The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-04-04
iHUzzA FOR ANDY JOHNSON II!
WASHINGTON. March 27.

| w AbhlNdTONj Marcn ~.
10 he Senate qfAe Dnaed Statess /
Z Iregret that the bill which has. passed
both Houses Of Congress, entitled ar
"Act to protect all persons in the United
States in their civil rights and furnish
Ethe means Of their vindication, 'rcontaini
provisions which I cannot approve con
sistently with my sense of duty to the
whole people and my obligations to the
Constitution Of the United States. / am
therefore constrained to return il to the
Senate, the house in which it originated
with my objections to it becoming law
By the first section Of the bill all per.
sops born in the United States and moi
subject to any foreign power, excluding
Indians rot taxed, are declared to be cit,
izens of the United States This provi-
sion comprehends the Chinese Of the Pa.
cfc States, Indians subject to taxation,
the people called Gypsies, as well as the
entire race designated as blacks, people
of color, negroes, mulatoes and persons
Of African blood, Every individual of
these races, born in the United States, is
by this bill made citizen of the United
States. 1t does not purport to declare or
confer any other right Of citizenship than
Federal citizenship. 1t does not propose
to give these classes Of persons any Stat.
us of citizens Of States, except that which
may result from their status of citizens of
the United States. The power TO confer
the right of State citizenship is just as
exclusively with the several States as
the right Of Federal citizenship is with
Congress. The right of Federal citizen.
ship thus to be conferred with the sever.
al excepted cases before mentioned, is
now, for the first time. proposed to be Civ
en- by law. If, as is claimed by many,
all persons who are native born, already
are by virtue Of the Constitution citizens
Of the United States, the passage of the
pending bill canuot be necessary to make
them such II, on the other hand, such
persons are not citizens, as may be as.
sumed from the proposed Legislation to
make them such, the grave question pre-.
sents itself whether when eleven Of the
Thirty six States are unrepresented in
Congress at this time. it is sound policy
to make our entire colored population and
all other excepted classes citizens of the
United States. -Four millions of them
have just emerged from slavery into free
dom. Can 1t be reasonably supposed
that they possess the requisite qualifca.
tions to entitle them to all the privileges
aud immunities of citizenship Of the U. S?
Have the people Of the several States ex-
pres ed such conviction 1t may also
be asked whether it is pecessary they
should be declared citizens in order that
they may be secured in the enjoyment of
tho civil rights proposed to be conferred
by this bill. Those rights are by FEEDER.
al as by State laws secured to all domi.
ciled aliens and foreigners, even before
the completion of the process of naturali-
zatiop, and may bo safely assumed that
the same enaclments are sufficient to give
like protection and benefits to those for
whom this bill provides special lesisla.
tion. Besides, the policy oftho Govern
ment from it's origin to the present time,
seems to have been that persons who are
strangers to and unfamiliar with our in
'stitutions and our laws, should pass
through a certain probation. at the end
of which,, before allowing them the Gov
etsd prize, they must give evidence Of
their fitness to receive and exercise the
rights Of citizens as contemplated by the
Constitution Of the United States p s.eo
y The bill in effect proposes discrimin-
alton against large numbers ofintelligebt,
worthy and patriotic foreigners in favor
of the negro, 70 whom, after long years
the avenues to freedom and
intelligence havejustin suddenly open
ga. BE must Of necessity, from Els pre-.
,yiops upfortnpate condition Of seryitbde,
-belless informed as TO the nature Of our
institutions than he who, coming from
abroad, has to some extent at least, ta<
hiIiariSed himself with the principles of
a Government To Whioh he voluntarily
entrusts lie, liberty and the pursuit S'f
Q Yet it, is now proposed BY q
single Legislative euactmontl To- confer
rights Of citizens upon all1persons of Af'
l.Sgl l...o., ~ ~ m, ss.ihir,l tha axlh,,lo1