Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-06-23


der the provisions of the con4titgtion :" anc
we ask why 'it does not follow that :
man, being citizen of one state, must be
recognized as such by every other state
ia the Union 2" BY what kind of logic
does he thus throw aside the plain teach.
ings Of the constitution As already
seen, the constitution expressly declares
that the citizens of each state shall be en-
titled to all privileges and immunities of
the several States" while Judge Tauev
says that person "may be citizen in
one state, and not recognized as such in
another" Now whence arises this invid-
ious distinction between citizens of differ
ent states Where does the Supreme
Court get It's power to repeal any of the
provisions of the constitution? And is it
not virtual repeal, to set aside the obvi-
Gus meaning of any particular clause, and
substitute far=fetched and unwarranlable
Interpretation Of the constitution Yet all
this is done fer partizan purposes-,he
promotion of the so-called Democratic
party-noW inseparably identified with
the pro-slayery cause. If Taney's state
ments be the law, where is lhe safegrard
to the rights Of any citizen? for if lis
principles be correct, does it not depend
upon the mere caprice of the Supreme
Bench in the final resort, whether the
rights Of citizen Of Wisconsin be
respected or disregarded III any other
state If the Supreme Court may with
lmpunIty ignore time honored principles,
and set up IN opposition thereto arbitrary
dlcta, alike repugnant to the common law,
the spirit of the constitution, and 10 hu
manity, we may bid good bye TO personal
liberty at once, and remember it as a
thing past and passing away.
The Chief Justice goes on to say that
previous 70 the adoption of the constitq-
ton, every state might confer the charac-
ter Of citizen, and endow a man with all
the rights pertaining to it. This was con.
| fined to the boundaries Of a state, and
gave him no rights beyond It's limits
Nor have the several states surrendered
this power by the adoption of the cons,i-
tuition" Now while ii may be conceded
/ on the one hand that the states have not
surrendered the power Of declaring who
may become citizens in the first instance.
Oh the other it must be admitted that each
state Is bound (if bound at al! By he con-
sutuuon) 10 recognize as citizens all per-
sons so recognized by any stare in the
Union, otherwise the CLAUSE already cited
is null and void because if a citizen of one
state is entitled to all immunitirs and pri-
vleges Of citizcns in every state, what
immunities and privileges can be denied
him! Most clearly, none:
Notwithstanding all ihis, the Chief JUS
tice assumes, without attempting TO prove,
that the constitution recognizes d dis,inc-
ton between 4 citizen Of the United States
and a citizen Of one Of the states, and in
the face and eyes of contemporaneoqs his
tory, of numerous decisions and inanrner-
able individual instances to the contrary.
many of which have been cited since his
decision was pronounced, he concludes
his argument on this point, in words wor-
thy of a special pleader, but not of the
Chief Justice of the United States. He
says: ''The question thus arises, wheth-
! er the prvisions Of the constitution of the
/ United States In relation to personal rights
to which citizen of a state is entitled
embraced negroes of the African race al
that time IN the country, Qr afterwards
imported, or made free from any state,
and whether 1t is in the power of any
state to make such 4 Qne q citizen Of the
state, and endow him with full citizenship
in any other state without their consent.
Does the constitution of the United States
act upon him, and clothe him with the
| rights of a citizen The court think the
affirmative canno. be maintained; and if
not, he plaintiff could not be a citizen of
Missouri within the meaning of the con-
stitution, nor citizen of the United States,
and consequently, not entitled tq sue in
It's courts"
/ Having thus disfrapchised certain
class of citizens and denied them 9 any
rights that white men are bound to re-
spect," the suit of course was dismissed ;
the plaintiff not being entitled to sue in
any court of the United States, because
not a citizen But the moment was too
opportune to be allowed to pass by without
attempting to forestall public opinion on
the great political struggle now going on
betFeen Freedom and Slavery; and hence
we have been obliged to witness the ex-
ample of a corps of Judges, many of them
appointed in the first place on account Of