New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-04

to sit here, go into the gallery or into the
street" now, ask, can such minister ba
taken as n judge of civil rights? He whose
calling obligates him to extend religious
equality to every one, and who neglects his
duty in this respect, is surely poor adviser
in those matters which belong more espe-
cialy to the State.
have for DR.. Sears the very highest 70.
gard, but think him greatly mistaken in his
view of what will result if the mxed-school
! feature of the civil rights bill becomes n law
! DR.. Sears has an extensive acquaintance with
men and things in the South but his acauaint
arce is known to be confined chiefly to those
who in war times were known as rebels, and
need not wait long for the answer that
would come to the question, Are they the
best fitted to give advice touching the civil
rights bill?" If mistake not, he made more
| than one visit to Louisiana while was s,lper
intendent of public schools, and know that
| his advisers there were chiefly of the class
who hate the equality of the negro in any
shape: And throughout the South, by far
| the largest portion of the Peabody fund i
applied by DR.. Sears in the interest of the
whites to the exclusion of the blacks. On
the question Of mixed schools, as proposed
bv the civil rights bill, [ claim that Dr. Sears
has had no such experience as would enable
him to give an intelligent opinion. | have
seen the matter tested under the worst cir
cumstances, and without dctrment to the
cause of education. In the year 1872, in my
report to the General Assembly of Louis.
lana. wrote as follows on the subject of
mixed schools:
at is with pleasure that | refer to the re-
mOval of those apprchensiOns which existed
| in some minds in regard to the effects to be-
produced by a faithful adherence to that re-
quirement of the constitution which provide,
that no child shall be excluded from th.
public schools al the State by reason of race.
color, previous condition Of servitude
| The right thus bestowed By the highest law
Of the State, and recognized by every school
act passed s1nce the adoption OF the con4ti-
tuition, has been indicated with such prudent
llrmness as to be no longer questioned. This
final settlement of the principle, this general
Acknowledgement of the right, has been at
tended by such moderation i'll its exercise on
the part of those most interested as to eilcc-
tualy rebuke the passionate denunciations
of the malcontcnts who predicted the disor-
ganization or destruction OF the public school
system if this right were needed. In many
of the schools white and cOlorcd pupils NAV
be seen together, and where this exists, il
| is not too much to say that the latter are
treated with greater kindness by their fellow
pupils than, under similar circumstances.
they would be in many Northern cities"
|
the City Hall in New Orleans. on June >,
1871, said, concerning the intense feeling
then existing in the city on the question OF
mixed schools:
81 have not ignored the existence of a
strong local prejudice in this community
against our school system. do not now
ignore it. | have always recognized it. and
now recognize it. | consider it the bust
ness of others to be governed by their preiu-
dces if they see fit, bat do not propose to
make their pre- iudices the rule OF my conduct
AS an officer, | have taken an oath, IL.
obligations of which rise higher than prer
| dice. This oath governs me in the Discharge
of my official duties. | took it voluntarily
| 1t obligated Inc to enforce the constitution
and law of the State, and to discharge my
duty to the best of my ability. | have not
swerved from my legal duty thus far, nor do
| intend to do so in the future. Gradually,
| the people are recovering from their preiu.
dices. The difficulty growing out Of the legal
requirements to- admit colored children to
any of our schools on an equality with the
whites, is one which has taxed my conscience
and my judgment to the utmost. Often have
l been tempted TO yield to the popular camor
against mixed schools. Often have | been
pointed to my interests at war with my con-
victions but preferred the rule of my con-
science to that of my pocket, and the result
is gratifying to me. The principle involved
has been rigidly observed. My oath of office
has not been violated. The law has been
enforced. The schools have not been dtr
strOyed. Justice has triumphed, and to-day
the schools, though open to all, rega
of color, are in a more Ourishing con
than before we took charge of them
! The remarks oI Senator Brownluw
surprising to me as those of Drs. Jetc
Sears. All are clcrgymen, but Mr.. Brown
| low claims to be a statesman rs well as Il
clergyman, and Judging him by some bold
utterances which | heard from his lips in the
| Philadelphia Convention in 1866, REGARDING
the rights of the citizen, it mattered not as
| to his color, | am astonshed ut what hear
of him now. But his views does not change
the right or wrong of the matter, nor does
| the opinion Of anybody. The subject is one
| well worthy Of discussion and | have taken
it up in my way OF thinking, but with malice
toward none.
When | was a boy, | went to schOo: with
colored children in Massachusetts, without
being made worse for it. think know men
who oppose the civil rights bill because they
hate social equality, and whose children, by
| black women, l supported OFT of the Govern
ment store. house while | was commissioner
of the Freedman's Bureau in Louisiana.
Black children are found playing with white
ones everywhere i'll the South white men,
Democrats, too, are often found in that sec
ton living with black women servants, that
are colored, are in nearly every house down
there and colored men are ON the iuries,
and in the Legislatures, with white men, and
now how perfectly foolish the objection to
mixed schools, to colored children going to
schools with white ones.
Did 1t ever occur to DR.. Jeter, or to DR..
Sears, or to Senator Brownlow, that it is
best for all concerned that the contro-
versy growing out of slavery be ended?
Did they ever think that the only sure way
to end it is to grant the colored citizen per-
feet equality: Did these gentlemen ever
think that out of the four millions of colored
people there will spring an army of aeitators
who will never give the nation rest till the
denied rights are fully accorded:
The South cannot afford to have this angry
dispute over denied rights prolonged. 1t is
better to pass the bill and bury the Ratchet
which has SO long been raised over the heads
OF our colored fellow citizens.
Respectfully,
THOMAS W. CONWAY.