MISSOURI. 



467 



vote on it again, during their session of the 

 present year. The Governor says he will lay 

 an attested copy of the amendment before 

 them "at an early moment," and recommends 

 its ratification. 



In behalf of the negroes residing in Missouri, 

 whose number is set down at one hundred 

 thousand, and who are excluded from repre- 

 sentation at the ballot-box, Governor McClurg 

 warmly recommends that an amendment to 

 the State constitution " be proposed and sub- 

 mitted to the people for ratification or rejec- 

 tion at the next fall election," although the 

 ratification of the proposed fifteenth amend- 

 ment to the Constitution of the United States 

 would dispense with the necessity of a popular 

 vote upon the former in the State. He insists 

 the more upon the action of the General As- 

 sembly in this matter, because for the exten- 

 sion of the elective franchise to the negroes 

 there is no constitutional provision in the 

 State constitution, " and without one, in the 

 absence of Federal legislation, the State Le- 

 gislature cannot admit them." He suggests 

 that " the amendment might be proposed in such 

 form as to empower the Legislature to admit 

 them after the first day of January, 1871." 



On the other hand, he calls, in favorable 

 terms, the attention of the Legislature to the 

 propriety and expediency of removing the po- 

 litical disabilities under which those citizens 

 are now laboring who took part on the side of 

 secession. He says : " As wayward States 

 have been restored by Federal laws to their 

 proper places to support and strengthen the 

 Federal fabric, so it may be desirable, with those 

 who have a right to decide, that it shaU not 

 much longer be considered in our State incon- 

 sistent with its safety to receive back, as sup- 

 ports, individuals whose ability to uphold was 

 but too well proved by their ability to pull 

 down." For the removal " of such disabilities 

 as are now imposed upon those who are other- 

 wise qualified as voters," no amendment to 

 the State constitution need be proposed, a 

 special provision having already been made in 

 it, enabling the Legislature to remove them by 

 their action, " after the first day of January, 

 1871." For rehabilitating the citizens here 

 referred to, and practically restoring to them 

 the elective franchise, only the expediency re- 

 mains to be considered. In this the Governor 

 suggests^ a preparatory method, saying that 

 the subject can be discussed in the canvass 

 preceding the election of next fall. The pres- 

 ent Legislature may invite such discussion if 

 thought best. Candidates for the next Gen- 

 eral Assembly can in part run upon the issue 

 of favoring or opposing the removal of such 

 disabilities. The Senators and representa- 

 tives can come here prepared to reflect and to 

 vote the sentiments of their respective constit- 

 uencies, and a majority can exercise the power 

 already conferred, and suspend or repeal the 

 parts of the constitution referred to." 



A more radical measure had been already 



proposed in behalf of the disqualified white 

 citizens during the last session of the General 

 Assembly. In the Senate a bill was introduced 

 on January 18, 1869, simply "providing for an 

 amendment to the constitution, by striking 

 out all provisions which place white men under 

 disability for acts of disloyalty, the question 

 to be submitted to the people at the gen- 

 eral election of 1870," which bill was re- 

 ferred to the proper committee. 



An amendment to the State constitution in 

 regard to common affairs is strongly recom- 

 mended by the Governor to the Legislature at 

 the present session, namely, "striking out 

 what is commonly known as the double liabil- 

 ity clause, whereby? as the constitution now 

 is, the stockholders in private corporations 

 ' shall be individually liable for the stock, and 

 a further sum equal to it ; ' " such a clause being 

 at the same time unjust and greatly injurious 

 to the interests of the State, as it tends to 

 hinder capital from being invested in enter- 

 prises which would otherwise be entered into by 

 such corporations to the advantage of the Com- 

 monwealth. This matter also had been taken 

 in hand at the last session of the Legislature ; 

 a bill was introduced into the House, and 

 referred to the Committee on Constitutional 

 Amendments, " proposing to submit to the 

 people, at the next general election, an amend- 

 ment to the constitution, changing section 6, 

 article 8, in reference to the double liability of 

 stockholders ; the amendment providing that 

 no stockholder shall be liable for a greater 

 sum than the amount of stock owned by such 

 stockholder." 



The calling of a general convention of the 

 people, for the purpose of revising and amend- 

 ing the State constitution, seems to have 

 been in contemplation with many citizens. 

 The Governor makes it the subject of a strong 

 appeal to the Legislature, deprecating that 

 any step should be made in such direction, 

 regarding it preferable to tolerate, at least for 

 a time, any objectionable provisons now form- 

 ing part of the constitution, rather than to 

 attempt to amend them by a convention of the 

 people. This could not be done without a heavy 

 expenditure of money, which the State, in her 

 present financial condition, could not well 

 afford to bear; besides that, according to a 

 provision inserted in the constitution, "all 

 needed amendments can be separately submit- 

 ted to and voted upon by the people at the 

 next general election, without additional ex- 

 pense." 



The registration law, of which we gave an 

 account in the CYCLOPAEDIA for 1868, and the 

 manner wherewith it is administered by those 

 in whose hands its execution has been placed, 

 are loudly denounced by a large portion of the 

 people and the press, especially in reference 

 to the voting at the general State election, 

 held in November, 1868. As an evidence of the 

 truth of their charges, they refer to the 

 official lists returned to the Secretary of 



