Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-03-19
The coLoRED MANS CITIZENSHIP.

me IuLOheU BANS IIlikENSHlP.
Prof. Langston spoke as follows
at Wheeling on the 22d: He spoke
of the Tennessee law, which has es
tabllshrd lin crow cars for cnlnr
ed people, and which camptls the
eolnred man who has bought IA first
class ticket in Washi gtnn to vacate
his seat and enter IA "jIm crow car
AZ soon Ms he cr,IS>sS the Tennessee
| NE. 1--WE ourselves said Pruf,
L ingston, don { understand our
legal standing. People tell a.
+" You didn't amount Ia any thing he
lore the war. Ii was the war and
amendments Ia the constitution
thar endowed , on " ith lnalnical lile.H
Aud We thank Charles summer and
Abraham Lincnln aud the R-publi
can party Tor what they did Tor US,
and We never think OF the great
worthless of the Revolution, Of the
men who drafted the great bull 1T
rights and uttered the words. "All
men are born free and equal" We
are accustomed 10 think ot Wash.
ingt0n, Jefferson and Madison as
great slave holders, interest, d
against us, but they we're the ones
who admitted rhe possession of 20
litical rights theoretically but mol
practically b, cOlOrrd men. Their
claim was that negro free, wheth
er emancipated or born freeman,
had the right TO vote. He inStanc
ed the opinions of Writ and Lrgare
TO The contrary, and then adducetl
the following authorities 10 bear out
his assertions: Hon William CASTOR,
"a Cathollc.) in pronouncing -the
opinion of the supreme court of
North Car Ina, A. ID. 1885, in the
Case OF the State vs., Manuel, a free
colored man, sentenced to be- scourg.
I'd at the whipping post, said:
According to the laws Of this
State North Carolina) all the human
beings within 1t, who are not slaves,
fall within one of two classes.
Before our revolution all tree persons
born within The do niniOns Of the
king of Great Britain. whatever
their color or complexion. were ma.
tive born British suhjects-thoSe
ont of hIs allegiance we're aliens.
Slavery did not exist in England,
Int it did in the British colonies.
Slaves are not, in legal parlance,
persons, but property. The moment
the lncapaclty, the disqualification al
slavery was removed, they brcamr
persons, and were then either Brit.
Ish subjects or not British subjects,
acc0l dung rs they were or we've not
horn within the allegiance ot the
British king. Upon the Revolution
no other change tnok place in the
laws OF North Caruliua than was
consequent upon the transaction
from a colony dependent on an En-
roppan king to free and sovereign
Stale. Slaves remained slaves, Brit
Ish subjects i'll North Carolina he
came North Carolina ireemen; Tor.
pigners until mace members uf the
State, remained aliens; slaves man
nmittrd here hecame fr-pmeu, and,
therefore, ii born within North Car
olIna are citizens of North Carolina.
and all free persons born within the
State are born citizens of the State.
The constitution extended the plrc
i've franchise To every freeman who
had arrived at the age of twenty one
and paid "A puhlic tax; aud it is a
matter of pnbllc motor ETY. that, III.
der it, free persons, without regard
10 color, claimed aud exercised the
franchise until it was taken from
freemen of color q few years siuce
ny our amended constitution"
Chancellor Kent in his common,
taries says:
Citizens, under our constitution
and laws, mean fee inhabitants.
born within the United States OF
natnralIzed by the law nf Congress.
II slave born IN the United States
be manumittrd or otherwise legal,
discharged from bondage, ar if II
hlackman br born within the United
States, and born free, he becomes
thpncpforward citizen"
Justice Curtis, of the United
States supreme court, in his dissent.
ing opinion in the famous Drph
Scott case, uses these words: IA
the time OF the ratification of these
articles of confederation all free. NJ
tiv. horn inhabitants of the states {
New Hampshire. Massachusetts.
New York, New Jersey and Nnrth
Carolina, though descended from
African slaves, were not DULY citl
Gems Of those states, but snch Of the m
~ had the necessary qualifications
possessed the franchise of Electors
on equal terms with other cIiizsnS."
Andrew Jackson, in addressing his
c"krrd troops, said Soldiers !!
When on the banks of the Mobile
called you 10 take up aims, invit
ing you tn partakc Of the priilS and
glory OF our white fellow citizens. /
expected much from Nou." OIheI
authorities were quoted by Prol.
LangstOn 70 show that emancipat. d
nrgrors and those horn tree alw y
possessed, under tie constitution,
and IN many eases praclicpd the