CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



; ut ion, to appoint presidential electors it- 

 self if it *\m\\ ehuoso to do so, and to refuse to 

 ; lint question to the people. It is the right 

 i-y Mat.'. It is very probable that the 

 : of the rebel States would be used in 

 exactly that way. Wo should therefore gain 

 nothing as to the election of the next or any 

 future President of the I'nited States." 



Mr. Wade, of Ohio, said: "I move to amend 

 thu joint resolution by striking out all after the 

 word 'article' in lino eight, and substituting 

 the proposition which I send to the Chair to be 

 rend." 



The Secretary read the words proposed to be 

 inserted, as follows : 



8fc. 1. No State shall make or enforce any law 

 which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of 

 persons born in the United States or naturalized by 

 the laws thereof; nor shall any State deprive any 

 person of life, liberty, or property without due pro- 

 cess of law; nor deny to any person within its juris- 

 diction the equal protection of the laws. 



Sec. 2. No class of persons as to the right of any of 

 whom to suffrage discrimination shall be made, by 

 any State, shall be included in the basis of represen- 

 tation, unless such discrimination be in virtue of im- 

 partial qualifications founded on intelligence or prop- 

 erty, or because of alienage, or for participation in 

 rebellion or other crime. 



Sec, 3. The public debt of the United States, includ- 

 ing all debts or obligations which have been or may 

 hereafter be incurred in suppressing insurrection or 

 in carrying on war in defence of the Union, or for 

 payment of bounties or pensions incident to such war 

 and provided for by law. shall be inviolable. But 

 debts or obligations which have been or may hereaf- 

 ter be incurred in aid of insurrection or of war against 

 the United States, and claims of compensation for 

 loss of involuntary service or labor, shall not be as- 

 sumed or paid by any State nor by the United States. 



Sec. 4. The Congress shall have power to enforce by 

 appropriate legislation the provisions of this article. 



This amendment was subsequently withdrawn. 



Mr. "Wilson, of Massachusetts, said : " As 

 amendments are being offered, I desire to sub- 

 mit an amendment, for the purpose of having it 

 printed, to the second section of the article re- 

 ported by the committee, and also an amend- 

 ment to the third section." 



The Secretary read the amendment proposed 

 by Mr. "Wilson to the second section, which was 

 to strike out the section, and in lieu of it to in- 

 sert the following words : 



Representatives shall be apportioned among the 

 several States according to their respective num- 

 bers; but if in any State the elective franchise is 

 or shall be denied to any of its inhabitants, being 

 male citizens of the United States above the age 

 of twenty-one years, for any cause except insurrec- 

 tion or rebellion against the United States, the basis 

 of representation in such State shall be reduced in 

 the proportion which the number of male citizens 

 BO excluded shall bear to the whole number of male 

 citizens over twenty-one years of age. 



Mr. "Wilson: "Before the other amendment 

 is read, I wish to state in a single word the dis- 

 tinction between the proposition just read and 

 the section of the committee's proposition for 

 which it is offered as a substitute. In the 

 original proposition the language is ' citizens 

 of the State,' in this it is ' inhabitants, being 



male citizens of the United States.' I think tho 

 distinction is of vital importance. Now, let tho 

 Secretary read my other proposition." 



Tin- Se< rotary road the proposed amendment, 

 which was to strike out section three, and in 

 lieu of it to insert tho following: 



That no person who has resigned or abandoned or 

 may resign or abandon any office under the United 

 Static, and has taken or may take part in rebellion 

 against the Government thereof, shall be eligible to 

 any office under tho United States or of any State. 



Mr. Clark, of New Hampshire, said : u I de- 

 sire to offer this as a substitute for tho third 

 section of the committee's resolution : 



No person shall be a Senator or Representative in 

 Congress, or be permitted to hold any office under 

 the Government of the United States, who, having 

 previously taken an oath to support the Constitution 

 thereof, shall have voluntarily engaged in any insur- 

 rection or rebellion against the United States, or 

 given aid or comfort thereto. 



" I wish also to propose an amendment to the 

 section in regard to the rebel debt, in these 

 words : 



Debts incurred in aid of rebellion or war against 

 the United States are illegal and void, shall not be 

 enforced in any court, or assumed or paid by the 

 United States or any State, or by its authority ; nor 

 shall any compensation ever be made for the loss or 

 emancipation of any slave. 



Mr. Buckalew, of Pennsylvania, moved to aJd 

 to the resolution the following additional sec- 

 tion: 



Sec. 6. This amendment shall be passed upon in 

 each State by the Legislature thereof which shall be 

 chosen, or the members of the most popular branch 

 of which shall be chosen next after the submission 

 of the amendment, and at its first session : and no 

 acceptance or rejection shall be reconsidered or 

 again brought in question at any subsequent ses- 

 sion ; nor snail any acceptance of the amendment 

 be valid if made after three years from the passage 

 of this resolution. 



On May 29th, Mr. Johnson, of Maryland, 

 moved to strike out the third section of the 

 amendment, which motion was adopted unani- 

 mously. 



Mr. Howard, of Michigan, then moved to 

 amend section one of the article by adding after 

 the words "section one," the following words, 

 to constitute a part of the section : 



All persons born in the United States and subject 

 to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United 

 States and of the States wherein they reside. 



lie further moved to amend the second sec- 

 tion by striking out the word " citizens," in tho 

 twentieth Mne, where it occurs, and inserting 

 after the word " male " the words " inhabitants, 

 being citizens of tho United States ; " and by 

 inserting at the end of that section the words 

 " any such State." 



Tho third section, he said, " has already been 

 stricken out. Instead of that section, or rather 

 hi its place, I offer the following: 



Sec. 8. No person shall be a Senator or Represent- 

 ativc in Congress, or an elector of President and 

 Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, 

 under the United States, or under any State, who, 

 having previously taken an oath aa a member o< 



