The weekly clarion., 1867-02-14
THE WEEKLY CLARION
Nebraslxn and CoIornd0 vetoe..


The President has returned to Con
gress the bills to admit the territorie
of Nebraska and Colorado into th
Union as States, with messages con
tanning his reasons for refusing to ap
prove the measures. The length o
the messages and the press upon ou
columns just now. precludes the posi-
bility of our publishing them il
extenso. These bills, it will be re
membered, passed the House and tn
Senate with the proviso that ther'
should be no denial of the right o.
franchise or any other right on accoun
of race or color, and that the bill
should not take effect until the Legis
latures of the various States rat
ified the act Of Congress-
The President in returning the Colora.
do bill remarks, with the exception OF
one section, this bill is substantially
the same as the bill of similar title
passed by Congress during the last ses-
sion, submitted to the President for
his approval, returned with the OBJ
jections contained in message bear
ing date the 18th of May last, and yet
awaiting the reconsideration of the
Senate. Having again carefully con-
sidered the subject, instead of seeing
reasons for changing his mind. he
finds many objections to the proposed
legislation of which he was not aware
at the time of sending in his former
veto. The small and inefficient popu-
lation of the territory its inability to
bear the expenses of State govern
ment; the protest of the people
against being forced into the Union
without having the question first sub
mitted to the inhabitants, and the in
congruity exhibited between the legis-
lation of the territory and of Congress,
are some of the chief reasons present
ed by the President for returning the
bill-any one of which it appears to
us would be sufficient.
In returning the Nebraska bill, Mr..
johnson takes about the same ground
as presented in the Colorado veto.
The absurd incongruifies of the bill
are exhibited very clearly. He tells
the Senate that the preamble shows
the people of Nebraska have adopted
a Constitution, which, upon due ex-
animation, is found to conform to the
provisions and comply with the con-
ditions of said act, and to be republi-
can in form Of government, and that
they now ask for admission into the
Union. He says:
The proposed law would therefore seem to
be based upon the declaration contained in
the Enabling Act, that, upon compliance
with its terms, the people of Nebraska
should be admitted into the Union upon an
equal footing with its original States. Ref
erence to the bill, however, shows that while
by the first section, Congress distinctly ac-
cepts, ratifies and confirms the Constitution
and State Government which the people of
the Territory have formed for themselves,
declare Nebraska to be one of the United
States of America, and admits her into the
Union on an equal footing with the original
States in all respects whatsoever. The third
section provides that this measure shall not
take effect except upon the fundamental
condition that, within the State of Nebras-
ka, there shall be no denial of the elective
or of any other right, to any per-
son by reason of race or color, excepting In
dians not taxed; and upon the further fun
damental condition that the Legislature of
said State, by solemn public act, shall de-
clare the assent of said State to the said fun
condition, and shall transmit to |
the President of the United States an au-
thentic copy of said act, upon the receipt |
the President, by proclamation,
shall forthwith announce the fact; where
npon such fundamental condition shall be |
held as part of the organic law of the State,
and thereupon, and without further proceed
Ings on the part of Congress, the admission
sidered as complete"
After pointing out these inconsis-
,encies of the act, he shows that Con-
yress wants to give the Leg
stature power to change the re-
Iuirements of the Contitution
hat it gives Congress power
o regulate the elective franchise
lereafter; that it is a violation of good
aith to make these additional demands
fter those heretofore have been COM
lied with-all of which is clearly a
and unauthorized by the
Constitution. He can perceive no
eason for the admission of Nebraska :
nd Colorado that would not apply
18th equal force to nearly every other
srritorye now organized, and snb- {
hts whether, if the bills become q law,
will be impossible to resist the logi- j
IL conclusion that such Territories as
Montana and Idaho must be
sceived as States, whenever they pre-
mt themselves, without regard to the
umber of inhabitants they may re-
,ectively contain. The President
lows conclusively that from the very
.ture of the provisions the bills can
,t be executed, and we think his po-
ton viii certainly be endorsed by the n
sople. He has placed his foot upon i
solid foundation of reason, law and
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