East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-04-04
The Prerident's Veto Message.

To the Senate OF the United States:
regret that the bill which has passed tp,L
Houses Of Congress entitled an act 10 project
all pertvus in the United States in the.r civil
rights, and furnish the means of their VIM
Jication. contains provisions which Cannot mp
prove consistently with my sense Of duty to the
whole people and my obligations to the Cnnsti-
,stion of the United states. / am, therefore,
constrained 10 return it To the Senate. the house
in which it originated, with my oijecti' ms to ils
becoming Inv
In the FIRST section Of the bill, all persons born
in the United States and not subject ~ any for
eign power, excluding Indians not taxed are
declared to be citizens of the United States. This
provision couprehends the Chinese Of ths Pacific
states. Indians subject TO taxnti,n the people
called cipses, well rs the entire dt u gnated
b!acks-pc,pe Of coor---negroes, muiattoss apd
persons OF African bloo'l. Every individual OF
these races born in the United states is BY the
bill made citizen of the United states. IL docs
nat purport TO declare confer any Other right Of
citlienship than Federal citizenship 1t does
not propose to give these classes o. persons Any
status of ctIzenship Of States, except tina. which
may result from their statue MS citizens OF the
United States, The power To confer the right oi
| State citizenship Us just rs exclusively with the
several States the power to confer the right o:
Federal citizenship Is with Cong ess. Tho right
Of Federal citizenship thus to be conferred on the
several excepted races before mentioned,is is nov,
for the first time. proposed TO lie given by law
| IT, rs Is claimed by many. all persons who are
native born already, are by virtue Of the Const =
tuition citizens of the United States, the passage
Of the pending till cannot be necessary TO make
them such II, on the other hand, such Iers'ns
nre not citizens, MS may he assumed from the pro-
losed legislation TO make them such, the grave
question presents itself whether, while eleven Of
the thirty-six states are unrcpresented in Cone
gress ut the present time. il is sound poliey to
mike our eutire coiored population, ,ani MI other
lexcepfed ciasses, citizens of the limited States =
| Four millions Ut them have Just. emerged from
slavery into freedom, Can II lie reasonably sup
posed that they possess the requisite qualifications
o. eni tie thvm to all the privileges and immuni-
ties Of ctiscnship Of the United Statcs1 Have
the people of the several States expressed such a
conviction1 IL may also be asked whether 1t Il
necessary that they should lie declared citizen.
in order that Il ey may be secured in the enjoy
ment ~ the civil rights proposed i6 10 confcrre,
by he bill These rights nrs. BY Federal as well
rs by State laws, secured I. M domiced aliens
and foreigners even before ibc completion Of the
prccess " nafur fization, and u may safely De-
assumed that tho amc enactmeDts arc sufficient
20 give like protection and benefits to these for
whom This bill provides special legislnti,n. Be
sides, the policy of the Government. from its
origin TO the present time. seems to have been
thNt Pefrvhs " no hfe stfhngefs 10 anu uhln'"'h"'
with our Institutions and our laws should rass
through q certain probation. ut the end OF which
before allowing them the coveted prize, they
must give evidence Of their fitness te receive an
to exercise the rights Of citizens as contemplated
by tho Constitution Of the United States. The
bill in effect proposes q discrimination Against
llirgs plumbers Of intelligent. worthy and pairi
otic foreigners and IN favor Of the negro to whom
after long years of bondage, the avenues to free
dom and Intelligence bsve just DOW been sudden
'lyoPsnsd. He psst Of pscersity, from bis pre-