Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-04-07
GENERAL INEELLIGENCE~
Message of the President gctoing the
Civil Rights BILL


III The Senafe of HE United States.
] regret that the bill which 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, contains
provisions which can not approve con-
+sistentIy with my sense Of duty to the
whole people, and smy obligations to
the Constitution OF the United States.
am therefore constrained to return il
to the Senate, the House in which it
originated, with my objections to Its
becoming a law.
By the first section Of the bill all per-
SONS born in the United States and net
subject to any foreign power, excluding
Indians not taxed, are declared to be,
citizens of the United States. This
provision comprehends the Chinese
of the Pacific States, Indians subject to
taxation, the people called Gipsies.f as
we'll as the entire race designated as
blacks, people of color, negroes, mulat-
toes and persons of African blood
Every individual of these races born in
the United States is by this bill a citizen
of the United States. 1t does not pur-
right of citizenship than federal citizen
ship. 1t does not propose to give these
classes of persons any status of citizens
of states except thatwhich may result
from their stains as citizens OF. the
United States. ai1- sid a8s
The. power to confer the right of state
citizenship is, Just as exclusively with
the several states as the power to con-
fer the right of federal citizenship is
with Congress The right of federal
citizenship thus to be conferred in the
several excepted ratios before mention
ed is now for the first time proposed to
| be given bylaw liza is claimed by
many, all personsrw are native. born
already are, by virtue of the constitu7
ton, citizens of the United States, the
passage OF the pending bill cannot be
necessary to make them such. If, on
the other hand, such persons are not
citizens, as may be assumed from the
| proposed Legislation to make them
such. the grave question presents itself
| whether where eleven of the thirty-six
i states are Ilnrepresented in Congress at
| the time, it is sound policy to make
our entire colored population, and nall
L %
1 United States. Four millions of them
have Just emerged from slavery
| into ffeedom-ean itbe reasonably sup
posed that they possess thearequisite
| Qualification to entitle them to all the
privileges and immunities of citizens OF
the United States? Have the people
of the several States expressed such a
| conviction?e It may also, be asked
| whether it is necessary that theyshould
| be declared citizens in order that they
may be secured in the enjoyment of the
civil rights proposed to be conferred by
the bill. = 'l'H '~"' I'll.
These rights are by federal as well as
by state laws, secured to all domici1ed
aliens and foreigners, even before the
completion of naturalization, and il
may safely he assumed that the same
enactments are sufficient to give like
protection and benefits to those fol
whom this bill provides. special legis-
lation; besides the policy of the gov
eminent from its origin TO the present
time, seems to have been that persons
who are strangers to and unfamiliar
with our institutions end our laws,
should pass through p prohibition, at
the end of which, before, allowing the
coveted prize, they must give evidence
of their fitness to receive and to exer-
else the rights Of citizenship as contem-
plated in the Constitution of the u.
is. The bill in effect proposes a dis
elimination against largo numbers of
intelligent. worthy and patriotic for
eigners and in favor of the negro, to
whom after long years of bondage, the
avenues of freedom and intelligence
have inst now been suddenly opened. =
He mustof necessity from his previous
unfortunate condition of servitude, be
less informed as to the nature aud char
acter of our institutions than he who
/ comes from abroad. He has to some
extent familiarized himself with the
principles of government to which be
voluntarily entrnsts life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness- Yet. it is
now proposed by single Legislative en-
actment to confer the right of citizens
upon all persons of African descent,
born within the extended limits of the
United States, while persons of foreign
birth who make our land their home
must undergo probation of fiveyears,
and can only then become citizens up
on proof that they are of good, moral
character, attached to the principles of
the Constitution of the United States,
and well disposed to the good order and
happiness of the same. =, .sre.e :, ~.
The first section of the bill also con-
tains an enumeration of the rights TO be
enioyed by those classes, so made citi
zens, in every state and territory in the
United States. These rights are to
make and enforce contracts, to sue the.
parties and give evidence, to inherit,
purchase, lease, sell, hold and convey
real and personal property, and. to have
full and equal benifit of all laws and
proceedings for the security of persons
and property as is enjoyed by white
cit1zens.a5So, too, they are made sub
iect to the same punishment, pains and
penalties common with white citizens
and to none Others Tins a perfect
equality of the white and colored races
Is attempted to be fixed, by federal law
in every state of the Union over the
vast field OF state jurisdiction, covered
by these enumerated rights.U In no one
OF, them can any state exercise by, power
of Discrimination between the different
races In the exercise of state policy
over matters exclusively affecting the
people. Of each state, lit has frequently
been thought expedient to discriminate
between the two races. 10 =
By the statutes of some of the states
north as well as south, is enacted, for
instance, that no white person inter