-
stitutional amendment declares that repre-
seutatiou shall be in proportion to the mum.
Der of voters in each State, and that if any
male inhabitants over the age of twenty.one
are excluded from voting for any cause
whatever, they shall not be enumerated in
the basis of representation. This makes it
imperative on the Southern States to give
up their representation for large portion
of their population, or permit the negroes
to vote. The injustice of this constitution
al provision to the Southern States must be
manifest to every unprejudiced mind.


In all the Southern States large proper.
tion of their population consists of negroes,
who are utterly incapable of holding Office,
voting or exercising any political rights
At the same time they exclude, by their la,
Dor, white persons, who would otherwise
take their places, occupy the country and
cultivate its lands. 10 the Northern States
they have very few negroes, and their sx-
clusion from voting would not seriously af-
feet their representation in Congress. The
consequence would be that one section ofthe
American Union, with great wealth and a
large population, would have most made
quate influence in national legislation.


The proposed amendment of the Federal
Constitution forces the Southern States to
choose between giving up their equal repre-
sentation in Congress, or permitting their
negroes to vote. Between these alternatives,
no Southern State could hesitate for a mo-
ment to choose when the issue is forced on
them. Equal representation in the Dation-
al councils must be given up. You very
properly say, that already the Southern
States are in minority in both houses of
Congress, and full representation for their
negroes would not give them majority of
the House of Representatives.


In South Carolina We have largely over a
hundred thousand more negroes than white
persons. If universal suffrage prevailed,
the entire political power of the State would
be in the hands of the negroes. They
could elect to every Office in the State one
of their own caste, and send Senators and
Representatives to Congress. The same
state of affairs, deplorable as it would be-,
must likewise take place in Mississippi
And in all the Southern States there would
be many counties in similar condition
negroes elected to the Legislature and fill,
ing all county Offices.


To suppose that any Southern State would
voluntarily adopt such provision in the
National Constitution, is to presume that
she is insensible to her own honor, and
reckless to her own safety. 1t may be said
that Tennessee has already done SO. Never
was there greater mistake. If the con-
stitutional amendment had been submitted
to the people of Tennessee, it would have
been rejected by nine tenths of them. 1t
was adopted only by minority of her Leg
islature, unfairly and corruptly elected, and
thoroughly debased and degraded by Nor
thern influence. In all communities there
are unprinclped and Infamous men, who
seek power and notoriety by sacrificing honor
and the interests of their country. Unfor-
tunately for Tennessee the scum and dregs
of society have been thrown up by the hor-
rible civil war through which she has passed
Men have got into power in that State, &C.
cidentally and fraudulently, who are dis
grace to human nature, and who will ever
remain Infamous in history. The same
thing cannot again occur in any other South
ern State.


The third section of the proposed con-
stitutional amendment is more revolving to
an honorable mind than either of the others
It is, in the true sense of the word, a Bill
of attainder and er post tacto law, so re.
puguant to the sentiments and feelings Of
the trainers of the Federal Constitution,
that they declared no such law should ever
be passed. 1t punlshes for past offences,
by one fell swoop, tens of thousands Of
honorable men. The conception of such a
Bill was never before, probably, thought of
by an Englishman, or the descendant of an
Eugishman. 1t certainly was not attempt
ed by the English Parliament in the dark.
est and boodiest days of English tyranny.
The only incident in history analogous to
it, is the wish of Nero, that all men had
but one neck so that he could cut them off
at one blow. 1t proposes to ostracise and
disgrace forever, not only all the leading
men of the South, but all, however humble