ever indicated to me, nor, so far as I know, to
any of its friends, the least objection to any of the provisions of
the bill till after its passage. And how could he, consistently with
himself? The bill was framed, as was supposed, in entire harmony with
his views, and certainly in harmony with what he was then and has
since been doing in protecting freedmen in their civil rights all
through the rebellious States. It was strictly limited to the
protection of the civil rights belonging to every freeman, the
birthright of every American citizen, and carefully avoided conferring
or interfering with political rights or privileges of any kind.

* * * * "If the bill now before us, and which goes no further than to
secure civil rights to the freedman, can not be passed, then the
constitutional amendment proclaiming freedom to all the inhabitants of
the land is a cheat and a delusion.

"I can not better conclude what I have to say than in the language of
Mr. Johnson on the occasion of the veto of the Homestead Bill, when,
after stating that the fact that the President was inconsistent and
changed his opinion with reference to a great measure and a great
principle, is no reason why a Senator or Representative, who has acted
understandingly, should change his opinion. He said:

"'I hope the Senate and House of Representatives, who have
sanctioned this bill by more than a two-thirds majority,
will, according to the Constitution, exercise their
privilege and power, and let the bill become a law of the
land, according to the high behest of the American people.'"

On the next day, April 5th, Mr. Johnson, of Maryland, made a speech
sustaining the Veto Message. He argued that negroes were not citizens
of the United States by reason of their birth in the United States,
and that Congress had no authority by law to declare them such. To
sustain his position, he made quotations from the opinion of the
minority in the Dred Scott case, as rendered by Mr. Justice Curtis. He
then proceeded to reply to some of Mr. Trumbull's arguments against
the Veto Message: "The honorable member from Illinois disposes of the
President's objection to the first section of this bill by saying that
it is merely declaratory. I know it is competent for any legislative
body, on a question where difference of opinions exist in relation to
any legal proposition, to remove them by declaratory legislation; but
that is not the purpose of thi