f suffrage upon the negro," and urged that
a proviso should be accepted "restricting the meaning of the words
'civil rights and immunities.'" He remarked further: "The most serious
objection that I have to this bill is, that it is an interference with
the rights of the South. It was remarked by my friend from Wisconsin
that it has often been intimated on this floor, and throughout the
country, that whenever a man talks about either the Constitution or
the rights of the States, he is either a traitor or a sympathizer with
treason. I do not assume that the States are sovereign. They are
subordinate to the Federal Government. Sovereignty in this country is
in the people, but the States have certain rights, and those rights
are absolutely necessary to the maintenance of our system of
government. What are those rights? The right to determine and fix the
legal _status_ of the inhabitants of the respective States; the local
powers of self-government; the power to regulate all the relations
that exist between husband and wife, parent and child, guardian and
ward; all the fireside and home rights, which are nearer and dearer to
us than all others.

"Sir, this is but a stepping-stone to a centralization of the
Government and the overthrow of the local powers of the States.
Whenever that is consummated, then farewell to the beauty, strength,
and power of this Government. There is nothing left but absolute,
despotic, central power. It lives no longer but as a naked despotism.
There is nothing left to admire and to cherish."

Mr. Windom, of Minnesota, next obtained the floor. Referring to the
speech of Mr. Rogers, he said: "I wish to make another extract from
the speech of the gentleman from New Jersey. He said, 'If you pass
this bill, you will allow negroes to compete for the high office of
the President of the United States.' You will actually allow them to
compete for the Presidency of the United States! As for this fear
which haunts the gentleman from New Jersey, if there is a negro in the
country who is so far above all the white men of the country that only
four millions of his own race can elect him President of the United
States over twenty-six millions of white people, I think we ought to
encourage such talent in the country.

"Sir, the gentleman has far less confidence in the white race than I
have, if he is so timid in regard to negro competition. Does he really
suppose that black men are so far superior to white men t