The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-04-13

y
tho CONSIDERATIONS have stated. aud believ.
log flat the passage Of aiaw BY Congross
securing equality w civil rights when DO.
iied BY State authoritles 10 tho freedmen
and All other ibhabiiants of the United
statep would DO much TO roleve anxiety IN
the North, aud induce the Southern States
to secure these rights by their own action
and thereby remove many Of the obstacles
10 an early reconstruction.
| prepared the bill substantially an is
now returned with the Presidehts objec.
tons. After the bill was introduced and
printed, a copy was furnished 10 him, and
at subsequent period when il was reported
that he was hesitating about signing the
Froedmens Bureau Bill he was Informed
Of the condition OF the Civil Rights Bill
then pending in the House, and hope OK.
pressed that IL he had any objection TO any
OF its p!ovisions,, he would make them
known 10 its friends, that they might be
remedied, il not destructive of the measure.
There was no disposition on the part OF
Congress, aud certainly none on my pnrt, to
have bill presented to him which he
could not approve. llc never intipated TO
me nor to any of it's friends, The least OBJ
icction 10 any OF the provisions of the bill
till aftOr it's passage, and how could he,
consistently with himself ? Tic bill was
framed, as was supposed, IN entiro bar.
mony with what lo was then and has since
been doing in protecting the freedmen III
their civil rights all through tho robellious
States. II was strictly limited to the pro-
lection of the civil rights belonging TO every
free man, the birthright of every American
citizen, and carefully avoided comforting or
interfering with political rights or privi.
legcs Of any kind.
0- OBJECTS or TnE BiLI.
The bill neither coniers nor abridges tho
rights Of any one, but simply declares tllat
in civil rights there shall be an equality
among all classes OF citizens, aud that all
alike shall DO subject to the same punish
meut. ttt
Each State, so that it do not abridgc the
great fundamental rights belonging under
the Constitution to all citizens, may grant
or withhold such civil rights an it pleases.
All that il required is that, in this respect,
it's laws shall bo impartial. Aud, yet, this
is the bill now returned with the President q
objections and such objeclions What are
they2 That in all our history, in all our
experience as people living undor Fod.
eral and State laws, no such system as that
contemplated by tho details OF this bill has
PRRCgDESTs FOR THE PROVISIONS OF TIIE BuL.
Have ! not already shown in the action
Of the President himself through Gen. Sick.
les, declaring that all laws shall be appli-
cable alike TO all inhabitants, and in tho va.
rious laws OF Congress, q precedent for ev-
cry provision Of this bill? The details of
the bill, says the President establish for
the security of the colored race safeguards
,.,l,. IL. 1. Al d.
General Government has ever provided for
tho white race" With what truth can this
be said of bill which declares that the
civil rights and the punishmeuls of all races
Including, of course, tho colorod-shall
be the same as those of white persons, let
an intelligent public judge.
now THE pnrsIDENr ENFORCED CrvIr. FIGHTS
Tho details, says the President, "inter.
fere with the legislation of the States, with
the relations existing exclusively between
State and its citizens, or between inliabi-
tantS Of the same State-an absorption and
usuLpation of power by the General Govern
mcl1 which it acquiesccu in must sap and
destroy the system of limited powers, and
break dcwn tho barriers which preserve the
rights of the State 1t is another step, or
rather slide toward Capitalization aud con.
ONHlIhNlpll VI iNSl6latlNt IlDWtIk, III inc Ma
tional Government" All this is said by
through Gen. Howard, set aside an act of
the Legislature Of Mississippi, and by an
ether order through Gcn. TORY, an act of
tho Virginia Legislature and forbade any
magistrate or civil officer from attempting
to execute it; who through Cen Catby
ordered State Courts in his Department to
oil 10 ntvn; Oh
with offcnscs for which white persons wero
not punished. well know the penalty
which would have been visited on State
Judges on officials for violations of any Of
these orders A President who, after veto
ing provision of the Freedmcns Bureau
bill because it secured to tho occupants
land under Gen. Shrrmhn's order. for the
period of three years, himself issued an or
der within less than thirty days afterward,
through II. A. Smith, Assistant Adutant
General declaring that grants of land to
freed people in compliance with Gen. Sher.
mans special orders No. Is, dated January,
l6, 1868, will be regarded az good and valid,
Well may we cxclaim, in view Of these acts
OF the President, in his own language when
discussing veto of President buchanan,
Oh, consistency, thou art II jewel, much tn
be admired but rarely to be found" In
view of these facts, which is breaking down
the barriers of the States and dmaking strides
toward Capitalization, ia it Congress, by the
passage Of this bill, or the President, who
is arrogating to himself far greater powers
than any conceded hy the bill? Let it not
be said that the President exercised these
vast powers by virtue of tho war power
Hc told us in hls message that the war was
over, and whether over OF not, no lcgisla-
tive powers are vested by tho Constitution
in the President. either as President or Com.
monder-;n-GhieI OF the army. That instru.
mcnt gives Congress power to make all laws