New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-16
xtracrs from Senator Moreon's speech.


CIVIL RIGHTS.
In the seventh resolution the Democratic
convention went upon its knees 20 tne pre-
judice against color and the hatred OF ne
groes The bill which passed the Senate
making provision for the equal rights OF
negroes in public schools, supported oy,
general taxaiien, colleges, churches, hotels.
railways, steamboats,, theatres anu grave
wards. supported at public expense, was
made the occasion for a special attack upon
Senator Pratt and myself. 1t will be re-
membered that the same men who passed
this resolution were the apOlogiets Of
slavery. and 10 the very last did every
thing in its defense, except to fight. They
were opposed to its abolition, and declared
that to confer upon him the right of suf-
frage would be the dishonor and destruc-
point, they would still exclude him from
the blessings of education, the equal privi-
leges of travel or a place OF reireshment
and rest while on his journey. or OF homer
able burial when dead. They would even
exclude him from the privilege OF worship
ing God in company with white people;
and this, too, by white men, some OF whom
seldom enter the doors OF church.
UNREAsoNABLENEsS OF PREJUDICE.
There ia something very remarkable in
the operation of this prejudice against color:
Persons who in their infancy were nursed
by negro women, in their childhood slept
and played with negro children in youth
and manhood were the daily companions Of
negroes in the workshop, upon the farm, in
the carriage and upon the journey, who en-
ployed negroes as body servants, and IN
that way were almost continually in their
society, dressed by them, shaved by them,
nursed by them in sickness, and in various
ways inhaling their breath hundred times
a day: and having with them that physical
intimacy and contact which does not exist
between equals in society; yet, when the
same negro, as a freeman, presumes to stop
at the same hotel or to ride in the same car
with them, or to send his children to the
same school with theirs, or to kneel IN the
same church, they are inexpressiblys shocked,
and declare that social equality will degrade
and destroy society. They think to make Q
few votes by appealing to the prejudices and
fears of the white people about mixed
schools. In towns and communities where
the children of each color are nuperous
enough to be formed into seperate schools
there will be no trouble on the subject. and
there has not been. But in districts sparseiy
populated or neigh borhOOds in which there
are few colored children, and wher6their pro-
portion of the school fund would be wholly
Insufficient to maintain separate schools,
and their parents are not able to maintain
private schools for them, if they are not ad-
mitted into the public school they must
grow up in ignorance and without edu-
cation. Aud what harm would these
cOlored children do in the public school Y
They would interrupt nobody, though In
many places they would be the victims OF
insult and oppression. The man who would
saw that under such circumstances these
colored children must grow up without
education to be poor, ignorant, helpless and
perhaps vicious throughout their lives,
simply because it would be offensive to
have them go into the same schoolhouse
with white children, himself needs education
in the principles OF our common humanity
EVEN HANDED JUSTICE.
But the punishment and suffering will
not fall upon the negro children only; the
community which infllcts the wrong will
ultimately have to pay for it in some way.
Such are the mysterious rulings OF Provi-
dence. Even now the people of the South
are complaining bitterly OF the ignorance
of the colored voters by whom they are
surrounded, and by whom, in some OF the
districts they are outnumbered. The pol
soned chalice is commended to their own
lips Only few years ago the people OF
South Carolina, Louisiana, and in fact
every Southern State, made the education
of negroes felony. For teaching them to
read and write their teachers were fined,
imprisoned, cast out from society and often
put to death; 80 that the negroes grew up
in mass in the densest ignorance, for it was
thought that that would make them the
most subserviant slaves. And mean white
for fear THAT he will become their intellect
ual superior.
But there came grand revolution. The
masters had embarked in wicked rebel
lion in which they were defeated. The
slaves were made free and clothed with
equal civil and political rights with their
late masters. In some of the districts and
in two or three States, they were numeri-
cally in the majority. and took the reins OF
government naturally into their own hands.
They were not as mass very well quail
fed to govern, and the moral as we'll as the
intellectual education of many of them was
badly defective, for slavery is q very bad
instructor in morals, teaching honesty
neither by precept nor example. When the
white people came to us with loud COM
plants of misgovernment by the negroes IN
South Carolina aud other Southern States,
l answer that the negroes are just
masters must take the bitter with the
sweet 1t is impossible that the brutal
slavery OF two hundred wears ago should
not be followed by some consequences
which are disagreeable to their former
masters. And what are all the sufferings
and the evils resulting from mi.govern-
ment by the negroes in all the Southern
States combined, compared with the intol-
cradle sufferings and hardships resulting
from the institution Of slavery for even one
short month"; But the negro Of the South is
improving rapidly, and is everywhere dis
tinguished for his desire to get an ednca-
tion. Even the old are learning to read
and write, and all are anxious for, the edu-
catien of their children. In the State OF
South Carolina, in which the negro pOpula-
tion is so largely in the ascendant, and over
which there is 60 much Democratic groan.
ing, they have today q better system OF
schools than in most Southern States.
A PERSONAL ARRAIGNMENT.
The resolution in the Democratic platform
which l am considering says: eve view
with adherence this attempt on the part of
the federal government to take control OF
all the schools, colleges, churches, hotels,
railroads, steamboats,, theatres and grave
yards, tor the purpose of establishing negro
equality and enforcing it under enormous
penalties of fines, damages and imprison-
ment. We arraign Senators Morton and
Pratt before the people of Indiana for their
and we shall ask for judgment against
them at the hands of their constituents
whom they have misrepresented."
I arraign the authors of this resolution
for gross ignorance Of the provisions Of the
civil rights bill which passed the Senate,
and of the constitution of the State OF In
diana. The bill does not "attempt, to take
control of all the schools, colleges, churches,
hotels, railroads, steamboats,, theatres and
graveyards" on the part of the government
of the United States, but leaves that con
troll precisely where it is now. 1t simply
makes it a penal offense to deprive the
negro of his equal enjoyment of these in.