This is founded on the consideration that by the abolition of Slavery the slave became at once a citizen, subject only to such disabilities as are common to other citizens, and that by the second clause of the Constitutional Amendment Congress is empowered to enforce the abolition of Slavery by appropriate legislation.
He explains that the abolition of slavery automatically granted citizenship to former slaves, subject to common disabilities.
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I agree with the Convention in the importance of the new organization; nor do I think there are many candid persons, recognizing morals as the soul of all true politics, who will hesitate in this conclusion.
This will be the FREEDOM POWER, whose single object will be to resist the SLAVE POWER.
It is clear that the only question of present practical interest arises from the usurpations of the Slave Power and the efforts to extend Slavery.
According to recent calculations, its annual cost is not less than a thousand millions of dollars.
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