The weekly Louisianian., 1874-06-06

scnts, etc.-0ther Items Of haleres
Mr.. ED1ron-
i Your correspondent in his last lette
' stated that the Civil Rights Bill woul,
( not pass, and from indications at th
5 time of writing was quite right in hi
conclusions. Since then, however
the Republican Senators have held
; caucus, and decided to pass the bill
In accordance with the decision of tht
caucus, Wednesday, on motion of Sen
ator Frelinghuysen, the Senate pro
ceeded to the consideration of the bill
by a vote of 81 yeas to 13 nays-a
strict party vote. Senator Flanagan,
of Texas, opened the debate in hui
morous speech Of two hours, amusing
the galleries by alluding to Senator
Norwood, of Georgia, of whom he
said, that flies could not stay on the
Senator'S head, because there was no
footing-the Senator's head being
bald.
Mr.. Pratt, of Indiana, read an argu~
ment in favor of the bill, and justified
the severe penalties which it provided.
He said the bill did not compel mixed
schools where the colored people were
numerous enough to have separate
schools. The opposition to the bill
was founded entirely on prejudice, and
its passage would annihilate that pre-
judice.
MIR. Thurman, of Ohio, said the bill
was grossly unconstitutional It did
not commend itself, he was satisfied,
to at least one-half of those who would
vote for it, and the only object Of its
passage was to retain the 800, 900 negro
votes which were vitally essential to
the Republican party. He pointed
out st some length, what he considered
the constitutional objections to the
bill. He predicted that it's passage
would result in destroying the entire
common school system OF the South,
whereby one million colored children
would be deprived of education.
There was one remarkable feature in
the speech. The Senator quoted from
a letter written Ey W. B. Derrick, a
colored minister Of Richmond, pro-
testing against the adoption of the pro-
vision in the bill which provides for
mixed schools-declaring further that
;hc prejudices of two hundred years
could not bewiped out in a single day.
)f course, Senator Thurman comph-
nented the imam and brother" !" say
ng, among other things, that Mr.. /
Derrick had sagacity enough to look
n the future and see the evil conse- }
[uences which 2ust follow, if this bill +
hould become a law. The Senate
hen adjourned until Thursday. |
On Thursday, Mr.. Johnston, of Va, n
ddressed the Senate in opposition to
ne bill. He said so far from annihi- p
ting prejudice, Us had been claimed ri
would cnly increase it. "
Mr.. Morton replied to the argument al
lade by Mr.. Thurman. He claimed "
lat the bill was constitutional, and D
as only carrying out the great objec4 =
the fourteenth amendment. The te
;ates could establish common schools
not, as they pleased, but when once
tablished they could make no exclu- ~
IN on account of color. Mr.. Bout ~
IL, of Mass, said in the common - -
hoole children were taught the re- n n
irements and conditions of life, ~
lich could not be gained afterward. - :.
II this reason he advocated mixed -
lools, and thought it would be in ~. ~
, highest degree inexpedient to per- ~ ~
separate schools. The doctrine of ~
,ality could be taught in the public -. ~
ools. which was the chief means to .:
ure the perpetuity Of Republican II
titutions. Mr.. Stockton, Of New ~ ~
sey, predicted that the saddest Of a. a.
sequences would flow from the pas - -
q of this bill. It was not bill for 49, 49,,
lal rights, but unequal rights, as it vi,
, the black man above the white ~, 80
n. Human nature had borne all it
Id bear no more. '1s
lr. Howe, Of Wisconsin, argued at h
9Th on the constitutionality of the -,
). As the Constitution read now, 80
did not see how any one, lawyer or VIII
man, could pretend that Congress ion
oVerstepping its power in passing Is da'
, bill He did not know but what RI r,
passage would break mp the common vii
oooh. Every stepty ! Of this terrible tw'
rch had been met with threat. but an; an;
Justice be done, though the COM Aa1
q schools and the heavens fall. In sid