The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-10-30
Prom tie Detroit Free Press.
The Supreme Court of the State OF Nichi-
gun on the Social states Of Negroes

We presume tie decision of the Supreme
Court OF this State in the case Of William H.
Day vs.. John Owen, the opinion in which
gave to our readers yesterday, has at
tractcd public attention. The case, in 4
word, Is this: DAY is a negro. OwiS is the
owner Of certain steamboats, running from
this port. DAY, desiring To travel upon one
Of these boats. sought TO obtain a ticket al
the proper office which would entItle him TO
passage in the cabin. OwES, by his agent,
refused to sci him the ticket and to permit
him 10 take a cabin passage. This reiu>aias
was made on tie sole ground that DAY was
negro. Whereupon DAY brought suit
agar - OWEN for damages alleged To have
been sustained by reason of the refusal
There was no objection by OwES that Day
should 20 as deck passenger; He WAS in-
hibited from going into the cabin under
rule that negroes should not he carried in
the cabin and this was the defence set up.
The Circuit Court, in which the suit was
brought, denied the vadility of DAYS claim,
when he removed the case to the Supreme
Court for final determination. The SIpreme
Court have deliberately affirmed the judge
ment of IN. cout, below, with costs.
When the Supreme Court Of all the Uni
ted States, in the famous case OF bred Scott,
pronounced the opinion that negroes are not
citizens o! the United States under the Fed
raj constitution and laws, we have distinct
recollection that the whole black republican
press, from the eastern boundaries OF Maine
to tie western boundaries Of Illinois, and
Ohio. was horror struck, and overwhel med
with the most virtuouS Indignation. 1t de-
: clared the ACCESSION TO be barbarouS and the
vocabulary must have been searched for
epithets suited to be hurled at The tribunal
I,l i'll = -, IL,
,rine as law /: and up to this day every occa-
sion has been seized by this black republi-
can press, and 10y the black republican ora
tors in congress and out, to assaii the de-
ciaion of the Supreme Court of the United
States and to bring it into popular disre-
pu;e.
We shal! await with some interest and Gu
rioSity the treatment which the black re-
publican press and the lack republican or
atorS will deal out to this DECISION OF the
. Supreme Court of the State of Michigan =
bccalSe, if the decision of the bred Scott
case was barbarouS, the decision in the
/ William ii. Day case is intensely barbarous !;
/ if the doctrine laid down as law in the one
case was monstrous, that laid down as law
| in the other case is olous and scandalous.-
! The Supreme Court OF the United States
simply passed upon the political statues of
the negro according to the Fcdral cnnstitu
ton and laws; the Supreme Court Of the
| State Of Michigan, has passed upon his So
/ cia statues. The one court decided that
the negro, by the law, did not stand upon a
| political equality with Il e whites the other
court has decided that, if not by the statute
law, by the law Of custom, he does not stand
upon social equality with the whites. The
one court decided that he is politically an
inferior being; the other that he is morally
an inferior being. The one excluded him
from the Fedral courts; the other excludes
him from steamboat cabins and first-class
railway cars The one dealt with him with
respect to his manhood. If the one degrs-
ded him as part and parcel Of the body poll
tic, the other has abased him and tainted
him and shamed him as part and parcel Of
the social fabric.
Let it not be supposed for a moment that
we condemn this decision OF the Supreme
Court of the State of Michigan. We do not.
We shall sustain it, as we have sustained
the decision Of the Supreme Court of the
United States. Both, in our judgment, are
eminently right Neither court could make
any other decision or, if the Supreme
Court OF this State had made any other de-
cision they would have meritcd the deriSion
and contempt Of the whole country. The
fact which we wish to bring prominently
out in this whole connection is, that the Su-
preme Court of the State of Michigan is com
posed of four gentleman of the black repub-
llcan party, elected by that party, and that
they have been compelled, when this ques-
ton of niggers came before them, to deter
mine it upon common sense principals and
in contravention of the pre- fessed principles
OF the black republican party. Tn y have
been compelled to determine it in accord
ance with the principles of the democratic
party and Of the bred Scott decision itself.