The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-04-06
Annther atetn.
PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S VETO MES
SAGE on the CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.
"MY POLICY" CONTINUED.
Blow at Impartial
Freedom.

To the Senate ofthe United &ates:
regret that the bill which has passed
both Houses of Congress, entitled AN
act to protect all persons in the United
States in their civil rights. and furnish the
means for their vindcation," contains pro-
visions which can not approve, con-
sstently with my sense of duty to the
whole people and my obligations to the
Constitution Of the Uuited States. am
therefore, constrained TO return it to the
Senate, the House in which it originated,
with my objections to its becoming q law.
By the first section of the bill, all per,
SONS born in the United States and not
subject to any foreign power. excluding
Indians not taxed, are declared to be citi.
zens of the United States. This provision
comprehends the Chinese of the Pacific
States, Indians subject to taxation, the
people called GIpsies, as well as the entire
race designated as black people of color,
negroes, mulattoes and persons of African
blood; every individual of these races born
in the United States is, by the bill, made a
citizen of the United States. 1t does not
purport to declare or confer any other right
OF citizenship than Federal citizenship. 1t
does not purport to give these classes of
persons any status Of citizens of States, ex-
cept that which may result from their
status as citizens of the United States. The
power to confer the right Of State citizen.
ship is Just as exclusively with the several
States as the pOwerio confer the right of
Federal citizenship is with Congress. The
right of Federal citizenship thus to be con-
ferred in the several excepted races before
mentioned is now for the first time pro-
posed TO be given by law. If, as is claimed
by many, ali persons who are native born
already are, by virtue of the Constitution,
citizens of the United States, the passage
of the pending bill can not be necessary to
make them such. If, 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 uurepresented in Con-
gress 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 freedom. Can
1t be reasonably supposed that they pos
sess the requisite qualification to entitle
them to all the privileges and immunities
Of citizenship of the United States? Have
the people Of the several States expressed
hucn conNlctiCu! III may also Dc asked,
whether it is necessary that they should be
declared citizens, in order that they may be
secured in the enjoyment of civil rights
These rights. proposed to be conferred by
the bill, are by Federal as well as State
laws, secured to all domiciled aliens aud for
signers even before the completion OF the.
process of naturalization; aud it may safely
be assumed that the same enactmehts are
sufficient to give like protection and bene-
fits to those Tor whOln this bill provides
special legislation; besides the policy of
the Government, from it's origin to the pres
ent time, seems to have been that persons
who are strangers 10 and unfamiliar with
our Institutions and our laws should pass
through certain probation. at the end Of
which, before allowing the coveted prize,
they must give evidence of their fitness to 4
receive and to exercise the rights OF citi.
zens as contemplated by the Constitution
of the United States. The bill in effect
proposes a discrimination against large
numbers OF intelligent, worthy aud patriotic
foreigners, and in favor Of the negro to whom,
after long years Of bondage, the avenues
to freedom aud intelligence have just been
suddenly opened, He must Of necessity,
from his previous unfortunate condition of
seryitude, be less informed as to the nature
aud character of our Institutions, than he \
who, coming from abroad. has, to some ez-