The true Democrat., 1857-04-07
Nes roes N Not Citizens of the United States--
 Opinion of William Wirt.

Inasmuch as the black republicans are en- deavorng to create the impression that the doc Urine that negroes are not citizens of the United States is a recent one, we publish the follow ing showing the opinion of WILLIAM WIRT, distinguished jurist, who was the opposition candidate for President against JACKSON, in 1882:
 The navigation laws of the United States re- quired that masters of vessels should be citizens. Under this statute question arose in the trea- sury department whether free negro of Vir- ginia was citizen of the United States, and therefore entitled to be placed in command of a vessel The point was referred by the then secretary of the treasury to the attorney gene raj of the United States, in the following form: "Whether free persons of color are, i'll Virgil nia, citizens of the United States, within the intent and meaning of the acts regulating foreign and coasting trade, so as to be qualified to com mand vessels?"
 | To this query MT. Wirt gave an official re- ply, in letter to the secretary of the treasury, dated November ', 1921, from which we make the following extracts:
 "Looking to the constitution as the standard of meaning, 1t seems very manifest that no per son is included in the description of citizen of the United States who has not the full tights of citizen in the State of his residence. Among other proofs of this, it will be sufficient to ad- vert to the constitutional provision that the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the se- verdi States Now, if person born and resid- ing in Virginia but possessing none of the high characteristic provisions of citizen of the State is nevertheless citizen of Virginia, in the sense of the constitution, then, on his re- moval to another State, he acquires all the lm- munities and privileges of a citizen of that State, although he possessed none of them Tn the State of his nativity; consequence which certainly could not have been in the contempla- ton of the convention. Again: The only qualification required by the constitution to render person eligible as president, senator or representative of the United States, is that he shall be citizen of the United States of a given age and residence Free negroes and mulattoes satisfy the acquisitions of age and residence as well as the white man; and if nativity, residence and allegiance combined, (wlthout the rights and privileges of a white man) are sufficient to make him a citizen of the United States ill the sense of the constltu- tion, then free negroes and mulattocs are eIi5i- be to those high offices, and may command the purse and sword of the naton."
 MT. Attorney General Wirt, after further discussing the subject, states his conclusions in the following words:
 "Upon the whole, 1 am of the opinion that free persons of color in Virginia are not citizens of the United States, within the intent and meaning of the acts regulating foreign and coastng trade, so as to be qualified to command yesSels.''
 We submit to an honest public, whether the attempt of the black republican press to stir up the prriudces of the people against the United States Supreme Court for deciding what Wirt in 1891 and Daggett in 1854 endorsed the true construction of the constitution, is not | baretaced impoSture.