The Portland daily press., 1866-04-09
Senator TrumbuIPs Speech
IN REPLY TO THE PRESIDENTS OBJECTIONS

l nUlV fvT n
TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.
| rLl.,lr,. "a ~ .1.---- 80 --i
ine IfeSioehGs veto message was taken up
| Dy the Senate on Wednesday, 4th inst. Mr..
Trumbull said.
| NJ s4is 80 i. sl sia
prasiJo,,a h hEslDENT: fully share with the
a-,,rosso.I =, the United States In the regret
,>altoas mat ne is unable to sign the bill to
IRl: Ro.eee an persons In the United States in
.neT c!Vl ilSnts and to furnish the means of
. onsl 'iiulcatlon llnla regret it ON my own ac-
@ oosts, 49, oeoapse ol .ne disappointment. because
the just eAPectatiohS raised when this bill
was prcsenseu 10 Lne PRESIDENT, before its in
troduction INTO the Senate, have been disap-
polnled. 1 resret IL on the Presidents ac-
count, because u Is calculated to ALLEVIATE him
from those VINO elevated him to power, and
who gladly have rallied around his admins
Ira.oh 70 sustain nun ID INC principles upon
winch he was elected. But above all, Sir,
regret 1t for liberty's sake, to secure which to
ourselves and our posterity this Government
was founded. nafiil .9y0 .ld s49g..
But Ii the OIL IS unconstitutional and un-
Just TO the whole people,s.I would not have
the PRESIDENT sign it. That its provisions are
nelther unjust to the whole, nor any portion
OF the people, nor unconstitutional, l shall en-
deavor to snow by candid and dispassionate
review ana examlnation OF the Presidents va
rious oDjectlons.- de begins these objections
with the very first lines OF the bill, which de-
clare That all persons born in the United
states; and not subject to any foreign power,
except Indians not taxed, are citizens
OF the United States. The bill as originally
introduced, did not contain this provision. It
was believed by myself and many others, that
all native-bOrn persons, since the abolition of
Slavery, were citizens of the United States
yorf ho off iosa .sx,snx ,rA r.
Attorney-General OF MIR. Lincoln's administra-
tion-the opinion adopted by his administra-
tlon, and acted upon by all the departments
OF The Executive Government, including the
secretary OF State, who has issued passports
TO persons OF color, recognizing them as citi-
zens. 1t was the opinion expressed by Mr..
Marcy, When Secretary of State, that all per-
sons born In the United States were citizens
OF the United States; not referring, of course,
to slaves, slavery at that time existing in the
country. s,.e-a L-- .fe-,g,s7r ..s. .,t.--,
The President does not object to this decla-
ration In the bill as unconstitutional. He
does, however, say that it does not purport to
declafe or confer any other right of citizenship
than Federal citizenship. 1t does not purport
ne says, to give these classes of persons any
status as cltlzens OF States, except that which
may result from their status as citizens of the
United States. The power, he adds, to con-
ter the right OF State citizenship is just as ex-
eluslve,y w,sn Z. tne severa states as the power
with Congress. Now. We ali know that
no State has the AUTHORITY to make a citizen
of the United States: the Constitlltion of tha
United States rests with Congress- the sole
power of naturalization. and If NAV make a
citizen of foreigner but no State can make
a citizen of the United States of a foreigner-
But. is IT true. Sir. that when a rerSon be-
comes a citizen of the limited States that he
is not also citizen of the Stata wbere ba NAV
he residing On this noinf + will refor 70 q
decision pronounced by tbe Sunreme Court Of
the United States delivered IN Chief .Tnst;ca
Marshall. fhe most eminent ;nrist who ever
sat upon the American bench In the case of
Gasse against Ballow. renorteJ in tba s;xth.
volume of Peters's Reports. the Chief Jnstice
in delivering the opinion of the Court, saws
eThe defendant in error is ALLEGED. in the nro-
ceedincs. to be citizen of file limited States.
naturaIized in Louisiana. and residing there
This is equivalent to an aye,1nent that he is a
citizen of that State. A citizen of fine limited
States, residing in any State of the Union ia
citizen Of that State.n This was fhe onlv
point in the case. This is tbe oninion Of the
highest tribunal in the country. pronounced
by the most eminent man who ever sat upon
tho -hAnah il, -Amariea
MR. JoHNsoN-Will the Senator give me
the page? esF4 u .als- nE.5Es gul.a.
Mn TR1rapmr--p -pace 7e1 8fRut cir mn
,ess th;s a,,thnr;t, i - ~ ~ tI
pnss;da.,. 81 .1 % ~ W y. sns
IL IT, 'se ". .ou .Il y n'slhen ~
sda o.;.o 81 H. n;tad IT. td. csatea a. nan
. Citizen Of eTsrv Stste sH A'e1 0'a'es ne % io'
or,,-on NV. :. 49, oS.'0' /.
Inc Presidens next alleges that the right Of
reaeral citlzensnip, thus to pc conferred on
!ne seVerA excepted races before mentioned,
Is now Ior tne nfst tme proposed TO De gwen
ny law. NOW, sir, TINS Is a mlstake-not OF
sn5 sne law, Hos misappfsnenslon OF Inc laetT
anu IL VIII appear Dy references, to which
shali can tne aftsntion OF the Senate in a mo-
ment, tnag ens fresldents facts are as bad as
ms ms Jaw. ya.. - tne senator nom Maryland Mr.
ha I wfsnsS d ~ q ske nose oi VINE uhe aa.nor
1.y, ne WI nnI ~ III nawrenIe neaton on
4hIIni.od law, anu 'h udroaS Stasuses 1 oi
ene psu ong SSa.eS VI .uiS sunlect- le'tu l!o