The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-04-05
The Presidents Message VetOing
the CIVIL Rights Bill.


To tie Senate Of tie United States:
] regret that the bill which has passed
to protect all persons in the United States in
their civil rights and furnish means their
vindication." contains provisions which j
cannot approve consistently with my sense
of duty 10 the whole people, and my obli>
cations 10 the Constitution of the United
States. am, therefore, constrained to re-
turn it TO the Senate and the House in
which it originated, with my objections to
its becoming a law.
BY the first section Of the bill. all per-
sons born in the United States, not subject
to any foreign power, excluding Indians
not taxed, arc declared to be citizens of the
United States. This provision comprc-
hends the Chinese Of the Pacific States ::
Indians subject to taxation; the people
called Gipsies. as well as the entire race.
designated as blacks, people Of color, ne
grocs, mulattccs, cnd persons of African
blood Every indiTidesl of these races,
born in the United States, is, by this bill,
made citizens Of the United States. 1t
does not rurport TO declare or confer any
other right Of citizenship than federal
citizenship. 1t does not propose 10 give
these classes Of persons any status Of the
States, except that which may result from
their status of citizens Of the United States.
| The power to confer the right of State
citizenship is just conclusively with tire
several States as the power 70 confvr the
right Of federal citizenship is with Con>
gress. The right of federal citizenship
thus to be con erred on the several excepted
races before mentioned is now, for the first
time proposed to be given by law. If, as
is claimed by may, all persons who are
native born already are, by virtue of the
Constitution, citizens of the United States.
the passage of the pending bill cannot be
necessary to make them such If, on the
other hand, such persons are not citizens
as may be assumed from the proposed
legislation to make them such, the grave
question presents itself whether, when
eleven Of the thrty-fve States are unrep>
resented III Congress at this time, it is
sound policy to make our entire colored
populrtion, and all other excepted classes,
citizens of the United States. Four nils
lions of them have just emerged from sa-
very into freedom. Can it be reasonably
supposed that they possess the requisite
qualifications to entitlc them to all the
privileges and immunities of citizenship oe
the United States? Have the people,of the
several States expressed such conviction?
1t may be asked whether it is necessary
they should be declared citizens, that they
may be secured in the enjoyment of civil
rights, proposed to be conferred by the
bill. These rights are by federal as well
as well as State laws secured to all domi>
ciled aliens and foreigners even before the
completion of the process of naturalization,
and it may be safely assumed the same
enactments arc sufficient to give protection
and benefits TO those for whom this bill
provides special Legislation besides the
policy of the Government, from its origin
to the present time, seems to have been
that persons VINO are strangers to and un.
familiar with our institutions and our laws,
should pass through certain prohibition
at the end Of which, before attaining the
coveted prize, they must give evidence of
their fitness to receive and exercise the
rights of citizen, as contemplated by the
Constitution Of the United States.
The bill, in effect, proposes a discrim
nation against large numbers of intelligent.
worthy and patriotic foreigners, and in
favor of the negro, to whom, after long
years of bondage, the avenues to freedom
and intelligence have just now been sud-
denly opened to, must, Of necessity. from
his previous unfortunate condition of SER
vitude, be less informed as to the nature
and character Of our institutions than he
who, coming from abroad has, to the same
extent at least, famiiarized himself with
the principles of government to which he
voluntarily intrusts his life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. Yet it is now pro-
posed, by single legislative enactment, to
confer the rights of citizenship upon all
persons Of African descent born within the
extended limits Of the United States, while
persons Of foreign birth who make our
land their homo must undergo prohibition
of FIVE years, and can only then become
citizens upon proof that they arc of good
moral character, attached to the principles
Of the Constitution of the United States,
and well disposed TO the good order and
happiness OF tbe, same.