The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-28
From IOuIsInna.

NEW ORLEANS Sept. 26.-GOvernor Yarmouth
to-day vetoed the Civil Rights bill, raising thereby
a perfect storm of denunciation from the negroes,
at what they term his ueachery to them and to the
The session of the House after the reception of
the veto message was occnped chiefly by colored
members in denounoing the Governor, one negro
threatening him with impeachment, and repudiat-
ing him as no lOngera member of the radical party
The white members of the Legislature are confident
of sustaining the Veto .r a Hr
The following is the veto message:
10 the, Honorable Speaker and Members Of the
House OF Representatives: i return to the House
of Representatives can act to protect all persons in
their public and civil rights" without mysgnature,
for the following reasons, to witt The rights and
privileges enumerated in the first section of this
bill. and sought to be enforced thereby, are fully
ana explicitly recognized and established in the
constitution of the State. Even foreigner not a
citizen has the same right to travel and be enter
tanned a a citizen, and there is nothing in iu-
risprudence which makes distinctions on account of
race or color, except so far relates to slavery.
The organic law of the land gives to all persons
perfect equality of civil and political rights, in
Guiding the privilege of enforcing these rights in
the Courts, and employing all the legal remedies
which have heretofore been found requisite to Sc
cure these rights to all persons.
The means, however, proposed by the fourth sec
tion of the bill for enforcing these rights in my
judgment, not merely novel and unprecedented but
mpractcable and pernicious. 1t seeks to make that
crime which has never to my knowledge been so
considered in those communities where the highest
regard is paid to the personal rights of all men.
ihere Is, anu Always ought 10 oe, a Droad line OF
demaTcation fixed between crime and the breach
of obligation growing out of civil contracts; and
we demoralize the public conscience, and confuse
obliterate so evident distinction. Our statute book
is filled already with criminal laws that never
enforced, and never will be until public opinion
rises to their respective levels.
The history of the worlds full of examples of this
Sort where acts not in themselves criminal have
been vanly declared so, and in this way levty of
feeling in regard to real crimes is produced. We
relapse into the legislation of less enlightened
period when we try to convert an act which is pro-
perly a question of civil damages into an offence
against the peace and dignity of the State, and it
ought to be carefully borne in mind that we cannot
hope by legislation to control questions of personal
association, much less can we hope to force those
who differ from us our views of what is humane or
courteous christianlike. Mutual forbearance
and kindness, and the noble belief in the brother
hood of man, must spring from higher source than
the fear of punishment. They can never be forced
to grow by pains and penalties
be borne in mind that the regulation of commerce
between the several States wisely confded,
under the Constitution of the United States, to the
National Congress. The object of this grant of
power clearly to prevent the confusion which
would arise from conflicting legislation on such
subjects by the different con guous States, and the
wisdom of the provision appears more clearly every
day, as the means of transportation are increased
BY the second and third sections of this act no
distinction is clearly made between railroads and
State and those whose routes are beyond. OF
course, our criminal jurisdiction cannot go beyond
our State lines, and in this respect the act seems
impotic, and liable to produce unnecessary confu-
sion and litigation. In experimental legislation of
this kind, for which the sanction of no successful
precedent can be adduced, more untavorabe oc-
casion than the present could hardly be imagined.
In the midst of a most exciting political cam
paign, at a time when the passions, animosties
and resentments consequent upon great war; and
attendant upon great and sudden changes in affairs,
are reused to the highest pitch of intensity and
when the preiudices regarding are inhamed to
the utmost it is here proposed to enforce by penal
remedies what is practically class legislation, and
to maintain and confirm class distinctions. The
effect, in my Judgment of such an act would be to
defeat rather than to promote the ends apparently
hidden from view by the author of the bill.
The barriers of race, instead of being thereby
removed, would be increased in height and breadth,
in firmness and in strength, and so long as these
barriers maintained, so long will be deferred
the of peace order and prosperity in the State,
to which mutual harmony and good will are essen
tia and long will the rights of the lately enfran
chised linger in the condition of doubt and nsecur
ity. The preiudices upon which these barriers
are founded have no foundation in reason nature,
and will surely give way to the softening Influences
of time, unless they are constantly fretted into
In the meantime, every person, colored as we'll
the Of pSe ah hS tT ha g a6
his remedy for their infringement. The courts are
open to all alike. The same rule obtains in ma
tional and State courts. The judges of the State
pendent upon all its citizens alike; colored and
white alike constitute juries. Those of the aterly
enfranchsed who are wise and rejecting will not
ask for more, but they will greatly deprecate a
kind of legislation which, instead of advancing
of their race more bitter and determined in their
hostility, and furnishes them weapons wherewith
to assail the rights which the colored men have
already acquired
In returning this bill without my signature it is
hardly necessary for me to say that am prepared,
so far lies in my pro vince and power, to enforce
the new constitution as it exists. Such is my de-
sire, as it is my duty; but when L find the act in
question to be, in my best Judgment, unnecessary
and unwise, and for the reasons have stated cal
culated to demoralized the public conscience and
power of time and the growth of more catholic
views of personal relations it becomes no less
clearly my duty to decline to signit:
Governor of louisiana