Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-04-04

House refused to suspcnd the rules tc
= let il be offered.
-
, SPEECH OF HON. MM. A. WALLACE,
Delivered In the state Senate, Februar,
8, 1867, ON the bill to punish RaiIroas
: corporations for excluding Negroes from
their Cars.
Mn. SPEAKER The broad PROPOSE.
} ton before the Senate is, whether, in
all tho Psblie.erus kranccs Of this STATE
/ the black man shall be tic equal on tho
white man. Senators may throw round
the subject the misty clouds of their
eloquence, they may attempt to con.
ceal by their great powers OF bcauti.
ful diction this homely idea but when
we come to investigate the proposition
we find il TO be, that in every railroad
car, in every sleeping berth, upon ev-
cry passenger railroad in this Com
monwealth, the negro shall be the
equal Of the white man, and to this
proposition we must direct our atten-
ton. 1t does not only affect the street
cars in Philadelphia; it is not only in
reference TO the black soldier and his
widow, as Senators assert, but il is the
broad proposition to give to the most
brutal and degraded negro a seat side
by side with the cultivated ana intel
lectual lady. Shall the barbarous and
brutal negro, just emancipated from
slavery, be your equaly Shall he sit
side by side with you? If you are
ready for this, we are not; and /, as
one Of the Representatives of the peo-
pie of Pennsylvania, assert that they
are not ready for it,
Our amendments to distinguish be-
tween white and black, 10 regard to
this matter, have been voted down /;
and it only remains for us to stand by
our record
The Senator from Bradford TMr.
Landon] asks the question, why shall
they not have these rights? Ianswer
him in the words of the Senator from
Allegheny, [ Mr.. Graham, ] a gentleman
whose sentiments and demcanor do
credit to the goodness of his heart. In
answering the queries Of the Senator
from Bradford | answer them in the
language of the Senator from Ale
gheny, that within our own breasts
exists the feeling that denies the right
TO do this thing 1t is one OF the
plaincst of the instincts of our human
ity. 1t is that unspeakable something
instillcd into man, which laws can
n9vn,r qxf ingnisb The afiort 70 rem.
cdy this, by snch means as tho pres
cnt, is Il grcvious mistake.
You might as well attempt to re-
move mountains. Sir, penal statutes
never worked n conversion. As legis-
lators, we must recognize tho exist
ence of things as they are. We must
not set up brilliant ideal, and then
attempt to legislate to consummate
that ideal bat we must take things
as they are, and conform our laws TO
their existence as we find them. You
must shape your laws to practical re-
alities and mould your statutes to the
condition of things; and ! say TO the
Senator from Bradford that there is
that Unborn instinct within us that
denies the feasibility of this PROPOSE
ton.
What are we here forg Is to com
pei people to do what they think is
right, or is it, sir, to follow the bent
and genius of those poopley Isit, sir,
to frame laws adapted to their ideas,
or to mould statutes TO compel them
30 hate and detest the Government
under which they dwell? Sir, the na-
ton that is the least governed is the
best governed; and when we under
take to make laws incompatible with
the ideas of our people, aud compel
them to obey doctrines which they do |
not wish to obey, you simply do that
which is not within your province, as
Legislators. 1t is a loading govern
mental principle, that whenever the
spirit, and the wishes, and the bent of
the men of the nation lead in one
direction, il is the duty of the rulers
of that nation to follow that lend, un-
less il be directly in opposition to the
form Of government under which .he
people live. This, sir, is my view of
what is our duty upon this subject
and when we have performed our du-
ty in obeying it we fulfill our mission.
Sirs, the people arc the masters, under
our form of government, and we the
servants; but when we undertake to
pass laws against their wishes, we be-
come the masters and they the serv-
ants-just the reverse of the princi-
pies of the government of this nation.
When we recognize our position as
servants wo perform our duties well
but when we fail 10 recognize them
we are false to ourselves and false to
our oaths as legislators of the Com
monwcalth. Sir, we must adapt our
laws to practical ends We must
make laws for classes as they exist,
and we must not attempt to form or
mould those classes There are classes
in this country. Negroes are class
white men are a class and we must
recognize this fact We dare not ig-
more it. If we attempt to do violence
to great leading idea in principle, or
TO recognized instinct in the mass of
the people, we attempt to bring the
hand Of one class upon tle head of the
other, which may God forbid in this
day.
Senators talk of God-givcn rights.
There are God-given rights, grant
you--the right Of life, Of liberty, Of
the right to the enjoyment
OF the fruits of a mans own labor-all
these should be possessed by all laws
may be passed for the protection of all