The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-01
The Colored People and the Pro-
ceRSiOn.

Use an error CO1WlHtu uS OIc vi lIlc M
sistant Marshals (Col. HuBDARD) in the
management Of the procession here on
Decoration Day. NnRkes this statement
Of what occurred, charaCtcrizing it us an
Outrage upon the rights of loyal citizens
under the Fifteenth Amendment"
While the procession was forming on
Fourth and Monroe streets, and after the
brass band, and members Of the Grand
Army, md other societies and citizens on
foot had fallen into line, large number OF
cOlorcd citizens, well dressed, well man
ncred and pcrfumed with flowers, who
had been courteously awaiting their turn
for position, naturally fell into line in the
rear of all white people on foot, suppOs.
Ing OF course that 10 be their proper
and rightful position in process
sion, II not in front or centre. AT this
COlOred innovation, however, The white
4 Republican blood began to boil, and Mar
sllal HUBBARD rode up and ordered them
pcremptOriy 10 fall ont Of line and take
their position in the rear IF the string y
carriages, bUgTicS and hor%men' This
was properly treated by the negroes rs an
insult. and they Indignantly retired from
the procession and threw away their
flowers and Gvcrgrccns
AMER some comment on the cnOrmily
Of the indignity thus offered to the cOlorcd
people by patriotic Republicans" the
Rcgistcr concludes that "the moral OI the
affair" Will simply teach the colored peo'
pie that they can never get into any pro
ccsSiOn OF their pretended Republican
friends, except on an election ddy."
Now as to the facts. Statements differ
us To what Marshal HUBBARDs order
WIS. He asserts most positively that he
proposed to have the colored men fall In
Just behind the city authorities, speakers
and clcrgymcn who were in n barouchc
and two Omnibuscs, ;Wd not behind the
other vehicles; and some Of the colorcd
men concur in this statement. But the
weight OF the testimony is against the
Colonel and 10 the effect that he directed
the coIored men to fall in ut the rear OF all
the vehicles. But some Of them say that
twice when they started into the process.
sion at the point where Col. HUBBARD
claims he told them to enter 1t, they were
stopped by u couple Of policemen whose
names they give; and one Of them says he
heard the City Sergeant tell these two
deputies not TO let them niggers" go into
the procession till all the carriages had
passed.
II is not true that after the colOrCd men
fell out of line and broke ranks they"threw
away their flowers and cvergrecns." One
Of them took the trouble TO call on Us
yesterday to give this an explicit denial.
lie says one lad did this, but no others.
The colorcd men had received no for
NAL invitation 10 take place in the pro-
cessIOn, as the Turner'S and Beethoven
Society had, because they had no kind of
an organization; but they were included
in the general invitation to citizens, and
had been personally assured by some OF
the managers Of the occasion that they
were entitled To place in the procession
us citizens and should have it il they
chose TO take it
Now who is To blame? lfCOl. HuE-
BARD ordered the COlOrcd men to the rear
0f all the vehicles, as some oil them claim,
he was wrong, and they did right in de-
clining To take the place assigned them.
They were willing, we understand, to
enter behind the Mayors barouchc and
the two omnibuSses, and offered to, hut
were repulsed by the police; but If fitwas
Col. HUBDARD's intention they should do
this, he was Mt least partially misunder-
stood and erred in not remaining on the
ground and seeing personally that the ar-
rangcment was effected. ltwas the intcn-
ton and order Of the Chief Marshal, Gen.
KELLEY, that these men should have u
place in the procession in the rear Of the or
gani1ations. II was Col. HuBBARD's bust.
ness US Assistant Marshal to see that they
entered the procession at the proper place;
and the blame of their failure TO do this,
according to the lights before us, clearly
rests upon Col. HUBBARD and the police,
and them only, and they will have to
divide II according to their due proper
tions. OF course any interference what
ever by the police with the arrangement
of public procession, or with body Of
men about entering one rs well behaved
and courteous as these colored men were,
or with the orders of the marshals hav-
ling it IN charge, was n gross offence, and
a piece ofshcer impertinencc,
II Now pray by what kind OF logic will
the Wheeling Rtgiaer make the Republi.
can party of this city responsible for this
alleged slight of the colored mem No
body certainly meant any oiTensc or dis
respect to them, unless It was the police
men. And save them, only one man can
even be charged with any such thing,
and that is Marshal HUBBARD; and We
do not suppose for a moment that any
such thought or intention ever occurred
to him. He disavOws any such idea, and,
we have no doubt, with perfect sincerity.
But the Register, which is capable Of
making partisan capital, il it could, out Of
its grand.mothers funeral, labOrs TO make