The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-03-28
| FROM WASHINGTON.
Message from the President !
Civil Rights Bill Vetoed p!
Testimony Before the Reoon8truo-
ton Committee.
West Virginia's Claims Against
the Government,
Presidents Message.

States in their civil rights and furnish
means of their vindication," contains
provisions which cannot approve con-
sistently with my sense of duty to the
whole people and my obligations to the
constitution of the United States. lam
| therefore constrained to return it to the
! Senate, the house in which it originated,
with my objections to its becoming a
| law.
By the first section of the bill, all per,
sons born in the United States, and not
subjected to any foreign power, exclud-
ing Indians, not taxed, are declared to
be citizens Of the United States. This
provision cOmprehends the Chinese of
| the Pacific States, Indians subject to
taxation, the people called Gipsies, as
we'll as the entire race designated as
blacks, people OF color, negroes, mulat-
toes. and persons Of African blood Ev-
ery individual of these races, born in the
United States, is by the bill made a citi-
zen of the United States. 1t does not
purport to declare or confer any other
light of citizenship than those of Fed
eral citizenship. 1t does hot propose to
| give those classes of persons any status
OF citizens of States, except that which
NAV result from their status as citizens
of the United States
The power to confer the right of State
citizenship is just as exclusively with
| the several States as the power to
confer the right of Federal citizenship is
with Congress. The right of Federal
citizenship thus to be conferred in the
several excepted ratios before mention
ed is now, for the first time, proposed to
he given by law.
| IT, as is claimed by many, all persons
who are native born already are by yir.
tue of the Constitution citizens of the
United States the passage Of the pend
ing bill cannot be necessaryto make them
such; if on the other hand such persons
are not citizens as may be assumed from
the proposed legislation to make them
such, a grave question presents itself
whether when eleven of the thirty six
States are unrepresented in Congress at
| this time it is sound policy to make the
entire colOred population aud all other
excepted classes citiZens of the United
States Four millions of them have just
emerged from slavery into freedom can
it he reasonably supposed that they pos
sess the requisite qualifications to enti-
| tie them to all the privileges and immu-
mites of citizenship of the United States
Have the people of the several States
experienced such 4 conviction.
it NAV reasonably be asked whether
it is necessary that they should he de-
clared citizens in order that they may be
secured in the enjoyment Of the civil
rights proposed to be conferred by the
bill. Their rights are by Federal as well
rs by State laws secured TO all domi-
ciled aliens and foreigners even before
the completion of the process of natural
;zation, and it may safely he assumed
that the same enactment5 are sufficient
70 give like protection and heuefts TO
those for whom this bill provides special
legislation Besides, the policy Of the
government from its origin to the pres.
| snt time seems to have been that persons
who are strangers to aud unfamiliar with
orr institutions and our laws should
pass through certain prohibition, az
the end of which, before allowing the
| coveted prize, they must give evidence
OF their titpess to receive and 10 exercise
the rights OF citizens as contemplated
by the constitution Of tue United States
The bill in effect proposes discrimi.
nation against large numbers OF intelli'
rent worthy and patriotic foreigners
aud IN favor OF the negro TO whom, after
long wears of bondage, the avenues to
freedom and Intelligence have lust now
been suddenly opened. He Eiust Of ne
| cessity from has unfortunate condition
of seryitude be less informed as to the
nature and character of our institutions
than he coming from abroad who has, to
some extent at least, famliarzed him.
self with the principles Of government
to which he voluntarily entrusts life,
liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
Yet it is now proposed by single legis
lative enactment to confer the rights oi
| citizens upon all persons OF African de-
scent born within the limits of the
United States, while persons of foreign
birth who make our land their home
, must undergo probation OF i've years
and can only then become citizen upor
proof that they are of good moral char
acter, attached to the principles of th'
, | Constitution of the United States. anC
we'll disposed to good order.
The first section of the bill also con
I taias an enumeration Of the rights to b.
employed by these classes so mad
. citizens i'll every State and Territory il
the United States These laws are, t
make and enforce contracts to sut
parties and give evidence; to inherit
purchase, lease sell, hold and conve.
real and personal property, and to havt
full and equal benefit OF all laws ant
proceedings for the security of person
) and property as is enjoyed By whit
citizen. So, too, they are made suhjec
= to the same punishment. pains AM
nenalties common to white men ant
none other. Thus, perfect equalization
j of the white and colored races is al
tempted to be fixed TO the federal cor
stitntion in every State of the Union,
Over vast field of State jurisdiction
covered by these enactments, in no on
a of them can any State exercise an
a power OF discrimination between tn
different races in the exercise of Stat
policy over matters exclusively ahectln
the people of each State. 1t has ire
quently been thought expedient t
discriminate between the two races b
the statutes OF some Of the States Mort
aud South. 1t is enacted, for instanc,
q that no white persons shall intermarr
sr with a negro or mulatto. Chancellc
Kent says, speaking of the blacks, tha
5 marriage between them and the white
is forbidden in some of the State
where slavery does not exist, and al