The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-04-07
TIE PRESIDENTS VETO
or THE
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL !

~ WV ''ii''r vi WV Hl''N ''il's.
! regret that the bill which has passed
both houses of Congress entitled An
act to protect all persons in the United
States in their civil rights. and furnish
the means Of their vindication,' con
tains provisions which | cannot ap-
prove consistently with my sense Of du-
ty to the whole people, and my obiiga-
ton TO the Constitution Of the United
States. lam, therefore. constrained to
return it to the Senate, the house in
which it originated, with my objection
to its becoming Il law. BY the first sec
ton of the bill, all persons born in the
United States, and not subject to any
foreign power, excluding Indians not
taxed, arc declared to be citizens Of the
United States. This provision com
prehenls the Chinese Of the Pacific
States. Indians subject to taxation, the
people called gypsics, as well as the
entire race designated as blacks, people
OF color, negroes, mulattocs, and per
sons of African blood. Every individ-
ual Of these races horn in the United
States by this bin is made citizen Of
the United States. ltdOes not purpOrt
to declare or confer any other right of
citizenship than Federal citizenship; it
does not propose to give these classes
0fpersons any status as citizens Of the
States, except that which may result
( from their status rs citizens off the Uni
ted States; the power to confer the
right of State citizenship is just as cy
cluSiyc!v with the several States rs the
power to confer the RIGHT Of Federal
citizenship is with Congress.
The rightof Federal citizenship thus
10 be conferred in the several States ON
the sever ! excepted races beror1
mentioned, is now for the first time
proposed to lie given hy law. IT, rs is
claimed by many. all persons who are
native bora already are, by virtue OF
the Constitution, citizens Of the United
States, the passage Of the pending bill
is not necessary to make them such.
If, on the other hand, such persons are
/ not citizens. rs may be assumed from
the proposed legislation to make them
such, the grave question presents itself,
! whether, while eleven of the thirty.siX
States are unrcprcscnted in Congress,
Is at this time, it is sound policy TO
make the entire colorcd population,
and all other excepted classes, citizens
/ Of the United States. -Four millions OF
these have just emerged from slavery
! into freedom. Can it be reasonably
supposed that they possess the requisite
qualifications to cntitle them to all the
privileges and immunitics of citizenship
of the United States? Have the pco-
pie of the several States expressed such
Il conviction' 1t may be asked whcth-
cr it is necessary that they should be
declared citizens in order that they
may he secured in the enjoyment of the
civil rights proposed to be conferred
by the bill. Those rights are by Fed
cral as well as by State laws, securct
to all domiciled aliens and foreigners
even before the completion Of the pro
cess Of naturalization, and it may bt
safely assumed that the same enact
mrnts are sufficient to give like protcc
ton and benefits to those for whom
this bill provides special legislation
Besides, the policy OF the Government
from It's origin to the present time
seems to have been, that persons VIII,
are strangers to, and unfamiliar witt
our institutions and our laws, shoul,
pass through certain probation, 4
the end of which, bciUr. allowing til
coveted prize, they must give evidenc
OF their fitness to receive and eXcrcis
the rights of citizens as contemplate
by the Constitution of the United State:
The hill in effect proposes discrimI
nation against large numbers OF intel
ligent. worthy, and patriotic foreigner:
and in favor of the negro, to whom, ai
ter long years Of bondage, the avenue
to freedom and intelligence have jus
! now been suddenly opened. lie must
: of necessity, from his previous unior
tunate condition ofservitnde, be less III
J formed as to the nature and charactel
of our institutions, then he who, com
, inr from abroad, has to some extent al
; least famliarizcd himself with the
principles of government to which he
voluntarily inirusts life. liberty, and tn,
pursuit OF happiness, yet it is now pro
posed i'va single legislative enactment
TO confer tie rights Of citizens upon al