Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-04-13

Va NouRiNoof ~ uAuos bG
II there is a State government; whether ther
81 Is State legislature having authority :
3 elect Senator's and having authority to pro
e vide laws under which Representatives ma
q be elected. There was time certainly whe
u there were no such legislatures in any OF tn
: eleven States. There was a time when tn
only kind Of government in any OF then
b was hostile to the United States, when ever
member in it had abjured his allegiance t
!, the Uniicd States, and sworn allegiance 70
t government hostile to this. VIII anybod,
pretend that while State government wa
IN their hands it WAS entitled to representa-
. ton IN either House of Congress? If not
shall We not inquire whether 1t has got oul
Of those hands into the hands oi lDyal men
Sir, this proposition that No bill is 10 b.
passed because certain States are unprcsent-
ed. when it Is their owl fault that they ART
unr epresenicd, would be utterly destructive
OF the government.
But he President tells US that the bill
in effect proposes to discriminate against
large numbers Of intelligent, worthy and pa
triOtlc foreigners. and IN ,avor OF tie negro.
Now, sir, is that true? What is the bin ?
Why, it declares that there shall Be no dis
tInctlOn IN civil rights between aay other
race or color and the white race It de-
clsres that there shall be no diff. rent punish
ment inflicted on a c0lorcd man. in cousc-
quence OF bis color, 70 that which is inficj-
ed on white man for the same Ofcnse l.
that discrimination in favor Of the negro
/ and against the foreigner, in bill the 0uly
object Of which l. to preserve equality Of
rights? Perhaps the best answer - the uh-
Jeclln tuat the Il proposes to make citizens
/ OF Chinese and Gilsies, and this reference 90
[ foreigners i 70 le found in a speech deli
ycrei in this body By Senator, occupying.
/ | think, the seat now occupied across the
/ chamber BY my friend from Oregon (Mr.
/ Williams), less than SIX years ago, in reply
to "a veto message sent toIthis body By Mr. Bu-
I chanan, the then President Of the United
States, returning, with his objections. wha,
was known as the Homestead bill.
Mr.. sumner, OF Mass What SEN
ator was il? (Laughter,)
On that occasion, the Senator to whom
alluds said
This idea about poor foreigners. somehow or
other, appears to haunt the Imagination Of
great many. | am constrained TO say (says the
Senator alluded tO). that look upon this Objec-
ton to the bill as mere bubble on the part Of
the President, aad as proof of his being hard
pressed for some excuse for Withholding his ap-
pr0val Of the measure. His allusiOn to the for
elgners in this connection looks to me more like
Gd cGptGHdEM Of the mere politician or dema-
gogue, than a grave and sound reason to be Of
ferel by the President Of the United States in a
veto message upon so important q question as
the Homestead BILL
That is the language of Senator Andrew
johnson 1t Is, perhaps, the best answer,
though | should hardly have ventured to
have used such harsh language in the pre-
sence Of the United States, as TO accuse him
OF quibbling. and demagOguing. and playing
the mere politician, IN sending a veto mes
sage to the Congress OF the United States.
The President, also. makes some other al /
lusions in this bill OF the sime character
for instance he speaks Of the impropriety 1
Of marriages between whites and blacks he /
then goes on to say Il don't say that
this bill repeals State laws on the subject Of .
marrlaee" Well. then. for what purpose /
is it Introduced in this bill? Not surely as 1
as an cd cgDfGHdun argument to excite pre-
Judices, OF Is the argument Of demagOgue
and politician. The President further saws
''li 1t be granted that Congress can repeal
all State laws discriminating between whites
and blacks on the subjects covered by this
bill, why, It may be fsked, may not Con-
gress repeal in the same way all State laws
discriminating between the two races on the
subjects OF suffrage and Office? II Congress
can declare by law who shall hold lands,
who shall testify, who shall have capacity to
make q contract in STATE, then Congress
can also by law declare wfO, without re-
gard 10 race or color, shall have the right to
SIT as juror or rs judge, to hold any Office,
and finally, to vote in every State and terri
tory Of the United States - Perhaps the
best answer the President could give to them
would be the answer Of Andrew johnson
himself. He undertook to reorganize State
governments IN the disl1yal States. When
be did 50, T. ~hom did he extend the right
Of suffrage? To the blacks? No, sir But
be extended the right Of suffrage to those
10 vote under the laws Of the
States before the rebellion. When urged 70
allow the loyal blacks to vote, what Was his
answer? That he had no power that it
was unconstitutional. But he had power 10
protect them in their civil rights, and he
did protect them in their civil rights II then
it be true that protection in civil rights car
rIes with it the right Of suffrage, what be-
comes Of the position ho assumed when he
extended civil rights 10 the negro all /
through the SOuth--as | shall presently
sbOw-by orders issued by his authority. and
yet refused TO give them the right OF suffrage
on the ground that he had no cOnstitu tiOnal
power 10 do 1t, that it was right vested in
the States, with which he could not inter-
lere? But. sir. the grant of civil rights
does not, never did IN this country carry
with it political rights or. more properly
speaking, political privileges. \ man may
be a citizen in this country without the
right to vote, OF without the right to hold
Office. The right to vote and hold office IN
the States depends upon the Legislatures of
the various States. The right 10 hold Office
under the federal government depends upon
the Constitution OF the United States. WO-
men are eitizens-cnildren are citizens but
they do not exercise the elective franchise
by virtue Of their citizenship. Foreigners,
as is stated by the President in this NEE
sage. before they are naturalized, are pro-
tected in the rights enumerated in this bill
the right TO contract, the right TO sue, and
most of the rights | have enumerated.
They DO not, because they possess these
right to make contract and to
hold land, which is the case IN most if not
all Of the States at present L say they do
not therefore vote
Mr. Trumbull proceeded to refute. in de-
tall, the President's objections to the various
sections of the bill. In conclusion he said
Mr. President L have now gone through this
veto message, replying with what potence
could command to its various objections to
the bill. Would that could stop hero, ,that
there was no occasion to 90 further. but jus
tice to myself justice to the State whose
| am ; justice to the people of
the whole country, in legislaung for whose
behalf am called to participate, Justice to
the Constitution | am called 70 support, JUS
tIce to the right Of American citizenship it
secures, and to human liberty now impsril-
ed requires me to 20 farther. Gladly would
refrain from speaking OF the spirit OF this
message, of the dangerous doctrines 1t pro-
mulgates, of the Inconsistencies and contra
dietions Of its author. of his encroachments
upon the constitutional rights of Congress,
II. 3