Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-01
ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS.

The ablest and most influential paper ia
the country which has defended the mir
named civil rights bill against the veto of
the President, is the New York EDening
Post. We had expected from this journal
candid statement of all the reasons which
could be urged in favor Of this measure, for
its editors are well-informed, and, we have
thought, were least abased with partizan-
ship Of all the conductors Of the Republican
press. With this impression we have care
fully read its article, and are constrained
TO say il is weak and impoteat and that to
make even a plausible showing in answer to
the many grave objections TO the bill, il has
been compelled to grovel in the mire, and
make common cause with the Radical press
of Chicago, not to say the Washington
Chronicle.
As an evidence that this usually fair and
always able paper is sorely pressed for ten
able ground, we give the following extract:
We viii not take up the time of those who read
this article In discussing the question whether
either of these provisions gives the Federal Gov
ciao Of their civil rights. nasmuch derive III
goioer from higher principle than dav cypress
Ir0cisioE qfthe Consultation.
In plain language il says that, finding no
warrant in the Constitution for such meas
ure IL derives il from a law higher than
that instrument. Upon this postulate it
POUNDS specious argument that the right
Of the Government TO endow all citizens
with equality Of rights, results from the
nature and Office Of all governments, and the
pivot Of this argument is that freedmen, or
the emancipated slaves of the South, are
citizens in the view of the Constitution.
Without entering into an elaborate refu-
iation Of positions so gagrantly erroneous as
these, il is sufficient to say that the doctrine
of law higher than the Constitution, and de-
ducible only from theories of government
held by party, is inadmissible, and that il
has already been the source of woes
unnumbered in this country, and that it,
ayowal at the present time augurs evil
Further IL is not true that il is the duty o.
the Federal Government 10 confer equality
Of rights upon all its inhabitants. Under
our system of combined Federal and Stat,
powers, the rights referred to in this bill ar'
under the. exclusive control Of the jurisdic
ton Of the latter. Still further the consti
tutional amendment declaring slavery abol
ished, and perfecting the already proclaim
ed emancipation Of the slaves of the South
did not erect them into citizens. Ii simply
placed them upon the plane of freedmen
differing in no respect from that held by
slaves set free by private manumission.
We have instanced these points in the
Posts article to express our dissent and de.
nlonstrate the extreme shifts to which the
advocates Of this monstrous measure arr
driven. Withthe President, wehaveno feal
that the authority Of each State will MOI
provide, il necessary by statute, and admin
lister through eheir courts ample protection
TO all the rights Of the freedmen in the en-
joyment of life, liberty and property. Thi
bill is nothing more nor less than a cover
and insidious scheme 70 transfer State au.
thority to the control Of Federal jurisdic
ton, and extinguish the liberty of the whit,
citizen in the meshes of this unnecessary
continuance for the protection Of the negro.