New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-29
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN, SATURDAY JULY 80 1871
Civil Rights.
The Madison Journal, in an article on the
subject of civil rights, SAYS:

The Madison Journal, in an article on the
subject of civil rights, says:
Sometime since Senator Pinchback, of
New Orleans, desired to send his wife and
children North for the benefit of their health.
AS they were to have no male companion,
he was naturally anxious to provide for
their comfort by saving the delicate wife
and mother all care and trouble that could
be avoided. He consequently purchased
tickets for one of the Pullman cars attached
to the jackson railroad, which run through
to Louisville without change. When the
time of departure came, she and her chill.
dren were refused admittance, on the
ground that she had stain OF negro blood
in her veins Senator Pinchback has sued
the jackson Railroad Company for damages,
and we hope there is virtue and honesty
enough left in the courts of the country to
teach the Yankee president OF that company
a lesson which shall be instructive to him
and all other public carriers.
If there had been any pretence that Mrs.
Pinchback was not respectable woman;
if there had been anything in her dress or
manners, or that of her children, to exclude
her from the cosmopolitan society OF rail-
road car, then it was an insult TO the pas
sengers in the ordinary cars to place her
and them in their midst. But there was
nothing of this kind. 1t was pure and
wanton insult to the accident of blood; and
as such let the company atone for it. Ii
Mrs. Pinchback had been slave and the
servant of white Senator's wife, in charge
of her children, she would have had berth
in that Pullman car, or there would have
been mutiny among the female passen-
gers We remember once when travelling
in the North, the conductor of ladies' car
ATTEMPTED TO exclude the negro servant OF
a female acquaintance OF ours. The superb
dignity with which that female ordered
| that servant to precede her into the car;
the scornful, defiant glance cast at that
conductor, and the nervous gathering OF
| those ample skirts to accommodate the
person of that Southern lady to a seat be-
| side her negro slave, was picture worthy
the pencil of the most gifted artist of that
| school of painters who are so fearful OF
social equality.
We travel on steamboats, and sn railroad
cars with gamblers, thieves and adven-
| turers OF every description. What warrant
| have we, and how often do we know it, that
the very next room on the steamboat or IN
| the hotel is occupied by persons who could
no more gain admittance to our families
than the vilest pariah that ever walked the
face of the earth. Do we consider our
selves degraded by this contact which the
| habits and interests of society have made
unavoidable 1t is time for Southern men
and women to get rid of this nonsense
about colored people on steamboats,, rail
road cars, and in hotels. All the days OF
our lives we have met people in these
places that we 'despised more than the
meanest negro of our acquaintance
There is not a man or woman born in the
State of Louisiana but what is indebted tC
the negro for the kindest offices that
are given to humanity to perform, and
there is not one but what would be willing
to concede as a privilege, if they were
slaves, what is now justly demanded as q
| right.