Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-01-13
CIVIL-RIGHTS BILL.
Letter From the Hon. j. Amber
Smith.

The following is copy of a letter
from the Hon. j. Amber Smith in
answer to one whose purport is eX-
planned in the opening sentence of
Mr.. Smiths reply:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 8 1874.
Jfr. j. H. IerriU, and others:
Dear SirS.-l am iii receipt of yours
of the ID instant asking that l lend
my influence to the passage of the civ
il-rights bill now before tie House.
For five years have lahored to Sc
cure to your people their legal rights,
but | am not willing to vote fol bill
to force coIOred children into schools
and colleges intended for white chill
dren, or, Uice UerS0, white children i'll
to schools and colleges intended for
colored children for TWO reasons viz:
First. Because it will bring about
strife betW cen the white and black ra-
ces, ut least in my district, in which
your race viii suffer more tEan mine,
because it is the weaker.
Secondly. 1t will destroy the pres
en- school system of our state, which
Is in my opinion doing much to pre-
pare the colored man for an intelli-
gent use of the elective franchise.
The Constitution of this country de-
clares that all men are born tree and
equal, and the laws make no diStinc-
ton on account o. race ofprevious con-
dition. 1t sccms to me that our people,
both white and black, bad better be
satisfied with this, and let ell purely
social questions regulate themselves.
Bills like the present civil-rights bill
do more 10 keep up the i'll will be-
tween the aces than all else combined :;
and if one Is PASSED, who is benefited ?
No one. The vanity of a few cOlored
men will be gratitied at cost of nine
ty-nine out of the hundred of your
race. Inasmuch as l believe the pas
srge of this bill will injure the great
majority OF the colored people of Rich
mOmd, the suffering will be small as
com pared to the poor cOlored PEOPLE of
the country who are endeavoring to
educate their children at the public
schools. These people are 200 poor to
send their children to pay schools, and
if the public schools are dispensed
with, then these children will have to
go without schooling, and will of ne
cessity grow up uneducated, and suffer
as their parents have done before them.
conceive the question of education
to be of much greater Importance TO
the colored man of Virginia. than the
abstract question as to whether the ra-
ces shall go to school in the same
rhoolroon, eat at the same first-ci&ss
he eel, or sheep in the same sleeping-car
-thl two last luXuries that not one
out eve~v thousand of our colored peo-
pie could or would enjoy if allowable.
r = fn hn
dition of our colored people improved
in every possible way. cannot re-
frain here from saying that much of
the trouble in our State has been caused
by designing mel IN Doth of the great
political parties year after year the
question of cnlor-a question which,
for the good of both races, should new
er he raised.
/ trust that the temperate views en-
pressed in Governor Kemper's ines
sage are but the forerunner of am era Of
good feeling between the races in Vir-
GINA such az has not been known in
this country, and that hereafter, when
trouble arises between white and black.
that the only question asked shall be
who is wright? l believe if nothing is
done to excite i'll will between the ra-
ces that in twelve months the colored
people of Virginia will have more
more rights and privileges than those
i'm any other State. / have always be-
lieved that when intelligent Virgin
ians had chance to free themselves
from the passions raised and famed by
the political strifes of the last few years
that none would be more willing to do
even an exact justice to the cOlored
man than they, and none would be
more anxious to secure them in all
their rights of citizenship.
Truly your.
J, AMBLER SMITH.