The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-02-21
THE NEGRO IN The LEa1sLATURE,

u
Our unfortunate colored brother" sii
las got into the Legislature again. He k
manages to get mixed with the deliber- I'll
atoms of That body every winter IN some u u
shape. This time he comes into school q,
and we are glad to see that Re- C
publican members are disposed to treat o
him with hberality and enlarged hui
mainly. A bill was introduced by Dem. :
ocrats to repeal the law which compels s
Boards of Directors to look after the ed +
ucation of coIored children, and fixing
a penalty for refusing to perform the :
duty. They wanted the law fixed to !
compel separate schools, even In dis
tricts where there are only one or two
colored children. A spirited discussion
arose on the proposition, and we take
the liberty of extracting portion of it
from the report in the Laurence Daily
Tribune:
Mr.. Gossett, (Democrat) said the last
Legislature, in its zeal for the negro, ex-
ceeded its Judgment, and passed law |
that was obnoxious ia itself to the pee-
pie of the State, and denying their right
to the first great law of nature-self-
lpreservation-by denying the right OF
the school directors to exclude any chilo
from the school under any cireum-
stance, although he maybe afflicted with
all the category of contagious diseases
known to the human family IL vlftu-
ally destroyed the common school sys-
tenn. 1t does not operate with unl1oF-
nifty in this State. In some districts IN
towns or villages. they may be able to
iseparaJe mem, but in the rural districts,
sparcely populated, it is entirely impos-
sible to do so. In this case, the negro
being anxious for social equality, pre-
sents himself. for admission into the
school; the, white children object, but
he is admitted, and the, larger part of
the !. white. children ithdraw. Now,
my proposition isfto separate the schools
by setting apart portion of the funds
that the coiored children may be edu-
Gated by themselves, and we shall nave
q uniformity of,action in our schools.
Mr.. Handy, (Repu blicam. said, in
Anderson county this law has worked
wonderful reformation, and suppose
we would not now have a colored
school if it had not been for this penalty
We can now provide for separate
school if we will go to the trouble
and expense. In this law the blessed
word .swhite" is left out. When we
come to the constitution all able-bodled
qchite males of certain age have right
2 to vote, but when we come to the tax
: law, all able bodied males of certain
F ages are subject to tax; But in this law
the word echite is left out. / propose
that this American prejudice shall have
: law to, regulate it. This law is equal
d lust and right. !" Let us do right though
ftl-n heavens fall,r and let us give equa
Justlce To ~Tery man, woman and ch1lC
/ of every color. -. ...,.se,s.
George Washington Click, OF; .Atchis
: on, who is candidate for martyrdom OF
n the next Dem ocratic State ticket, preach
8 ed some sound Democratic doctrine, Al
h follows az MA :,
lam in favor of the passage of thi
n bill. The protection of communities re
quite certain police regulations, so tina
they may remove and place in the hos
It pital persons who bring disease among
: them. 1t is but the principle of self
preservation but this law, as it stands
will not permit the school boards to ex
IS ercise this principle. When the schoO
IS board would protect ninety-ninc chill
dren' from disease, TO the exclusion o
one, you fine them S10O. So far, as tn
negro is concerned, L will go as far a
to any man TO educate him. We have then
r among us, and as good citizens we mus
interest of the community that the
should be educated, SO as to make then
as good citizens as possible under tn
q circumstances. But at the same tim
= there is a prejudice existing agains
Z, them in the minds of the people, whici
II is so strong that the law must be subser
j. Went to it to some extent. We have
n law on our statute book which provide
for the organization of separate school
for colored children: The man who un
: dertakes to rule down the prejudices %
Is the people, simply does violence to tn
: negro and the white man at the sam
time he perpetuates, excites and en-
e Ecourages it. The man who don't be
II lieve that God Almighty made a differ
n ence between a white man and negro
can't dispute with me en- that subject
3 becauseI don't propose to hold any ar
gument with man who holds sue
opinions. 1t is for the benefit of bot
l. that they should be kept separate in tn
= schools. The finer feelings of humanit,
e rebel against this association, and tn
n man does wrong who undertakes t,
: force such state of society on the PEG
70 pie of this State. You should not at
n tempt to force it upon your neighbors
I. even if you are willing to have it your
o self.
= Mr.. Plumb did not hear the first o
y this discussion, and it is, perhaps, wei
Is enough that did not. I see by articl
eleven of the school laws, as reportee
by the COdlfying COMMISSION, that NJ
child infested with disease shall remaiI
in the public schools: SO there is
it remedy for that objection, and if W.
pass that law we shall have done away
with the necessity of repeating this one
L The gentleman from LeaVenWOrth MT
l. Moore), would have us compel tn,
T. school board to provide separate schools
for the colored children. In my county
the people at the school meeting deter
d mine the policy for the schools for thu
y year-hoW many schools there shall be
- and how long they shall continue, anC
; it is competent for them to provide fol-
u the separate education of the blacks i
T they desire to. Suppose there was but
G one colored child in the district, would
you have separate school kept for him
at the same expense that would school,
: twenty white children?
s Mr.. Glick-Are you in favor of edu.
y eating negroes and white children In the
= Mr.. Plumb am in favor of letting
8 the people do just as they please about
f lit. 80.
o Mr.. Glick-Arc you in favor of edu-
s eating the whites and negroes in, the
r same school?
e Mr.. Plumb am IN favor of letting
D each district make such arrangements
e as it pleases.
Mr. Glick-That is not the question
are you, individually, in favor of edu-
eating the whites and negroes in the
9 same school7 eslsf
Mr.. Plumb don't know that am,