New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-28

rights and privileges of a citizen by the colo
OF his skin, except bis taxes. The dolores
man was required 10 pay this tax befor
his citizenship was constitd tionally granted
and in Trenton, New Jersey, his tax tbount,
and poll taxi is six dollars, without any cor
responding benefit. save bib vote; and thos,
who hold positions by virtue of the coloreC
mans vote, are the men 90 pander to this
diabolical prescription.
The constitutional amendment recognizes
no distinction on account of race. color, Oh
previous condition of servitude. The idea Of
! black and white is entirely obliterated from
| the Constitution. What the Government has
done the States are bound to do; for colored
men are citizens Of the several States respec-
lively, all laws to the contrary notwithstand.
ing And what the States have no right to
do, no party can do. 1t will not do for the
party 10 recognize the principle of either white
or colored being entitled to any peculiar or
exclusive rights or privileges; for that is what
the fifteenth amendmenu nullifed and abol-
ished. Juries must be impanneled OH this
basis, ard this only. Net an equal number,
certainly not; for their population does not
entitle them to 30 many, but to what their quota
of representation entitle them to. A white or
colored jury, as an exc usve body, is a clear
violation of the law for that is what the IF
teeth amendment nulliieH and abolished. This
is the law. No officer or party has right to
evade the law. And the party, class of men,
or party that fails to rightly administer the
law, when in their power, is not worthy the
confidence and support of citizen; and the
citizen who will continue to support any such
man, class of men, or party, is undeserving
citizenship. Only look at it Out of between
six and seven thousand colored voters, not one
has been impanneled on United States
Ijury-only one on State jury, about dozen
on petit j1ries, sand one exclusively coiored
jury summoned by a coroner.
Has justice been done to the coored Re-
publicans in the State of New Jersey? This
question demands an answer; here is the an.
swer, and here is She proof. Here is the party
10 power the peofessed friends of the coored
man for mere than two years, with the Legis
lature, the Controller, Superintendent of the
oult6u OtdtGs udISudiS, bneT-
ifs, Postmasters, Common Councils, who oc
cupy these positions by virtue Of the colored
mans vote, and yet he is left out in the cold
in direct defiance OF law, and contrary to rea
son and propriety. We are the most AFFECT
slaves so long as our rights are wrested from
us and have not the liberty to exercise the
rights of freemen. The only hope of the col.
ored man is to withhold his support for if they
refuse to dc justice by him when they cannot
do without his vote, it is certain they will not
when they can. If they will not when in their
power, they cannot when out of their power
Perhaps the strong arm of the law may be brought
into requisition if they still persist in this
wrong and outrage; for where there is wrong
there must be remedy. All reasons, obiec.
tons, and excuses are not worthy of refutation,
as they have been too often exploded. They
are the same as in the days of slavery, when
our professed friends turn their backs upon us.
We have the same right. and it becomes our
duty to shape our own course, for our rights
are not safe in their hands. The finale of the
matter is this, that we shall have to demand q
| full and entire recognition of all our rights as
penalty for their refusal to give us less, which
we would have been satisfied with.
Yours for the right,