The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-09-09

ceived judicial Interpretation by a
Democratic Judge and a Judge who
stood high in the Democratic church,
and do not know but that he does
yet. refer to Judge Perkins. who
Tor so many years administered justice
in the Supreme Court Of the State Of
Indian. He is now Judge in. the SUI
perior Court in the city Of Indianapo-
lis. A case came before him as judge,
where trustee had denied to the
children OF our colored citizens equal
rights to the common schools of a
certain township Judge Perkins
read the Fourteenth Amendment.
He read those words / have just read
from the Constitution of the United
States. He read. furthermore, the
acts of So, and he pronounced the
trustee in fault in refusing admission
to the colored children, and ordered
them to be admitted | want to read
to you that law he had before him,
and which is unknown to most Demo-
Gratis; it has been on the statue books
for five years or more, and contem-
plates mixed schools, and provides for
mixed schools, where the children
cannot be separated. Listen while /
read this law, and see if there is any
escape from it. You will say that it
is measure Of Justice, and ought to
be so. l will show you that it is so.
1t is found in volume 3. page 472, sec
ton III. ofthe Revised Statutes of the
State of Indiana: The trustee or
trustees of each township shall organ
ize the co!ored children into separate
schools, having all the rights and
privileges of other schools of the
township; providing there we're not a
sufficient number within attending
distance, the several districts may be
consolidated and form one district.
But if there are not a sufficient num-
Der within a reasonable distance to
be thus consolidated, the trustees
shall provide such other means of ed
ucation for said children as use their
proportion, according to numbers, of
school money to the best advantage"
The School Board of Wabash, Of
which the Hon. ohm u Petit was
member, having this statute before
them, order the admission of the col
ored children into the schools OF Wa
bash. They were incorporated into
them. Applause. And since that
decision was made, and the reason for
it made known, all agitation has ceas-
ed. And when this bill, which has
passed the Senate, shall have passed
the House Of Representatives, it
will as sure as the sun rises-the last
bulkwark of the Democracy will have
passed away. They have been trading
on this capital long enough We
heard until We are sick the Democrat
ic apprehension of social equality be-
ing brought about between the two
races. We had occasion to call upon
this humble race to come and help us,
and they came by thousands-to the
number, 1 believe, of one hundred
thousand-and were clothed with the
martial uniform and arms put into
their hands. And behold! the Dem
ocrats were terribly alarmed lest there
was going to be condition Of social
equality. Did it come? No! very far
from it! The Republican party were
soon abolishing slavery, and then they
were sure it would come. It was the
great argument advanced by the Dem
ocratic party all over the country
against the ratification of the proposed
Thirteenth amendment. But the
amendment was ratified by the peo-
pie three or four years since, and we
have no social equality. The propo-
sition came to advance them to the
rights of citizens of the United States.
You heard the same cry that we had
heard formerly about negro equality
when they should become citizens Of
the United States. The two races
kept just as distinct as before. And
then it was sure to come when the
proposition was submitted to the peo-
: pie that tile colored race should be
admitted to the right of voting. But
although that proposition was ratified
in So or '69 the equality has not come
yet. Indeed since the colored people
have been invested with the rights OF
citizenship, since they have had the
right to marry and own their wives
and children, we have seen good
deal less social equality down Soutl
than prevailed there before. Zap
lause They used in old times t.
have practical illustrations of Demo
cratic notions ofnigger equality. Ap
plause and laughter. | repeat t.
you, my friends, that against this grea
measure OF justice there is nothin.
that can tie opposed, except unreason
ing and unreasonable prejudice Ant
upon not only the score Of justice
not only upon the scores of our con
stitutional obligations to treat thes,
people as citizens ofthc United State s
but upon other excellent grounds. tn,
ground OF gratitude to the people fo
the services they have rendered thei
country, which they had known onl,
by it's expressions; by the services,
say, hich they rendered through tn,
war in putting down the great rebel
lion, when we invited them to JON
with US. This people whom we hav,
treated for two hundred years a
slaves, who have been vexed by tn,
grandest slavery the world ever knew
all under the auspices, too, of our con
stitution. And yet in our extremit,
we called upon them to come over ant
we all learnt to forget a good many o
our prejudices. Let the Democrat
sheer at them on account OF their col
or and the conformation of their fea
lures; yet look ut the question from
higher standpoint. l have no RICH
to indulge in any prejudices, fourdc'
! on mere sense, the sense of sight o
smell. They are not reasonable i
j. they have not a Caucasian heel u
nose. When l was youth [ used t
read the oracles of God at the knee o
my sainted mother. l used to req,
{, the book over once year. ! remem
/, Der pausing long upon the first bool
of Genesis concerning the origin o
man. 1t gave rise to many strang
thoughts. l found there that afte
! God had created the world, the races
/ and all things therein, last Of all h
s created man in his own image, an,
) that he gave him dominion over tn
i earth and over the fish of the sea, an