The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-02-15
HARRISBURG.
Negroes TO ride i'm Cars with Whites: Pen
atty On Railroad Companies for refusing 3
Negroes seats in iIie same ears with
whites: Geary anafhelaatiZes : He Will
pardon nobody but Radical Election
officers dc, dc.

Correspondence of the Bedford Gazette.
HARRISBURG, Feb. II
Mr.. EDITOR:-I don't know that l
can send you any thing this week that
has more of the ridiculous though Sc
rious in its character) than the follow
ing extract from the proceedings Of
the Senate on the 9TH inst:
The Senate met at II o'clock a. m.
The following petitions were presen-
ted.
Messrs. ConneIl, White, Shoemaker,
Worthington, CoWles, and others, pre-
sented petitions in favor of allowing
colored persons to ride in public con-
veyanceS.
An act to punish by tineany railroad
company that excludes colOred persons
from its cars, was considered.
Mr.. Wallace, iDemocrat,) moved to
amend by changing the section so as to
allow c0lored persons to occupy seats at
the end of the cars.
Mr.. White, Radical) favored the
bill. but held that it was illegal to in
dict Il corporation for misdemeanor
Some amendment seemed to be need
ed.
Mr.. Wallace held that the duty of
! the corporation was done when it fur
nished comfortable seats, and held fur
ther that the colored persons had no
right to intrude themselves upon the
seats devoted to white persons.
The amendment of Mr.. Wallace was
lost by II ayes to Is nays.
\ running discussion took place as to
the wording of the standardization
the language made the corporation liza
bic or merely its agents. Thereappear-
ed to be technical difficulty in convict
ingacorporate body ofa misdemeanOr.
The matter was finally adjusted by a
proposition of Senator COWles, to make
the company which shall permit per-
sons to be excluded liable to an action
of debt to the person aggrieVed in the
sum Of $500. This proposition was
agreed to by II ayes to II nays.
Mr.. Searight Democratic offered an
amendment releasing the penalty in
case any company shall set apart sep
arate cars for cOlOred persons, or separ-
ate seats at the end of the car. Lost by
a party vote of l8 Radicals to 13 Dem
OcratS.
Mr.. Wallace (Dem0cratl offered
B jIlt iOliOW IHS IOt0ttIt, i iicli tOliiiliS
herein contained shall be construed to
compel the admission Of negroes into
berths in sleeping cars, or to punishany
one for the exclusion of persons of col
, or from cars set apart for the use Of Ia
dies. LOst-17 nays to 16yeas.
Mr.. Brown (RadicaD, OF Mercer, Off
cred an amendment, as follows: pro-
a'ided, That nothing in this act shall be
so construed as to prohibit any officer,
agent or conductor of any railroad in
this commonwealth whose cars are now
drawn by steam power, from setting
apart certain cars for the accommodate
ton of particular classes of passengers:
Pr0Uided. further, That no distinction
shall be made on account Ofrace or col
or.
Various Radical Senators urged the
withdrawal of this amendment, and it
was accordingly withdrawn.
Mr.. Donovan (DemOcrat) moved to
amend by making the penalty 100000
for excluding negro, and imprisoning
the party who Offends until Fred. Doug
lass is elected President of the United
States and Thaddeus Stevens Vice Pres
ident. Laughter. Ruled out of or
der. .,,,,-f,z..,,-, , ,,,,,,,,,
to refer the bill back to the committee,
in order that ii might be perfected.
The subject was interrupted by the
hour of adjournment, and was heldov-
er.
Mr.. Searight read an act to inflict
the death penalty upon mulattoes and
negroes who may be convicted Of GER
tain heinOuS crimes.
The Senate agreed to adjourn from
Wednesday evening next until the fol-
lowing Tuesday, at IL O'Clock, in order
to visit Pittsburg. Adjourned until 3
o'clock p. IN.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The discussion of theact allowing ne