New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-18
through or to reside in any other State for
purposes Of trade or agriculture, professional
pursuits, or otherwise

1t is very clear that the right of locomotio,
without intolerance and everythipp pertain
ing thereto is embraced in this clause an,
every lawyer knows if any white main in ant
oett,m times had been refused first-class pass
age III steamboat or car, who was fire,
from any contagious disease, and was com
peiled TO so on deck OF boat or into bag
Sage-car, ana any accident had happened {,
him while he occupied that place n lawsui
would have followed and DAMAGES woul,
have been given by any jury to the plaintiff
and whether any accident had happene,
or not in the case Ihave referred to. a sui
would have been brought for a denial O
rights, and no one doubts what would hav,
been the verdict. White men had right
then that common carriers were compelled
to respect, and demand the same for tn,
colored men now.
| MIR. Speaker, whether this deduction from
the clause of the Constitution just read wa.
applicable to the negro prior to the adoption
OF the several late amendments to our organ
lc law Is not now question, but that it doe.
apply to nm IN his new relations no inteli
gent man will dispute. Therefore come tt
the national, instead of going to the loca
Legislatures for relief as has been suggested
because the grievance is national and moi
local; because Congress is the law-makne
power OF the Government, whose duty it is
TO see that there be no I'M Just and odious dis
examinations made between its citizens.
| look to the Government i'm the place of the
several States, because it claims my first al
| leSlance, eXacts at my hands strict obedience
to its laws, and because it promises in the
implied contract between every citizen and
the government to protect my life and
property. / have fulfilled my part of the
contract to the extent l have been called
| M ii Al.xA
| through Congress, do likewise. Every day
my life and property are exposed, are left to
the mercy of others, and will be so as long
as every hotel-keeper, railroad conductor,
anu steamboat captain can refuse me with
| lmpunity the accommodations common to
| other travellers. | hold further, if the Gov
eminent cannot secure tO-a citizen his guar.
| anteed rights it ought not to call upon him
| to perform the same duties that are per-
formed by another class of citizens who are
IN the free and full en- joyment of every civil
and political right.
Sir, submit that l am degraded as long
as am denied the public privileges common to
| other men, and that the members of this
House are correspondingly degraded by re-
| cognizing my political equality while occupy
such a humiating position. What singular
attitude for lawmakers Of this great nation
to assume, rather come down to me than
| allow me to go up to them. Sir, did you ever
reflect that this is the only Christian country
where poor, finite man is held responsible
for the crimes of the infinite God whom YOU
profess TO worship? But it is | am held to
answer for the crime of color, when was
not consulted in the matter. Had been
| consulted, and my future fully described, |
| think should have objected to being born
in this gospel land. Tie excuse offered for
1all hic fnl,t, =, A. Al
slider the negro inferior to the white man.
intellectually and morally. This reason
might have been offered and probably ac-
copied as truth some years ago, but no one
now believes him incapable of a high order
OF culture, except some one who is himself
below the average of mankind in natural en-
dowments. This is not the reason as shall
show before l have done.
Sir, there is a cowardIy propensity IN the
human heart that delights in depressing
somebody else, and in the qualification of
this base desire we always select victim
that can be outraged with safety. AS a
general thing the Jew has been the subject
in most parts of the world; but here the
negro is the most available for this purpose :;
for this reason in part he was seized upon,
and not because he is naturally inferior to
any one else. Instead of his enemies be-
lieving him to be incapable of a high order
of mental culture, they have shown that they
believe the reverse to be true, by taking the
most elaborate pains to prevent his develop
ment. And tie smaller the calber of the
white man the more frantically has he fought
to prevent the intellectual and moral progress
of the negro, for the simple but good reason
that he has most to fear from such a result.
He does not wish to see the negro approach
the high moral standard of a man and gen.
tleman.
Let me call your attention TO case in
point. Some time since a well-dressed col
ored man was travelling from Augusta to
Montgomery. The train on which he was
estopped at dinner-house. The crowd
around the depot seeing him well dressed,
fine looking, and polite, concluded he must
be a gentleman, (Which was more than their
righteous souls could stand,) and straight
way they commenced to abuse him. And,
sir, he had to 90 into the baggage car, open
his trunks, show his cards, faro bank, dice,
&C., before they would give him any peace !;
or, in other words, he was forced to give sat
isfactory evidence that he was not man
who was working to elevate the moral and
intellectual standard Of the negro before they
would respect him. l have always found
more prejudice existing in the breasts Of men
who have feeble minds and are conscious of
it, than in the breasts of those who have
towering intellccts and are aware of it..
Henry Ward Beecher reflected the feelings
of the latter class when on a certain occasion
he said: "Turn the negro loose; am not
afraid to run the race OF life with him." He
could afford to say this, all white men can
not but what does the other class say?
"Build Chinese wall between the negro
and the school-house, discourage in him pride
of character and honest ambition, cut him
of from every avenue that leads to the higher
grounds of intelligence and usefulness, and
then challenge him to a contest upon the
highway of life to decide the question of SUI
their words, the civilized world can and will
declarations that L am naturally inferior to
them. No one is surprised that this class
opposes the passage of the civil rights bill,
for if the negro were allowed the same OppOr-
tunities, the same rights Of locomOtiOn, the
same rights to comfort in travel, how could
thew prove themselves better than the ne
gro?
Mr.. Speaker, it was said, believe by the
gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr. Beck,) that
the people of the South, particularly his State,
were willing to accord the cOlOred man all
the rights they believe him guaranteed by the
Constitution. No one doubts this assertion.
But the difficulty is they do not acknowledge
that l am entitled to any rights under the
organic law. / am forced to this conclusion
by reading the platforms of the Democratic
party in the several States. Which one de-
clares that that party believes in the consti-
nationality of the Reconstruction Acts or the
several amendments? But upon the other
hand, they question the constitutiOnality OF
every measure that Is advanced to ameliorate