Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-29
CIVIL RIGHTS.
The Colored Men still CIamorinS for
Equality.
Brownlsw Denounced and Repudiated
foe His Treaehery.
what was Said and Done i'm the Con-
venfiOn YesferdaYl


what was said and Done i'm the Con-
yenfiOE Yesterdays
The ColOred State Convention met yes
terday at noon, and was called to order by
Simeon R. Walker, Chairman of the Exc
cutiye Committee.
Abraham Smith was appointed chairman
pro tenn, and Prince A. Stewart, secretary.
In taking the chair, the former thanked the
Convention for the honor conferred. He
said they knew their freedom was delu-
sion and mockery. IttOok over two eentu-
ries to convince their enemies that human
slavery was wrong, and curse TO both the
slave and the STAKEHOLDER. No government
could prosper that withheld equal rights
from portion of its citizens for no other
reason than that their skins were black. In
all Things they would have to watch their
leaders. 1t would never do for cOlored
men to rally around aiIy set OF men, simply
because they called themselves Republic
cans, and while much might be due to
race, more was due TO humanity. They
should never sacrifice the interest OF
party. While the Republican party had
claim upon the cOlOred mans gratitude,
the claims of gratitude should not out
weigh and overbalance the claims OF
honesty and moral elevation. lie trusted
that their deliberations would be eharac-
terized by wisdom, prudence and patriot
ism, and that their actions would aid and
promote liberty, progress and prosperity in
Tennessee.
John Baugh, of Gibson, CD. Thompson,
of Bedford, and w. B. Scott, Sr., of BlOunt,
were appointed Committee on Creden-
tials.
W. a. H., ,,,,,,,,;f,ao v,-ara ont urenarino
their report, the Convention was addressed
by w. i, Yardly, of Knox. He said that
the Convention had assembled for the pur-
nose of asking Congress and the law
makers of the State such laws as would
give the eolored people the same rights that
were accorded to other citizens. There
were laws in the State that detracted from
the rights Of citizenship on account Of color,
while the great fundamental law of the land
recognized each and every man as equal
before the law. The people of the State, in
their Convention and Legislatures, had
passed laws that took from the colOred
people the rights that properly belonged to
them by the laws of God and should
belong to them by the laws OF
man. The act passed for the
enforcement of the 18th, 18th and 18th
amendments to the United States Consti-
tuition had been disiegarded. The civil
rights bill passed By Congress guaranteed
| To them and all citizens the right to do
VIVA. they pleased, so long as they did not
Infrj,,e unoT TN -,ohts OF their neighbors.
Tbs 14th amendment to the Constitution
recognized all persons born in tIEe OhlIeu
States as citizens thereof. The civil r1gl.us
bill guaranteed to them the righl to make
and enforce contracts, and that no stats
| law should take from them that right on
! account of color, race or previous condition
/ notwithstanding all this, the citizens OF the
| State Tennessee, in cOnyention assembled,
| i'm February, 1870, passed law that was
in direct conflic. with the letter and spirit
| of the fundamental law Of the Government.
II excluded their children from the public
| schools on account Of their color, and made
il a penalty for one to marry another VINO
hapDaned 10 be a different color. Ihey
| could 60 even among the heathens, and
fail to find such abUInBiable laws as were
found in the statute books Of America
Colored men had been sent to the peIiltentia-
nv for marrying white woman lie was net
there to advocate the cOmeingling oil the
races, but when such laws were passed by
the state and enforced by its officers, II
was utterly CONTRARY 20 all laws OF humane
tv and detTacted from them their rights a
citizens. There was bill pending In Con-
| greSs giving to them all the rights OF Amer
lean citizens. They were called on TO ex-
press their opinion as to whether or not
they desired those rights. u bad been as
serted by gentlemen in authority thai the
| colored men i'm Tennessee did not wait
them: b At he would say that they did want
| all the rights that all other citizens in Ten
nessee had eniOyed. IL had been said that
if the negroes were granted these rights they
would ATTEMPT to march into the parlOTs OF
the white people. The same subtertuge
was used against the cOlOred people when
they were about to be freed. The peniten-
tiarv was almost filed with their people on
account of the inviduOuS distinctions made
: IN the selection of iuries. When the Civil
: RIGHTS Bill should pass, thiTgs would
. change wonderfully. When one OF them
wished to travel on the cars and desired to
take along one of the female members OF
, his family. he would not he compelled to
: | take her where she would hear nothing but
: obscene and vulgar language and be
, smoked to death in the SmOking-car. Anc
when they desired to eat meal they would
: not be compelled to 60 into the kitchen
and eat off of the block where the steal
was beat. And when they wanted to go Il
A place of amusement they could SIT any
where in the building, and not be proppet
mn where nothing but the word ''nigger
. could be heard. He would never vote FOL
: any man who had voted against measure
: giving him the enjoyment Of rights tina
! other citizens had, simply because 1t please'
the Divine Creator to make his haira llttl
, | shorter and his skin blacker than his, he h'
: A Republican of the deepest dye, or be M
a a Democrat who believed in the simples
form of democracy. II was only in America
: CHE land of the free and the home OF tn
brave" where the negro was 0straclse
simply on account of his color. But whs
they wanted now was to be good law-a0ld
: ing citizens and make themselves wort
y 5000 to their Government, when the
: were worth only 81 ,OO0to their former owl
|, ers. By a proper incubation OF MANHOOD
:, and by conducting themselves properly
y they would soon see that natural antlpalh,
- as the social scientists termed II, grad'
- ally pass pass away. There had pee
: Something said in his section OF u
y State about this convention having bee
called for the purpose of trying to alienat
Z. the colOred vote from the Republican part,
He repeated the sentiments OF nine-tenti
of the colored men of East Tennessee vine
he said that they did not want to do an
such thing. They did not want to lea'
the marty for what a few individuals hs
3. - Jc srcb was the desire Of tn