Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-06-09
From tie Knoxville Press 4 Herald.
BROWNLOW
AGAIN On CTVEL RIGHTS.
Senator BrOWnlOw Answers the
Reverend Bartlett.

MEEsRS. EDITORS. - wish, through
your columns, to reply to an attack
made upon nIe in public address be
fore q large audience of all parties at
our neigh boring town of MaryvIlle.
The address to which / refer, was
delivered by the Rev. D. NJ. Bartlett,
ID. d., of Maryville College. For the
information OF my friends at distance,
who have not the honor of knowing
Mr.. Bartlett, or the character of his
school, ! will say that he is a Presby-
terrain clergyman, and that his college
is a mixed school, where the whites
ana blacks are educated together
[ have no personal feeling against
Mr. Bartlett, and will say that | have
always heard that his College was in a
1ourishing condition, and that he was
Jealous and capable Instructor.
Mr.. Bartlett's school is mixed, but
it is private school, and those patton
izing it are only exercising the rights
which the people of the South
claim for themselves; that is, local
self-government and freedom from
Federal Intervention in the admins
tratiOn of purely local and domestic
concerns. The white people who send
their children to Maryville College, do
it voluntarily, and because they have
no objection To the co-education of
the races. Now | should be utterly
opposed to any act of Congress which
would prevent this. People of all
c,asses ought to be left free to select
Their own associations. What | OBJ
iect to i'm Mr.. Bartlett, is that he is un
willing TO accord to others the same
t1h tn III
and the patrons of his school. He il a
representative Of Snail class of white
men in Tennessee, who may be prop
erly termed Regro-tC0rShlDPers. They
are not content that the negroes and
whites should be educated together
where they desire it, or that they
should have equal educational facili-
ties in separate schools, but they want
the civil rights bill passed so that all
white people shall be compelled to
ADOPT this mode of education, or be
taxed TO support it, whether they
adopt il or not. This civil rights bill
treats the black race as superior to the
white, and gives 1t superior privileges.
The New York Times sustains this
view of the case, and, as the leading
organ of the National Republican par
Nv, IL expresses the Views VI LuuuictiS
Of thousands of Republican readers.
I quote from the Times of but few
days ago. IN its issue Of May 9th, it
says:
Nobody would think'for moment
of making such law as the one now
proposed, for the benefit of the Irish |
or German immigrant, and it is not |
singular that the popular sense of jus
tice, which is always in advance of |
that of legislators, should be already |
asking why the negro should be thus |
favored. If it is intended To |
break down social prejadices it will
prove futile, for these are and ever
have been beyond the reach of legal |
If it is designed to give |
the negroes rights which are not ac-
corded to other classes or citizens. 1T |
will be equally dead letter, for the
people will not tolerate any distinc-
tions in the law or against any class.
This bill is in fact, distinction against
all classes except the negroes, and as
such it is sure to meet with general /
If it is accepted as Re
publican measure, the party is sure to
suffer from it. This fact was very /
clearly recognized during the lifetime
of Senator Sumner, and we do not see |
that his death has made any difference
in the case"