Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-04-14
MISCELL a NY.
THE VETO.
To the Senate Of the United States:

their civil rights, and furnish the means. of
their vindication," contains provisions which
l cannot approve, cou ousistcntly with my sense
of duty to the whole people, and my ob|iga-
tions to the Constitution Of the United States
/ am, therefore, constrained to return it to the
Senate (the House in which it originatcd9
with my objections to it's becoming law
by the first section of the Bill, all persons
born in the United States, and not subject to
any foreign power, excluding indians not
taxed, are declared to be citlzcns of the Uni
ted States. This provision comprehends thc
Chinese of the Pacific States, Indians subject
to taxation, the people called gipsics, as we'll
MS the entire race designated as blacks, people
of color, negroes, muattocs, and persons Of
African blood Every individual of these
races, born in the United States, is by the
Bill made a,citizcn Of the United States. 1t
does not purport to declare or confer any other
right Of citizenship than Federal citizenship;
it does not propose to give these classes of
persons any status as citizens Of States except
th't which may result from their status as cit
izens Of the United States.
The Power to COPPER State citizenship is
just exclusively with the several States as
the power to confer the right OF Federal citi-
s,nship thus to b. conferred in theseveral ex-
ccpted ratios before mentioned is now, for the
first time, proposed to be given by law. If,
~ sisS5clatmeds byaia.ty all peraons who are&
native born already are, by virtue of the Con.
stitution, citizens Of the United States, the
passage Of the pending Bill cannot be necessa-
~ to makc them such If, on the other hand,
such persons are not citizens, as may be as.
suned from the proposed legislation to make
them such, the grave question presents itself
whether, where eleven Of the thirty.six States
are unreprescntcd in Congress at this time, it
is sound policy to make our entire colored
population and all other excepted classes cit-
zcns of the United States. -Four millions of
them have just emerged from slavery into free
dom. Can it reasonably be supposed that
they possess the requisite qualifications to en-
title them to all the privileges and immunites
of citizenship Of the United States? Have
the people OF the several States expressed such
: nviction?
It may also be asked whether it is neccssa-
ry that they should be declared citizens, in
order that they maybe secured in the enjoy
ment Of tke civil rights proposed to be con
ferrcd by the Bill? Those rights arc by Fed.
+eral, as we'll rs by State laws secured to all
domiciled aliens and foreigners, even before
the completion of the process Of naturaliza-
ton; and it may safely be assumed that the
same enactnlcnts are sufficient to give like
protection and benefits to those for whom this
Bill provides special legislation. Besides, the
policy Of. the Government from it's origin to
&he present time seems to have been that per-
sons whoare strangers to- and unfamiliar with,
our Institutions and our laws. should pass
through certain probation, at The end Of
which, before attaining the coveted prize, they
must give evidence of their fitness to receive
and to exercise the rights of citizena rs contc,-
plated by the Constitution of the United States.
The Bill in effect proposes discrimination
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 aud intelligence have
just now been opened, He must, of necessi-
ty, from his previous unfortunate condition of
servitude, be less informed as to tho nature
and character Of our institutions than he who.
coming from abroad, has, to some 6xtcnt, at
least, familiarizcd himself with the principles
of Government to which he voluntarily in
trusts life, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness
Yet it is now proposed by single legisla-
tive enactment to confer the rights Of citizens
upon ull persons Of African descent born with
in tue extended limits of the United States,
while persons of foreign birth who make our
land their home must undergo probation of
five years, and can only then become citizcps
upo,l proof that they are of rood moral char