Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-04-04
PRESIDENT JOHNSON ;
Veto of the
GxYIL RTGHTs BILE.

10 The Senate of tie Uaited STATES
regret that The bill, which has passed
both Houses OF Congress, entitled +" An act
TO proleci all pc rsons in ihe United States
in their civil rights, and furnish the means
OF their Vindicaiion," contains provisions
which canno; approve, consistently with
my sense of duty TO the whole people, and
my obligations 10 the Constitution of the
United States. am, therefore constrained TO
return il 10 The Senate (the House. in which
il orginaled) with my objections 10 lis be-
coming law.
BY the first section oi the bill, all persons
born in The United States aud not subject
10 any foreign power, excluding Indians not
taxed, are declared 10 be citizens OF the
United States This provision comorehends
The Chinese of the Pacific States. indians
subject to taxation, the people called gip-
sizes as well the enIire race designated
as blacks, people OF color, negroes, muIai-
toes, and persons of African blood. Every
individual OF these races, born in ;he United
States, is by he bill made citizen OF the
United States. Il does not purpor to de-
clare or conierahy other right of citizenship
than federal citizenship; il does uot pro-
pose TO give these classes OF persons any
status as citizens oil States except that which
may result from lhei: status as ctizs of the
United States. The power to confer State
citizenship is JUS. as exclusively with the
several States as the power 10 confer the
right of federal citizenship is with Congress.
The right Of federal citizenship thus to be
conferred in the several excepted ratios be-
fore mentioned is now, for the first time,
proposed TO be given by law. II, as is
claimed by many. all persons who are na.
tive born already are, By virue of the Con-
s,ituiion, citizens of the Uaiied States, the
passage oil the pending bill cannot be nec-
essary 10 make them such. II, on the other
hand, such persons are not citizens, as may
be assumed from the proposed Legislation
10 make them such, The grave question pre-
senis itself whether. where eleven of the
lhrty-six States are uDrepresenied in Con-
gress, il 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 freedom. Can il reasonablSb be
supposed that they possess the requisite
qualifications TO entilIe them 10 all the priv
ileges and immunilies of citizenship OF The.
United States Have the people OF the
several States expressed such conviction
1t may also be asked whether it IS necessa-
ry that they should be Geclar ed cilizens, IN
order that they may be secured in the en-
joyment OF the civil rights proposed 10 be
conferred by the bill ! Those rights are by
federal as well as by State laws secured TO
all domiciIed aliens and foreigners, even
before the composition Of the process OF
naluraIization ;and it may safely be assum-
ed that the same enactments are sufficient
to give like protection and benefits 10 those
for whom this bill provides special legisla-
ton. Besides, the policy of the govern
/ ment from It's origin TO The present lime
Lseems to have been that persons who are