ntelligent, and while we are protecting our industries we develop
our brains. So I am in favor of the protection of civil rights by
the Federal Government, and that, in my judgment, will be one of
the great issues in the next campaign.

_Question_. I see that you say that one of the great issues in
the coming campaign will be civil rights; what do you mean by that?

_Answer_. Well, I mean this. The Supreme Court has recently
decided that a colored man whose rights are trampled upon, in a
State, cannot appeal to the Federal Government for protection.
The decision amounts to this: That Congress has no right until a
State has acted, and has acted contrary to the Constitution. Now,
if a State refuses to do anything upon the subject, what is the
citizen to do? My opinion is that the Government is bound to
protect its citizens, and as a consideration for this protection,
the citizen is bound to stand by the Government. When the nation
calls for troops, the citizen of each State is bound to respond,
no matter what his State may think. This doctrine must be maintained,
or the United States ceases to be a nation. If a man looks to his
State for protection, then he must go with his State. My doctrine
is, that there should be patriotism upon the one hand, and protection
upon the other. If a State endeavors to secede from the Union, a
citizen of that State should be in a position to defy the State
and appeal to the Nation for protection. The doctrine now is, that
the General Government turns the citizen over to the State for
protection, and if the State does not protect him, that is his
misfortune; and the consequence of this doctrine will be to build
up the old heresy of State Sovereignty--a doctrine that was never
appealed to except in the interest of thieving or robbery. That
doctrine was first appealed to when the Constitution was formed,
because they were afraid the National Government would interfere
with the slave trade. It was next appealed to, to uphold the
Fugitive Slave Law. It was next appealed to, to give the territories
of the United States to slavery. Then it was appealed to, to
support rebellion, and now out of this doctrine they attempt to
build a breastwork, behind which they can trample upon the rights
of free colored men.

I believe in the sovereignty of the Nation. A nation that cannot
protect its citizens ought to stop playing nation. In the old
times the Supreme Court found no difficult