Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-04-18

+ first time proposed to be given by law
Now. sir, this is a mistake-not of the
law. but Misrepresentation of fact-and
: it will appear by references. to which l
shall call the attention of the Senate in
a moment. that the Presidents facts are
as bad as his law. Sc p
| %'coLLEcTIvE NATURALIZATION"
If the Senator from Maryland Mr.
Johnson) wishes to take a note of the
authority, he will find it in Lawrence's
Wheaton on International Law, and vari-
Gus statutes of the United States on this
subject. read from page S97. There
have been in the United States several
eases of collective naturalization by the
annexation of territories. By the third
article of the First Convention with
France, for the cessation of Louisiana, it
is provided that the inhabitants of the
ceded territories to be incorporated into
the United States should be admitted as
soon as possible, according to the princi-
pies of the Federal Constitution, to the
enjoyment of their rights, privileges and
immunties of the citizens of the United
States. A provision to the same effect is
to be found in the sixth article of the
treaty with Spain for the purchase of
lorida, and in the eighth article of the
treaty of 1913 with Mexico; by the an
! nexation of Texas, under a resolution OF
Congress of March, 1915, on its admission
into the United States on an equal foot
ing with other States. Collective nat
uralization." says the authority from
which quote. ''may also take place of
persons native of the country. or other
wise, who, without any act on the part of
the individuals, may be made citizens"
In the United States it is incorrect to
suppose that aliens. as opposed to citi-
zens, implies foreigners. As respects the
country. Indians are the subjects of the
United States. but they are not therefore
citizens, nor can they become citizens un-
der the existing naturalization laws but
they can be made citizens by some COM
petent act Of the general government, by
treaty or otherwise. By these various
treaties, resolutions and acts of Congress,
it will be observed thst Frenchmen,
Spaniards, Mexicans and Indians have
all been made citizens of the United
States-some of the very classes of per
sons spoken of in this bill, and yet the
President tells us that this right of fed
eral citizenship as contra distinguished
from states citizenship-is now for the
first time proposed to be given by law.
DECLARAToRY ACT.
II, says the President, as is claimed by
many persons, all who are native born are
already, by virtue of the Constitution,
citizens of the United States, the passage
Of the pending bill cannot be necessary
to make them such. But is the Presi-
dent now to learn for the first time that
principle, to be found in the very horn
books of the law, that an act declaring
what a law is, is one of the most
common acts of legislative bodies? When
there is no question as to what the law is.
for their greater certainty, it is the most
common thing in the world to pass a
statute declaring its object. Ny opinion
is, and such was the opinion of the At
torney General and of the present Secre
tary of State, such was the opinion OF
Mr.. Lincoln's administration in all its
departments, a nd such l believe to be
the prevailing opinion in the United
States, that all native born persons, not
subject to foreign powers, are, by virtue
of their birth, citizens of the United
States. But some dispute this: hence,
for greater certainty; it is proposed to
pass this law. II is now made an objec-
tion to the passage of this law, and a rea.
son given by the President why he can.
not approve it, that 1t is declaratory act.
THE OBJECTION THAT ELEVEN STATES ARE
UNREPREsENTED.
But if such is not the law, says the
President, grave question presents it.
self: Whether, when eleven of the thir.
| q, -. ka1 - Clp
gress at the present time, it is sound pol
icy to make our entire colored popula-
lation, and all other excepted classes, cit
izens of the United States. This is not a
standing objection; it is Rot urged, il
seems, against all bills; for the President
tells US in his message that he has signed
some forty bills that have been present
ed to him. Why is it made an objection
to this bill? The President states no ob-
lection as applicable to this particular
bill. 1t is general objection which he
makes applicable to all bills. But il
there is anything in it, no bill cln pass
the Congress of the United States until
these States are represented. Well, sir,
whose fault is it the eleven States are not
represented? Whose fault is it that
twenty-five loyal States which have stood
! by the Union and the Constitution, are
to be deprived of their right to legislate?
| Sir, is il not the fault of the twenty-five
loyal States, and if the reason urged by
the President is good one now, it has
been a good one for all time. If the fact
of some States having rebelled against
the Government, is to take from the Gov
ernment the right to legislate, why, sir.
then the criminal is to take advantage of
his crime, and the innocent are to be
punished for the guilty.
THE PEACE PROCLAMATION.
Within few days the President has is
sued proclamation, not of peace, as the
Senator from Nevada Mr.. Stewart)
seems to suppose; by no means. Not a
proclamation that the rebellion is ov
er, but that in certain States it is over
The President does not tell US that Tex
as, one of the States that were in the re-
bellion is in condition to be represented
here. Sir, if we had to wait for the elev-
en- States must we not wait for Texas p
The same principle would require US to
wait for Texas, and she has not yet or
ganized her State government. And
those States which have reorganized have
not been reorganized as having a Tepubli-
can form of government emitting them
to representatives. The representatives
they have chosen from most of these
States that have undertaken to reorganize
are persons fresh from the rebel Congress
and from the rebel army. men who could
not be admitted here-could not take
the requisite oath to entitle them to
their seaats. And are we to wait, and to
abstain from all legislation of a general
character, are the loyal people to be COM
PEELED to wait for necessary legislation,
until these States shall be admitted to
representation here-when they refuse
to send men here except those whose
hands are dripping with the blood of 10y
al men? Are the Vice President of the
rebel Confederacy and his colleague, one
of the Senators in the rebel Congress, to
come here and legislate for the loyal peo
pie of this country Are the men who
organized the rebel government that car
ried on four years war, as the result of
which this nation has had to spend four
thousand millions of dollars. and as 8
consequence of which, more than quar-