Speech #430006758

The fourteenth amendment. as is well known. did not allow to colored men the right to vote. and that was controlled by State laws. notwithstanding all the rights conferred by former amendmernts. and therefore it was necessary to pass the liftecnth amendment. The fourteenth amendment provides as follows: SEtIeoN 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States. and subject to th jurisdiction thereof. are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State slall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privi. leges or immunities of citizens of the United States. nor shall say State deprive any person of life. liberty. or property. without duo prcess of law. nor deny to any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Now. what dnci the court say in commenting upon that amendment? Let me read a few paragraphs from the opinion: The next observation Is more hnpoitant in view of time arguments of counsel in the present case. It is that the distinction between citizenship of the United States and citizenship of a State is clearly recognized and established. Not only may a man be a citizen of the United States withlst being a citizen of a State. bu an important element is necessary to convert the former into the latter. lie must reside within the Stats to make him a citizen of it. but it is only necessary that hs should be born or naturalized in the United States to be a citizen of the Union. It is quite clear. then. that there isa citizenship of the United States anml a citizenship of a State. whichi are distinct from each other. and which depend upon different characteristics or circumstances in the individual. We think this distinction and its explicit recognition in this amendment of great weight in this argament. because the next paragraph of this same sectio. wJiicls is he enemainlv relied on by the laiintiffs in eror. speaks only oflvilcges and immunities of citiz.ens of the United States. and does net speak of those of citzens of the several Statid.