Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-01-28

military service, not only Trees but makes
citizens Of them at the end Of their service.
Citizens Of one State, by the Constitution,
have all the rights and privileges Of citizens
in other States.
/ suppose, then, that under the magic
power which / believe the President dedu-
ces from military necessity nc is authorized
to issue his imperial edct TO overthrow the
Constitution Of the United States, the laws
and Constitutions of all the SLAVE States, to
nullify the decisions of the Supreme Court
and of all its justices and by his word, by
his mighty fiat, in the remote absence, as
well as the immediate presence Of the ar
mics, TO knock the fetters from the slaves,
and proclaim them 10 be free. Sir, if the
President of the United States has that i'm
perial power, he is the greatest Of all the
autocrats that ever lived. The Gar of all
the Russias and the leaden despot of Aus
tria have tame and impotent powers when
contrasted with this imperial emperor of
this western world.
Sir, there are many States free States,
in the Union that prohibit free negroes
from settling within their limits they have
positive laws to prohibit their intermarriage
with the whites, and those laws obtain in
slave and in free States. 1t is "a law in my
own State; and in addition to that, although
in Kentucky a man may liberate his slaves,
he is required by our Constitution to take
them outside the limits of the State. And
yet this potent edict, this proclamation of
Abraham |, this imperial ukase looms up
with vigor and power that no man two
years ago ever imagined or dreamed of; over
rides the Constitution Of the United States,
all its guarantees of liberties, rights and
privileges; all its restrictions and limitations
-
tons of the sovereign States of the United
States, because, except within the limited
scope of the powers of the United States,
the States and their governments are sover
eign. Within the scope of it's powers, the
Government of the United States is para
mount, supreme. Every constitution and
law of State, every judicial decision, every
principle announced by any State Govern
mental authority that comes in conflict with
the powers Of the General Government, as
conferred by the Constitution, falls to the
ground. But then, so far as that Constitu-
ton does not vest the original power of the
States. the original political sovereignty of
the States and the people of the States, it
remains to them; and it is an essential and
vital principle Of our system that the limits
between the two governments shall be kept
separate and distinct, and it is as much un-
authorized and unconstitutional for the
! President and the authorities of the United
States to encroach upon their portion OF
the divided sovereignty, the reserved rights
of the States and the people, all, indeed
that is not conferred by the language of thC
| Constitution on the General Government
as it is for the States or their authoritie.
or people to cncroach upon the Fedora
| power. The officers of either, when the!
t attempt, by an array Of armed men to re
sist the execution of the laws of the other
are respectively guilty of the crime of trea
son against the United States, or agains
: the particular State whose laws are thus op
posed and attempted to be overthrown b.,
military men.
My State does not recognize any political
much less social equality on the part of the
negro with the white man, whether the
negro be bond or free | think it neve
will. 1t makes it penal offense for any
clergyman to intermarry between the races
The free negroes have no eligibility to Office
: no right of suffrage, and | trust, never vii
: have any with us. And yet, sir there il
f in my State, as much humanity, as much o
| kind treatment to the negro population, a
t there is in the vaunted North, or anywher,
beside But this Presidential proclamation
S looms up. 1t conscripts all the negroe
= that the military officers may choose, wheth
t er they are slave or free, whether they be
e long to the loyal or disloya, into the arm,
e of the United States. 1t declares that iron
: thenceforth they are and shall be free ant
the President says in addition, that whel
r they have served out their term of servic
0 they become citizens of the United States
0 Mr.. President, (Mr. Foster in the chair,
i you are lawyer, you are a constutiona
= lawyer, you are a conservative statesman
: You know, and / know that there are bu
a two classes of citizenship in the Unite
:, States. We might differ upon the hroa
n principle whether citizenship was restricte
d exclusively to the white race, which is IN
/ principle, but upon this subordinate que.
# ton, know sir that you and / would az
d cord in opinion. There are but two mode
|, by which citizenship of the United STATE
G can be obtained. The one is by birth, IL
/ other is by uniform rule Of naturalizatio
i prescribed by Congress. The whole subie
t, of acquiring citizenship, except by brit
5, is, by express provision of the Constitution
e. vested in Congress. That provision necc
lg sarily excludes from the President or fro
le any other functionary of the Goyernmer
if all power to interfere with the subject.
il shares this power with no other officer
II uulllOllly III inlS SVN vi hhiSiIui gnu yot iN
of comes up the Presidents proclamation al
Or annuls. annihilates that principle of II
r Constitution. As before said, it SWEEP
J. away all State Constitutions and State Law
e that conflict with it. The portals of ii
n State Governments and all their honor
e trusts and offices arc thus, nolens rolens,
is defiance of their Constitutions and law
opened to the negro, who are thus to b.
7, come freedmen, and then citizens, by th
" Presidents proclamation. The Constitl
1t ton declares expressly that the citizens {
one State shall have all the rights, priv
rs eges and immunitics of citizens of the otl
x er States; and therefore no State Consttl
b; ton, no State laws would make any discrin
S ination as to rights and privileges betwe6
le these citizens of African descent, throw
IN off from the Presidential mint, and its viii
Ill citizens. They thus become eligible to {
cr the offices of the States: Their Legisl
Id lures, their judicial departments, their e
at executives, are all opened to them by tn
new and all dominating power. What
of the effect in relation to the Government
he the United States? 1t also opens all ofiic
of of the United States to them. They thr
H. by become eligible to seats in the two Ho
he scs of Congress, to the supreme and int
or rior courts, They may be appointed to ft
. eign embassies and become candidates I
si;- the Presidency and Vice Presidency.
ny produces all those mighty changes in t
le- organization of our Government in its gre
at and fundamental principles, and the hi