The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-01

ride in the street cars, to testify in courts |
and act as jurors has been conceded |
and, in fact established by law in, il we
mistake not, every state in the Union.
Some of these states would not have admit
ted negroes to the witness stand or jury
box unless they, or their representatives,
had felt and understood that such was the
true intent and meaning of the constitution.
Under another clause of the constitution,
the right of suffrage has been bestowed
upon all alike. The restrictions as to
suffrage apply to all persons alike, regard
less of race or color. To be sure, the bal
lot box was made free to all under diff
ferent provision of the constitution than
the one first referred to, but the same prin-
ciplcs underlie the one as the other If we
arc correct in our views, we do not sec any
particular force in the letter of Senator
Sumner, which we publish in another place,
this morning. The views of the Senator
are undoubtedly correct, but are they not
mere expression of gcneralitics Docs not
the whole country, north and south, prac-
tically endorse these views and, in fact and
theory, carry them out ? Wherever chill
dren are excluded from the public schools,
on account of race and color, these schools
must and will be thrown open to all, and
that right speedily. The very fact that the
property of individuals, irrespective of race
and color, is taxed for the purpose of af-
fordng free education to children, i'm
plies, aside from the principles and provi-
sions alluded to, a right upon the part of
all such taxpayers to have their children
educated from the proceeds of such taxes,
without additional charge.
But if Mr.. Sumner intends to go a step
further, and provide, by legislative Or con-
gressional enactment that ''select schools"
as they are called, shall be opened to ALL
we very much fear that the result he has so
much at heart will he delayed, it, perhaps,
cannot be defeated. thereby. These colored
children have the moral and, as we con-
ceivc, the constitutional right to be educat-
ed in the public schools equally with white
children and under the same rules and con-
ditions. but no more So SO the colored
citizen has the same right to hold Office as
the white man, and only the same right
A movement was started in Louisiana by
General Beauregard and other prominent
white citizens and an equal number of
leading colored men, whose object was to
secure a political equality between the two
races, in the matter of holding office, by
an equal division thereof between the two.
While this platform was faulty in some re-
spccts, in that 1t kept up class distinction
and distributed offices on account of color,
yet it promised much good, and in it we
saw the probable redemption of Louisiana
and the south from misruc 1t was, pro-
badly, the only course that could be pur-
sued, which would produce an unity of po-
litical interests between the white and
black man. The recognition of this unity
of political and business interests is the
| only thing which will accomplish the re-
generation of the SOUTH restore its prosper
ity, revive business and establish peace,
and all this, we believe, would have been
accomplished by the movement 1t was
not, however, to be permitted to succeed,
at present, at least. Whether actllated by
their own assumed importance, or worked
upon by political demagogucs, office hold
ers and Office seekers-of the worst kind of
tnat class .tdcordby know as ''scalawags"
and ''carpct baggers, we know not, but
when the mass meeting assembled, from
which so much was hoped, by the hearty
and practical acceptance of the doctrine of
political equality some of the colored men
endeavored to carry the matter too far and,
thus, postponed the desirable consummation
and disguised the white men, who had so
earnestly and honestly entered into the
movement. Some of the leading coored
men declared that they would not enter
into such a movement ''until you white
| gentlemen agree to admit us to your society
and houses on equal terms iOf course no
man, with particle of self respect in his
make up, would agree to provide, by reso-
luton or other public declaration, with
whom he would associate upon terms of So
cial equality, or who he could or would
not invite to his house and make the friend
of his family. These are matters which
every one must decide for himself So it is
in reference to ''select schools" the very
name of which implies the right of the
| teacher to reject or receive whom she may.
An equality of children of every color and
race can no more be established or created
by law, than social equality can. When
the attempt is made so to do, it must neces-
sarily be failure. 1t may be all wrong
tl.at there should he social distinctions or
''selcct schools" but they do exist and al
ways will exist. Unless Senator Sumner
is dealing in ''glittering generalities," his
arguments apply to select schools. and if
so, he is advocating cause which cannot
and ought not to he mcddled with by law