The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-06-11

declare neF Tree; out no SOONER WIS SA
: free than she was denied the right of /
) free person This we held to be prejtt
dice.
Objection is made that the bill provide
that the colored man shall have accom-
modations at public hotels. If he i
denied the accommodations at the public
, hotels, where will he get accommodation
if he sees proper to travel? When upor
journey, he has no right to go to prl
vate house If the public houses refuse
him, then an American citizen becomes &
pariah in the land which guarantees t
him the right of travel The hotels are
licensed Institutions When the grant o.
license is made, the municipality de
mands of the keeper a bond for the faith
full performance of his contract. The
condition of the bond is that be shall
provide food and lodging for the travelling
public. Practically this bill requires him
to comply with the conditions of his bond.
He cannot be permitted to stand at his
door and turn away men from the accom-
modations which he has in his bond agreed
he would furnish on account of their COM
plexi IN. He must not be permitted to
look into a mans face to decide bv the
color Of his skin whether the food and
lodging shall be provided which he has
obligated himself to furnish. 1t would
be a strange government indeed that
would tolerate a proceeding like this.
The colored people make their complaint;
they demand legislation as necessary TO
their convenience and comfort in this re-
spect. 1t is one of the rights and privi-
| leges that belongs to the citizen. Congress
is called upon to legislate, and when it
comes to legisiate it must legislate, as
before said, in conformity with the Con-
stitution equality before the law. The
legislation, L repeat, must not be tainted
with distinctions Of class. All that Con
gress can do, if it does anything, is to see
! that the accommodation shall be extended
to all the people alike. Let US be logical
and we shall be just.
Mr.. President, the injustice that the
Southern people have done themselves on
| the question now under discussion is one
| that attaches to-day to their welfare and
| their material prosperity. If in Georgia,
| for example. a c0lored man is denied his
| equality before the law, if in Tennessee
he is denied his equality before the law,
may not the col3red people in my State
| they not legislate and deny the white
people il Mississippi their equality before
/ the law? | ask our friends rom North
Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, and
| elsewhere, having suffered as we have in
Il common cause, a cause in which our
hearts were all enlisted, bound together
as we are by the memories of the past,
sacred to our hearts, a common misfor-
tune having overtaken us, living in that
gloom which overspread the land at the
South when the war ceased, will they i'm
peril the safety and the we'll being Of the
white people who live in the colored States
by declaring that they will deny o the col
ored man his rights under the law in their
States?
What is to be the effect of legislation
of that character? Suppose the Govern
ment here in forming the policy of this
nation should see proper to deny that this
legislation shall he extended; what would
be the effect? Would not the effect of
it be to drive the colored people from
other States of the North and the States
of the South, to Mississippi. Louisiana,
South Carolina, and States like these
where they can get their rights! The
colored people have pride, and they will
not exist under an interiority recognized
by the State Legislature.
They know the fact OF their ignorance;
but am ] here to taunt them with their ig
norance? Is there a Senator here who
stands ready to tauDt the colored man with
this
y mans man for a that.
It is an Ignorance that results from the
fact that for two hundred years his race
writhed in the grasp of slavery and
South Carolina, | repeat, was no more
to blame for that than was the State of
Massachusetts,. In the organization of
the Government the majority of the
slave-holding States were in favor of ter
minating at once the African slave trade.
Georgia and South Caorina were fer
continuing it, The five Eastern States
voted solidly, in the lead Of Massachu-
sets for the continuation of this trade
until 1903. BY this that barbarous traffic
was continued, under the protection of
the Government, for over twenty years
of time. Ii either section can be charged
with the responsibility Of continuing this
traffic, it lies with the Eastern States.
The merchants OF Boston sent their ships
to the coasts of Africa to capture and
bring to our shores the natives. They
did this because they could find purchas-
ers for the blacks among the people OF
the South. They were not particular
us to whether they should bring them in
families, but they caught them as they
would have captured Wild animals they
stood not on the order Of their taking,
but took such as they could get, because
Il IL A. al Il.
ones were worth 800, the small ones
were worth less, and SO the barbarous
traffic was kept up for over twenty years,
in opposition to the sentiment of the
Middle and Southern States, Georgia
and South Carolina excepted. But
stand not here to cast blame upon any
section. The spirit of that age tolerated
slavery, the Government threw around
it the strong arm of its protection but
new light has dawned, new civilization
has come, and now the Government
throws its arm, increased in strength, as
shield of protection in the maintenance
of the freedom of all men of whatever
race.
But, sir, it is said that the colored
people pay no taxes, that the white peo-
pie pay all the taxes. As a general rule
that is the fact, and it is not very remark
able that it is go. The white people have
never been denied their freedom, while
the colored people were slaves until the
war ceased. Is it remarkable, then, that
the property of the country should be
with the white race? But let me show you
that perhaps there is some error existing
in the minds of gentlemen on this subject
[ happen to have before me a message
which I delivered to the Legislature OF
the State of Mississippi when I was gov
ernor of that State. | had gathered