Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-05-29
THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.
. The Radical members Of the Senate
have just committed, as far as was
in the scope of their power one OF
the greatest outrages as wellas blum
ders Of modern legislation. They have at
tempted to do by the mere enactment
Of law, what in older countries. time,
more potent than Law, has in thousand
years failed to do, as if the mere calling OF
ayes and noes on question involving the
prejudice Of centuries-a prejudice SO in
terwoven by Providence with instinct,
that they can be separated in only the
rarest cases, could be smoothed away, or
trampled down, which latter process5is the
one intended for the people of the South
And yet the complaints that come from
the people who are to bear the burden and
shame of this, if it becomes law will hard
ly reach the ears of the drivers, of this last
tremendous engine of oppression and hate
that is to be driven over them. Drunken
with success, bloated with plumber, with
eyes bloodshot with malignant hatred ,stea-
died in their seat by laws passed to suit the
occasion, they have driven over the South
before, a huge moving machine reaping
down liberty, prosperity, and what crop of
patriotism had begun to peepour from
soil burnt hard by the flames of civil war,
and now it proposes with. the broad tires of
its wheels, to roll the whole of our land
down to the dead level of the negro. But,
as we said. our complaints nor our opin
ions are likely to be regarded, and we had
as we'll address ourselves to understanding
what has been done, and what there is that
we can do. Here is the chief section Of
the bill:
Section /. That all citizens and other
persons within the Jurisdiction of the Uni
ted States shall be entitled to the full and
equal enjoyment of the accommodations,
advantages, facilities, and privileges Of
inns, public conveyanceS on land OF water,
theatres and other places of public amuse-
ment, and also of common schools and
public institutions of learning or benevo-
1ence, supported in whole OF in part by
general taxation, and of cemeteries SO sup
ported, and also the institutions known as
agricultural colleges, endowed by the
United States subject only to the condi-
tions and limitations established by law,
and applicable alike to citizens of every
race and color, regardless of any previous
condition Of servitude.
These are the main features of the BILL
The other sections prescribe the mode of
carrying it into effect, and the penalties
for infraction of the law The penalty of
denying 1.-THE full enjoyment, &c., or in
citing such denial, is the payment Of $500
to the party aggrieved for every offence,
and fine of mot more than ST ,OOO," and
Imprisonment for mot more than one
year, and the party aggrieved may recover
by suit Or at common law-the Federal
Courts to have jurisdiction of all cases, to
the exclusion of State Courts. The next
feature of the bill is that intended for the
jury box, but it is hard to see how it can
possibly be carried out, and so we have
some hope that the plan to flood the jury
boxes with ignorance, will fail. This is
the section:
Sec. 4. That no citizen possessing all
other qualifications which are OF may be
provided by law shall be disqualified for
service as grand OF petit juror in any court
of the United States, or of any State, Oh
account Of race, color, or previous condi-
tion of servitude; and any officer or other
person charged with any duty in the selec-
ton or summoning of jurors who shall
exclude or fail to summon any citizen for
the cause aforesaid shall, on conviction
thereof, be deemed guilty Of misdemeano1,
and fined not more than one thousand
dollars.
It will be rather difficult to punish any
officer for neglecting to summon negroes
70. I'LL h. L.
that he has failed to summon him ''for the
cause aforesaid" The next step towards
making this bill law is its passage by the
House, in which there is large majority
in favor of it, but as it is last on the
Speakers list, it will be late in the session
before it is reached. General Butler
moved Monday to suspend the rules, to
take it up at once, but the vote being 153
for, to 81 against taking it up, it failed-;l
two thirds majority being. required to sus-
pend the rule. Of the Republican mem
bers from Virginia, Messrs. Sener, Smith,
and Thomas, voted against suspending the
rule. Only one Northern Republican
voted in the negative, and there were only
four Southern Republicans, besides those
named from Virginia, who voted in the
negative. AS usual, whenever they could
be Of any use, fourteen northern Demo-
cratic members were cut of their seats.
There is a Civil Rights bill originating in
the House which may be reported this
week, and if that is done, it might be hur-
RED to the Senate and thus hasten the
calamity. In the Senate, Mr.. Lewis of
Virginia, voted against the bill, as did
Senator Carpenter of Wisconsin.
After the passage of the Civil Rights
bill in the Senate, Senator Stewart of Ne
vada, offered bill, which was referred,
providing if any State shall fail to maintain
common school system under which all
persons between the ages of five and eigb-
teen years, not incapacitated for the same.
shall receive free of charge such elementary
education as Congress may prescribe.
then Congress shall have power to
establish therein such system, and cause
the same to be maintained at the expense
of such State. This is done to meet the
breaking up of the school system at the
South, consequent upon the mixed schools
of the Civil Rights bill.
THE EPISCOPAL STATE COUNCIL
In another column will be found very
full and readable sketch of the current Of
debate in this body reported, specially for
the VINDICAToR. The Council, by it's