The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-03-31
THE PRESIDENTS VETO
or THE
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL!
W,s,usGroS, March 81

- W INV 80 -
ho.b houses of Congress entitled "An
act to protect all persons in the uhi!ea
| States in their civil rights, and furnish
thc means of their vindication,' CON
tains provisions which canhot ap-
prove consistently with my sense o. gu
~ to the whole people, and my obniga,,
ton to the Constitution Of the Unlteo
States. lam, therefore, constralnedto
return I. to the Senate, the mouse III
which it originated, with my objection
TO It's becoming a law. Bythe first sec
ton Of the bill, all persons born III the
United States, and not subject to'any
foreign power, excluding Indians not
taxed, are declared to be citizens OF the
United States. This provision com
prchcnds the Chinese of the Pacific
States, Indians subject to taxation, the
people called gypsics, as well as inc
entire race designated as blacks, people
Of color, negroes, mulattoes, and per
sons Of African blood. Every individ-
nal Of these races born in the United
States by this bill is made a citizen OF
the United States. Itdocs not purport
to declare or confer any other right OF
citizenship than Federal citizenship; it
does not propose to give these classes
ofpcrsons any status as citizens OF the
States, except that which may result
from their status as citizens OF the Uni
ted States: the power to confer the
right Of State citizenship il just rs ex-
clusivcIv with the several States as the
bower to confer the right of Federal
citizenship is with Congress.
The right Of Federal citizenship thus
to be conferred in the several States on
the sevcrl excepted races before
mentioned, is now for the first time
proposed to be given by law. If, as is
claimed by many, all persons who are
native born already are, by virtue OF
The Constitution, citizens of the United
States, the passage Of the pending bill
is not necessary to make them snch'
Ii. 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 ilSeii'
whether, while eleven OF me thifty-eiA
States are unrcprcscntcd in Congress,
as at this time, it ia sound policy to
make the entire colorcd population
and all other excepted classes, rl'l"eils
Of the United States our illl'ioi' y
these have just emerged from Si''ei.
into lreedoM' '"h IL 10 ,la;t,
supposed thai thcE poS"e9S '''c W,
qualifications 10 c9Il'.t lleni y! al .n'
privileges ana iiDliihl'ir, VI elt,Ai''P
Of the Lnttod oI"te': nave 'io l'1
pie OF The :syeFal >'"teS eNPres,'o suI'
a conwctioA' 1t may p"asNeu "hItn,
rr it il, necessary tl"t lhey shou'". We
declared ci''"rnS IN oi'er tha' Ivy
may bc HtclF'd III inc c'Joy"l''1' ~ wv,
c!yil rights rropo'aa 10 DC conlrnte"
by The bill. lhose rights are by
eral as we'll as ny oIase avs secured
10 a'I do'nicilcu HI'en' aho
even before t1'e colnp'cuoh oi Cle Plo-
cess OF naturall2at'on' ana IL may DC
safely assumed th&S the same enact
mvliS are sufficient 10 1--WE iike Plo'cc'
ton aud benefits 10 'iose loi "noih
tIiis bill proViues Spec'al ieglsl'''oh'
Besides the pnItcy Of 'he "~o'crhnien'
rom us origin ~ '"1 lteson. WIN"
seems 10 nave pecH' ,'lN' peison' WIZ WY,
are strangers %, no uhi"ll'''ai wiz,
orr mstit''lohs ava our laws s'o"io
pass through u certain Pfoo".l'n' "
the 'na OF "''lca n'ioie aIloWlnY .ne
coveted pFlH'' lucy 'huSV give e'''e'ee
OF thoIf ll'l''sS 10 receive "nu ,AeiIs,
tAc riG.i's o! c't'"ei's us Gon'onepiu'o'
ny heoo.''l'n.'"hol thc nue.! oVat'.
i'S "'i III eI''' propose d o's'i'i ,
ll'ti"h a9"iilS' '"rSe hu''cei9 VI !n'''
Il@r''' ""rl'N, "n" p''i'o'.o 80
an" III 't'"' u Iac negro W. "n'n'' III
Yer .''l!' years % ooi'u.S'' ''o ''.u
u ircedohh ana '"~'cl'lseIoe i''eJu,
no" oceh S"''tc"'S opeheo' ~
Oh h'ce' ''Hy, y HIS P'e,l'u' ",'l
So'''''e 'o'','''o" vi o,'.''"uI n"a
loi'i''' rs 70 t"e ha,'rc anu 1u"'o
81 our "'St,V'V'o'S' 'ne'i ne "'o, .on
my RON an.oaU ''I 70 so's' ,.;,I '. ,t''
lt.o' '''"i'''.'Ao" n,"''n tia, Il,
pr1nc'r'g5 ~ So,er ir1 ~ "", "d.h ~
'ol".'."',! u, mi"o'' NV H -. .n
p"r'I',o' "!ppti'1S' 81. ~" pno
> pos''r y, sI''sig nsI""uss =,
v'l''' q, So - '..''.s "pon th
, persons .. A''IJ"i r ut1Vo ~ .% o' r"ita'
et '"' VN.GtN.'u i'i't' y. wy n"..,
't"'a' MDHe peiaons " .ote'sn '""
" niue our ,al,a se,i hoano nus n'
"il,'''s1 pIo''t'on VI 1yo"'s, On,
'"" o',l '!en pocV"lt e,'i@sns upoi
P'oo' tha' ,hey are "a 99ooo !iioral cnui
art''' attached 70 inc prihclpies OF 'h'
O"tS',.u''oh' Oh tae unlleu o'ates' an'
wen disposed 70 te sooa oToer ah'
happiness OF the same Inc iirst sec
ton OF the Dill also contains IN enume
ration OF the rights to he enjoyed by
those classes SO made citizens in every
I AItH, ntt1 'IArI.,ta ~. IN tEn 1nIfnI Stnfnd