National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-05


The same negro, as freeman, presurnes 70
stop at the same hotel, OF 10 ride IN the same
ear with them, or 20 send his children 70 the
same school with thelrs, or 10 knesl IN the
same church, they are inexpressibly shocked,
and declare that social equality WIN degrade
and destroy socisty. They think 10 make .
rev e votes p sppeallng @ the prsiudices ana
In towns and communities whore the children
Of each color are numerous enough 70 Be formed
into separate schools thera Will be no trouble
on the subject, and there has not been. But
in districts sparsely populated, or naighbor-
hoods IN which there Are few colored children,
and where their proportion Of the school fund
would be wholly Insufficient 70 maintain sepa-
rate schools, and their parents are not able to
msintain private schools for them, II they are
not admitted into the public school they must
grow up IN ignorance and without education
And what harm would these colored children
do In the public SCHOOL, They would interrupt
nobody, though in many places they would be
the Victims Of insult and oppression. The man
who would say that under such circumstances
these colored children must grow up without
education 70 be poor, ignorant, helpless and
perhap5 Vicious throughout their lives, simply
because Il would Be Offensive TO have them go
into the same school house with white children,
himself needs education inthe principles Of our
common humanity = 81 3. ~
EvrN-HkspED JusTIcH.
But the punishment and suffering VIII not
fall upon the negro children only; the conmu-
nifty which inficts the wrong will ultimately
have 70 pay for Il In some way. Such are the
mysterious rulings Ct Providence. Even now
the people Of the South are complaining bitter
ly OF the ignorapce Of the colored voters by
some Of the States and many Of the districts,
they are outnumbered.e The poisoned chslice
is commended 10 their own lips. Only 9 few
years ago the people Of South Carolina, Louis
lana, and In fact every Southern State, made
the sducatiou Of negroes felony. For teach
ing them to read and write their teachers were
fned, Imprisoned, cast out from society, and
Omen put 70 death; 80 that the negroes grew
up In mAss IN the densest ignorance, for It was
thought that that would make them the most
subservieut slaves. And mean white men now
hate 10 see the negro educated, for fear that he
will become their intellectual superior.
But there came q grand revolution. The
masters had embarked in wicked rebellion IN
which they were defeated. Tho slaves were
made nee and eiotsee WITH equal ciYll and po-
litlcal rights with their late masters. In some
of the districts and IN two or three States, they
were numerically In the majority, and took the
reins OF government naturally into their own
hands. They were not as mass very well
qualified to govern, and the moral as well as
the intellectual education Of many OF them was
badly defective, for slavery Is q very bad in
structor in morals, teaching honesty neither BY
precept nor example. When the white people
came TO rs with loud complaints Of misgoyern-
meut by the negroes IN South Carolina and
other Southern States, I answer that the ne
groes are just what they msde them. Their
former masters must take the bitter with the
sweet. Il is impossible thatthe brutal slavery
Of two hundred years should not Be followed
by some consequences which arc disagreesole
70 their former mAEtert.- And what are all the
sufIsringS and the eYils resulting from mlsgov-
ornmenf By the negroes In GlI the Southern
States combined, compared with the intoler-
able sufpringS and hGrdships resulting from
the institution Of slavery for even one short
month"; But the negro Of the South IL improv-
ing rapidly, and Il everywhere distinguished
for his desire 70 get an education. Even the
old are learning % read and write, and All are
anxious for the education OF their children.
In the State of South Carolina, in which the
negro population is 80 largely In the ascendant,
and over which there is so much Democratic
grooming, they have to-day better system Of
schools than IN most Southern States.
A PERSONAL ARRAIsNNEST.
The resolution in the Democratic platform
which / am considering says: ave view with
adherence this attempt on the part Of the
Federal Government 70 take control Of all the
schools, colleges, churches, hotels, railroads,
steamboats,, theatres and grayeyards, Tor the
purpose Of estsblishing negro equality and en-
forcing It under enormous penalties of fines,
damages and imprisonment. We arraign seu-
ators Morton and Pratt before the people Of
Indiana for their votes In favor Of this atrocous
measure, and We shall AK for Judgment
against them at the hands Of their constituents
whom they have misrepresented."
! 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 Indiana. The bill
does not "attempt 10 take control Of ell the
schools, colleges, churches, hotels, railroads,
theatres and gtaveyards" on the
part Of the Government Of the United States,
but leaves that control precisely where It is
now, Il simply makes Il penal offence 70 de-
priYe the negro Of his eqnal enjoyment Of these
Institutions because Of bis race and color.
The provision Of the civil rights bill In regard
70 schools e IN these words: 'That all persons
within the Jurisdiction Of the United States
shall Be entitled to the full and equal enjoy
ment orthe accommodations, advantages, IA
ciitieS and privileges Of common
benevolence supported In whole or In part By
general taxation"
Il wflI Be perceived that II eolored children
receive the full and equal enjoyment Of the
system, Il is Q compliance with
this act, and that tho act goes no farther than
10 secure to colored children the equal benefit
Of the schools, and the control Of these schools
Il LEFT 10 the local authorities; bat where they
are deprived Of these equal benefits, punishing
by appropriate penalties those officers or per-
sons BY whom they are 90 deprived.
CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE CONSTITUTIONS OF IN
DIANA.
ment 70 the Constitution Of the United States
Is In these words:
Gan persons born or nGturalized In the UNI
ted States, and subject to The Jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens Of the United States and
Of the State wherein they reside"
This provision places the children OF colored
personS born In the United States expressly
within the operation Of the drst section Of the
eighth article Of the constitution Of indiana,
which e In these words;
knowledge and learning generally diffused
throughout the community being essential TO
the preservation Of free government, II shall
be the duty Of the General Assembly to en-
courage by all suitable means moral, intellec-
tuAl, scientific and agricultural improvement,
and TO provide by law for general and uni
form system Of common schools, wherein tut
ton shall be without charge and equally open
to all"
It WIN be seen that this provision Of the con.
Stitution Of Indiana is even more explicit than
the civil rights bill, and declares In terms not
TO be misunderstood that the General Assem-
bly, shall provide by law for . general and
uniform system of common schools, wherein
tuition shall be without charge and
equally open TO all. Now, viii these gentle
men who have arraigned Senator Pratt and
myself show how the eolored children Of In
diana can be kept out Of the common schools
without violation Of the constitution Of the
STATED
DECISION OF AN INDIANA COURT.
In q recent case brought by 4 eolored man
against the school officers Of Lawrence town.
ship, Marion county, fof excluding bis children
from the public school, the Superior Court Of
Marion county decided that under the opera
ton Of the first section Of the eighth article Of
the constitution Of Indiana coiored children
had equal rights with white In the public
schools, and could not be excluded from their
equal benefit and enjoyment. The decision
was made by Judge Perkins, distinguished
member Of the Democratic party, and for
many years upon the bench Of the Supreme
Court.
The old bugbear Of social equality, which
has 90 often done service IN the cause of tho
Democracy, Is again paraded to alright the
souls Of those who 90 not feel entirely conf
dent Of their social position. How often were
we told that II slavery were abolished, there
would be social equality between the races; and
then how solemnly was It declared from every
stump In Indiana that If negroes were admitted
10 the right Of suffrage, social equality would
be ineyftahlel Well these dreadful eontin-