Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-07-02
CitiZenship.

Senator Douglas, IN his Missouri speech,
says the Supreme Court decided that a ne
gro, who is the descendant of . slave is not
a citizen. This is quite a different idea
from what was put forth in the original re-
port of the bred Scott case. 1t is NOT,
however, of any great importance; for the
question is not one of slavery, OF necessari-
ly relating to it. The question is: Is citi-
zenship dependent N color! Is a colored
man, who, with his ancestors have been
free, and performing all the acts of citizen
ship in New York or Massachusetts a cii-
gen of the United States? We hold he is
as much a citizen as any man in the body
polite; and has been so treated from the
foundation of the government.
We shall not now discuss the question
of citizenship in ITSELF but show what ut
ter confusion of ideas exist on this subject.
There is no political or social question up.
on which so little is positively Defined
Two, facts will be sufficient to illustrate this.
In Benton's debates" it will be seen that
at a very early period Congress got COM
pletely at sea on this very subject. A Mr..
Smith presented his credentials as member
from South Carolina. His right to q seat
was challenged, on the ground that he was
not a citizen. We think the defect alleged
was absence at the adoption of the Consti-
tuition. He was born in this country, and
had performed service in the Revolution
A debate arose, in which Mr.. Madison took
part, and it is obvious, from the debate,
that not a single member had a clear idea
of what constitutes citizenship. The same
confusion has prevailed ever since. 1t
arises from c~onfounding suffrage, freedom,
birth, and other incidents which mag enter
into citizenship, with citizenship ITSELF
The fact is citizenship does not depend on
any of these. zea % Boz
1. Citizenship does not depend on suf-
ffrage. A man may be an old citizen, born
and brought up j n the country, and yet
from various causes, not entitled to VOTE
Again, an alien cannot become a citizen till
he is naturalized. By that act he becomes
both a voter and q citizen. In his case
they are identical.
2. Freedom does not necessarily make
a citizen; for a foreigner in this country
may be free, and q part of the people, but
not having completed his naturalization,
he is still an alien.
g.. Birth does not make a citizen. The
children of an American merchant or am
bassador born in France, are citizens of the
United States; but in this case they are
not citizens of a particular State.
4. Serdoes not determine for or against
citizenship. The wife and children of a
citizen are as much citizens as he is when
they are born in the country. or a
5. Color does not determine citizen
ship; for if colored man be free, a cit
izen of one of the States, he is entitled TO
be defended in all his personal and prop
erty rights. Mr.. fancy will not deny that,
nor can it be denied. Free negroes sue in
all the Courts of the U. s. and are a part
of the body polite. But if their citizenship
be denied, there is a criterion which will
test it at once. The United States Gov
eminent employs a large number of free
negroes as sailors. Now, suppose that in
a boat, or a harbor, or in any way, one Of
these eolored sailors should be seized OF
impressed by the armed vessels of foreign
power, will the United States government
permit it? No. 1t will treat the act as
an offence of the grayest kind. But by
what right can the Government interfere D
Only on the ground that the man is its
citizen-a part of its people. Upon no
other ground will international law author.
ize any interference. In a question of In
ternational rights every human being must
have a status, a membership in some nation.
The colored sailor belongs to the American
nation, and no other. He must be defend
ed as such. We know hat there is a great
deal said about the flag. This is very we'll,
but the ultimate test of the rights of per
sons between nations is citizenship; and in
regard to that the government of the United
States will defend the rights of its colored
citizens under all circumstances; nor could
it do otherwise without being degraded in
the eyes of the world.
The colored free men of the states are de
tacto a part of the American nation-em-
bodied in it. They are entitled to its pro-
lection. They can sue in the courts for
their property and their rights. To say, in
the face of such facts they are not citizens
is an obvious absurdity. We have not ex-
amined the official report of the bred Scott
case, and hope that no such absurdity as
that can be found in it. Whatever the
Court may have said, til plain that in the
tribunal Of public opinion no more arbitrary
diictum will pass for law. The opinion Of
a Chief Justice or a chiefcook will be equal
ly u~navailing to impair the just rights Of
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