The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-15
THE CIVIL RIGHTS CASE.
New ORLEANS, May IA, 1874.

NEW ORLEANS, May IA, 1874.
Editors New Orleans Bulletin;
| Under head of Court Items" the Repub
lican newspaper of to-day, thinking that il
had at last discovered one of Judge Lynch's
rulings that would stand the test Of inves.
CATION, endeavors to uphold it by referring
| to false rumOr in regard to the finding Of the
several members of the jury which didn't
agree in the ClermOnt case, and by mis-
stating and abusing the position of one OF
them, who Oike all reasonable people OF
Louisiana and three-fourths of the people OF
these United States) had and has very Sc
riOus doubts about the cOnstitutiOnality OF
such act or acts Of the Louisiana Legisla-
ture as the civil rights bill ESQ miscalled),
to enforce the constitutional provision that
all men are free and equal, have equal
rights, etc.
By the merest accident the article men
toned is brought to my notice, and although,
except for this notice Of it might not be no
ticed by anybody worth mentioning, and
upon its merits, it is worth exactly the ac-
tual amount Of damages suffered by all
these civil rights plaintiffs, i. e., that math-
ematical understanding. Yet, there is
some qualification in knowing that upon it's
face it disclOses its incentive, namely, the
keen disappointment, through failure to OBJ
tain, by the artfulest kind of lodges small
verdict for plaintiff at the hands Of citizens
Of New Orleans who had and have too
" conscientious regard for the sanctity of
an oath" to perjure themselves 10y giving a
,crong verdict, and thus aiding to wrong a
defendant who had done no wrong.
The Republican gives out the idea that
the jury would have agreed to small ver-
dict for plaintiff, were it not for the nonsen
steal constitutional Obstinacy ESQ inferred) of
one of them, which is exactly the reverse Of
the truth.
The sense of the jury was taken several
times by the foreman, and at no time was
there any such position as eleven for plain
tiff and one for defendant.
On the contrary, it was well understood
in the jnry-rOom that the verdict stood only
three for plaintiff and nine for defendant,
as far as the merits of the case are concerned.
A fallacious idea was started however, and
humorously argued, that a compromise to
the pecuniary and physical advantage of all
parties might possibly be arrived at by
allowing damages at a nominal figure.
But the constitutional Objector was not
al"nOin his conviction that any verdict at
all for plaintiff was wrong, not only by rea-
son OF its very absurdity and by the evil
dence in the case, b ut by all law and Con-
situations. United States, civil or otherwise
All the laws, both State and United States,
governing the case were read to the jury by
judge and counsel, and the jury were charg-
ed by the judge Cat the instance of defenu-
ants counseD that they the jury were the
sole judges of the law and the evidence.
Now. where does the censure of even the
Republican come in 7
That wOuld-be sarcastic news journal
thinks Judge Lynch was right in saying it
was frutless to detain the jury any longer,
and the jury, approaching his peculiar kind
ness, think that for the first time to the
knowledge of three fourths of them, he was
right.
Again, the Republican thinks he was right
in discharging the whole panel but be that
as it may, he eagerly sought every opportu-
nifty to do SO, not allowing individual jurors
the chance that some Of them wanted to ex-
plain their positions
The Republican advises that "less preiu-
dice and conceit would have made better
juror and better citizen" but citizens of
New Orleans may find advisers who have
even less prejudice than that newspaper or
that judge, and have way of looking
at this whole civil rights suit business,
which is not satisfactory to the carpet
baGgers and scalawags OF Louisiana.
Congress and the Supreme Court of the
United States will soon define civil rights,
and override all laws and dirty bills obnox-
ious to their finding, or, if they don't soon,
it will be done by some other Congress after
some other election, and these political
scamls here who are even now on their last
legs, know it, and that is just the reason (or
at least one reason) why they are so anxious
to get the people of this city and State to
acqniesce III their mis-doings, and TO hood
wink the colored people into the belief that
they are working in their interests.
As far as the colored race are concerned,
(who allow themselves to be so ptifnlly
pulled aud hauled around by th.ir white
leaders), their rotes are all that are wanted
or really considered, and the better informed
colored men are rapidly learning that their
race will never enjoy one half the privileges,
nor reap one-tentn Of the practical benefits
from the whole white people Of the United
States. that they would be freely accorded
without any special laws about it, by the
resident white people Of Louisiana, if they
would only pursue a different course. and
fairly and sqnarely aid the honest white
people of the State. through the next oppor-
tunity, at the ballot-box in ed.eming Louis
lana from her misery, and ending all their
troubles. CONSTITUTIONAL JUROR
The New York Central and Hufson Rail
way Company, on Saturday last, was roD.o..
OF $32. 600 in currency. supposed ny young
man named George Van Veizer, WHO had a
position there as clerk. Tie money Vas