Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-04-18
THE CIVILRIGHTS BILL.
Senator TrumbuITs Great Speech on
the Veto.

The Senate took up the Presidents We.
to message. and Senator Trumbull, of IL.
linois, made an able and powerful speech
against it, and in support of the bill. We
print below a full report of the principal
points of this speech. Mr.. Trumbull
said:
Mr.. President: fully share with the
President of the United States in the re,
gret that he is unable to sign the bill tc
protect all persons in the United States
in their civil rights, and to furnish the
means of their Yindication. l regret i;
on my own account, because of the dis
appointment because the just expecta-
tions raised when this bill was presented
Ito the President, before its introduction
in the Senate, have been disappointed -
1 regret it on the Presidents account
because 1t is calculated to ALLEVIATE him
from those who elevated him to power
and who gladly rallied around his admin
istration to sustain him in the principle:
upon which he was elected. But, above
all, sir, regret it for liberty's sake, to Sc
cure which to ourselves and our posterity
this government was founded.
RIGHTS OF CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES
lu6 Dll1 Is dUO
unjust to the whole people, l would not
have the President sign it. That its pro-
visions are neither unjust to the whole
nor anv portion of the people, nor uncon
stitutionaI, shall endeavor to show by a
candid and dispassionate review of the
Presidents various objections. He be.
gins these objections with the very first
lines of the bill, which declare that all
persons born in the United States, and
not subject to any foreign power, except
Indians not taxed, are citizens of the
United States. The bill, as originally in.
troduced, did not coctain this provision.
1t was believed by myself ald many 9TH
ers, that all native born persons, since the
abolition of slavery, were citizens of the
United States. This was the official opin-
ion of Mr.. Bates, the Attorney General
of Mr.. Lincoln's administration-the
opinion adopted by his administration.
and acted upon by all the departments
OF the executive government, including
the Secretary of State, who has issued
passports to persons of color, recognizing
them as citizens 1t was the opinion ex-
pressed by Mr.. Marcy. when Secretary of
State, that all persons born in the United
OLdlSS NcI0 ClllLEu5 vi LlC - ulleu
not referring. of course, to slaves, slavery
at that time existing in the country.
The President does not object to this
declaration in the bill as unconstitution-
al He does, however, say that it does not
purport to declare or confer any other
right of citizenship than federal citizen
ship. 1t does not purport, he says, to
give these classes of persons any status as
citizens of States except that which may
result from their status as citizens of the
United States. The power, he adds, 10
confer the right of states citizenship is
just as exclusively with the several states
as the power to declare the right of fed
eral citizenship is with Congress.
WHO MAY MAKE CITIZENS.
Now we all know that no state has the
power to make a citizen of the United
States. The Constitution of the United
States vests with Congress the sole power
of naturalization, and it may make cit
izen of the United States of foreigner.
But is it true, sir. that when a person be-
comes a citizen of the United States. he
is not also citizen of the state where he
may be residing? On this point will
refer to a decision pronounced by the Su-
preme Court of the United States, deliv-
cred by Chief Justice Marshal, the most
eminent Jurist who ever sat upon the
American bench. In the case of Case
against B ,llow, reported in the sixth vol
ume of Peters Reports, the Chief JUS
tice, in delivering the opinion of the
Court says: " The defendant in error is
alleged. in the proceedings, to be a citizen
of the United States. naturalizsd in Lou
isiana. and residing there. This is equiv
alent to an averment that he is a citizen
of that State" This was the only point
in the case. This is the opinion of the
highest tribunal in the country, pro-
nounced by the most eminent man who
ever sat upon the bench in America.
Mr.. Reverdy Johnson-WIll the Sena-
tor give me the page?
Mr.. Trumbull-Page T6l. But, sir, un
less this authority is to be disregarded,
the President of the United States is
mistaken in his law. 1t is not true that
when a man is made citizen of the Uni.
ted States he Is made aocitizen of every