Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-10-31

the Constitution of the State, as expoun-
ded by the Supreme Court, and was re-
pealed, as unconstitutional, March 13,
1865, and no longer disgraces the statute
books Of the State.
AT the time the New Constitution was
framed there was no word In the Old
Constitution better understood than the
word white, and in the Convention of
1851 the subject was well discussed, and
there was but little difference of opinion
as to the construction of that word. II
the Convention wished to change the
matter it would have been very easy for
it to do so. During th discussion upon
this question, Mr.. Humphreyville said
the courts have held-"That a person
having less than half black blood shall
have the rights of a white man. And
such, suppose, would be the construc-
tion of this clause" Mr.. Worthington,
upon the same subject, said: "The gen.
tleman {AIr. Andrews) first contends
that the term white is vague in its sig
MITIGATION and has no practical meaning.
Such might have been the case if the
word had not received practical con-
struction for near fifty years, but there is
now no question that may with more
safety be submitted to any OF our tribu-
nails, from the Supreme Court to the
Justice of the Peace"
ha nINo,, t;n,, ,af I,
ton changed the matter by using the
word citizen instead Of inhabitant, is as
contemptibly shallow as the declaration
that "the Supreme Court Of the United
States have decided that negro is not {
citizen Of the United Statesn is false
That the Convention did not intend tha
the use Of the term citizen of the United
States should change or effect the wore
white, is clear from the following defini
ton: American citizenship is generic
and comprehensive term, and mucl
more so than the term subject under
monarchical form of Government. Th
term "a citizen of the United States
therefore, includes men, women and chill
dren-every one, in short, who can de
mand the official protection of the Fed
eral Government, or may be amenabl
for the crime of treason"
But, says the Gazette, "The Suprem
, Court of the United States have decide
, that negro is not CITIZEN of the I'm
, ted States" 1t may be the editor of the
, paper thinks the Supreme Court has 6
{ decided, for that tribunal, under recer
, Democratic administration, has been gu
ficiently subservient to the slave powe
{ of the country to make any decision
D might demand; but, fortunately, it hi
never made demand for such decision
f and it has, therefore, never been mad,
and the declaration that such decisio
, has been made is only another evidenC
l of the ignorance of him who made /
, touching the Constitution and laws abol
= which he processes to know so much
ChiefJustice Taney, in the celebrate
| Dred Scott case, decided that person
1 whose ancestors were "imported to th
. country and sold as slaves" "are not il
cluded, and were not intended to be in
cluded, under the word citizen;" bu
: nowhere, even in that infamous decision
: does he take the position that q free nt
, gro, or person of color, is not citizen {
the United States. On the other hant
, it has always been held by the Suprem
, Court, as laid down in the concise lar
, guage of Chancellor Kent, in his Con
mentaries, vol. 2, page 3O1, note, tha
| "Citizens, s,underour constitution and law
mean free inhabitants, born within tn
United States, or naturalized under th
laws of Congress. If aslave, born in til
United States, be manumitted, or othel
wise lawfully discharged from bondag,
! or If black man be born within til
United States, and born free, he become
thenceforward a citizen, but under sue
spectively may deem 1t expedient to pr'
scribe to free persons Of color"
, And now, In defiance Of the Constitt
( tion Of the State, In defiance of the la
, of Ohio, and in defiance Of every prir
ciple of right and justice, tile Democra
+ ic Trustees refuse the votes of this cla,
of citizens of Ohio wherever they kno'
! those citizens will not vote the Demt
cratic ticket. And the editor of th
Gazette, In order to screen them fror
! the lnfamy their actions entitled ther
to, meanly misrepresents the facts an
, tho law, as well as those who, in tn
+ name of violated law, ask an honest ds
cision of the case.
-. o -
Card.
. can make no adequate spoken or wri