Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-04-18

them. was hostile to the United States,
and had sworn allegiance TO a agoVernnent
hostile to this. Will anybody pretend
that while State Government was in
their hands it was entitled to representa-
ton in either House of Congress? If not
shallwe not enquire whether it has got out
of those hands into the hands of loyal
men?
Sir, the proposition that no bill is to be
passed because certain States are unrep-
resented, when il is their own fault that
/ they are unrepresented, would be utterly
destructive TO the government.
THE BILL DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE.
But the President tell us that the bill
in effect proposes to discriminate against
large numbers of intelligent, worthy and
patriotic foreigners, and in favor of the
negro.
Mr.. Trumbull proceeded to show that
the bill on the contrary, provided against
/ discriminating or partial legislation, that
being its its special object. He added:
AN INTERESTING QUESTION.
But, Mr.. President, perhaps the best
answer to this objection, that the bill pro-
poses to make citizens of Chinese and
Gypsies, and this references to foreigners,
is to be found in a speech delivered in
| this body BY Senator occupying, think,
the seat now occupied across the chSm-
Der by my friend from Oregon Mr.. Will.
iamsj six years ago. in reply to veto
message sent to this body by Mr.. Buchan.
an, the then President Of the United
States. returning with his objections what
was known as the Homestead bill. On
that occasion the Senator to whom 1 al
lude, said +:
This idea Of poor foreigners, somehow
or other, appears to haunt the imagina
ton of great many. l am constrained
to say that look upon this objection to
the bill as a mere quibble on the part OF
the President. and as being hard pressed
for some excuse for Withholding his ap-
proval of the measure. His allusiou to
the foreigners in this connection looks 70
me more like ad captandIIHl of the mere
politician or demagogue than a grave and
sound reason to be offered by the PreSi
dent of the United States in veto mes.
sage upon so important measure as the
Homestead bill"
That is the language Of Senator An.
drew johnson. Laughter. 1t IS per.
haps the best answer, though l should
hardly have ventured to use such harsh
language in reference to the President oI
the United States as to accuse him ol
quibbling and demagoguing and playing
the mere politician in sending a veto
message to the Congress of the United
States. The President also makes some
other illusions of the same character u
this bill (; for instance, he speaks of the
improperly of marriages between whites
and blacks; he then goes on to say:
don't say that this bill repeals State law:
on the subject of marriage" Well, ther
for what purpose is the suggestion intro
duced into the veto message? Not surely
prejudices, or as the argument of dem
agogue and politician.
THE PRESIDENTS VETO AND THE PREsIDENT'i
ACTS.
The President further says: ''If it be
granted that Congress can repeal all state
laws discriminating between whites and
blacks on the subjects covered by thi:
bill, why, it my be asked. may not Con
gress repeal in the same way all laws dis
eliminating between the two races on the
subjects of suffrage and Office? If Con.
gress can declare by law who shall hold
land, who shall testify, who shall have
| capacity to make a contract in state
| then Congress can also by law declare
who, without regard to race or color, shall
have the right to sit As a juror or as 8
| Judge. to hold any Office, and finally, to
vote in every state and territory of the
| United States" Perhaps, the best an
swes Mr.. President, could give to thi:
would be the answer of Andrew johnson
himself. He undertook to organize state
governments in the disloyal states
When he did so. to whom did he extend
the right of suffrage? To the blacks p
/ No. Sir. But he extended the right o.
suffrage to those authorized to vote un
der the laws of the states before the re
bellion. When urged to allow the loya
/ blacks to vote, what was his answer ?
That he had no power that it was un
constitutional. But he had poOer 10 prOtee
them in their civil rights, and he did PrOtee
them IN their eiUiIrights.
Then if it be true that protection in
civil rights carries with it the right o.
suffrage, what become of the position he
assumed when he extended civil rights tC
the negro all through the South, as
shall presently show, by orders issued y
his authority, and yet refused to give
them the right of suffrage on the ground
that he had no Constitutional power tc
do it-that it was a right vested in the
States, with which he could not interferei
But, sir. the grant of civil rights does not
and never did, in this country, carry with
it political rights. or more properly speak
ing, political privileges. A man may be
a citizen in this country wIthous the right
to vote, or without the right to hold of
| ice.
The right of American citizenship
means something. 1t does not mean in
the case of foreigner that when he is
naturalized he Is to be left to the
mercy of State legislators. He has 3
right when duly naturalized, to go into
any State of the United States, and sub
mitting to its laws, reside there, and the
United States would protect him in that
right. II would protect citizen of the
United States not only in one of the
States of the Union, but it will protect
him in foreign lands.
Equality of rights is the basis of the
commonwealth, as is said by Kent him.
self. In speaking of these rights. he says
that the natural rights of individuals
Ludy OO b1lu " OC AbCANAO0 AZ v
personal security, the right of personal
liberty, and the right to acquire and en-
Joy property. These rights have mostly
been considered, and frequently declared
by the people of this country, to be nat
uraI, inherent and inalienable.
This government, which would go to
war to protect its meanest citizen or in
habitsnt in any foreign land, whose rights
are unjustly encroached upon, has Ger
tainly some power to protect its own Cit
liens in their own country.
THE SECOND SECTION OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS
BILL.
l pass from the consideration of this
first section of the bill to the second,
which is objected TO by the President as
affording discriminating protection to the
colored persons.
Mr.. Trumbull read the section, and re-
marked that it was plainly a remedial
measure, whose object and effect was
! only to place all men upon the same lev
el, as to certain rights.
PUNISHMENT OF JUDGEs-AN IMPORTANT PRE-