Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-29
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL
EQUALITY-DO II EY MEAN
THE SAME THING

CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCI A l.
EQUALlTY-DO THEY MEAN
THE SAME THINGa
We publish this morning some docu-
ments that answer this question une-
auivocally so far as the leading ne
eroes in North Carolina are concerned.
Heretofore white Radicals in this
State have denied that ''civil rights
and social equality meant one and the
same thing and asserted that in point
of fact the negro no more desired
social intercourse between the races
than did the white man. Nor did the
negroes, with here and there an ex-
cept:on, deny the assertions OF their
white brethren Not knowing their
strength they were simply bidlng their
time. That time has, i'll the opinion
of the negroes, fully arrived and they
are claiming and exercising not only
the right to vote and the right to hold
office, but they are openly and boldly
asserting their right to the common
enjoyment with white men and white
women all other rights and privileges.
Wherever white men and white wo-
men 90, there too must negro men and
negro women go. This is the whole
thing in a nutshell, in support OF
which we publish the following docu-
ments taken from the records Of the
two Houses of the last General Assem-
bly,:
The following bill was introduced
into the Lower House of the Legisla-
ture on the Dist of November, 1873, by
E. r. Dudley, the colored representa-
tive from Newbern, described IN the
Journal blouse Bill No. 30":.
| 4 BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO Sc
! CURE EQUAL RIGHTS TO THE CITIZENS
| or NORTH CAROLINA.
Section l, The General Assembly OF
North Carolina do enact, That 1t shall
not be lawful for any person or persons
keeping hotels or boarding houses, or
for any captain or agents OF any steam
boat, steamship, vessel or railroad
company, or for any agents or mana
gers of any theatre, circus or menag
RE to make any discrimination Ill the
sale of tickets to any person on account
of race or color.
Sec. 9. That all hotels, boarding
houses, steamboats,, vessels, railroads,
cars and theatres, circuses, musical
entertainments and menageries, shall
be opened alike to all citizens of this
State for accommodation and comfort
without hiudrance or mClestation.
Sec. ;. That if any person or per
sons shall, knowingly, violate any part
Of the preceding sections or refuse t6
admit any person into the above named
places, on account OF his race or color
the same shall be deemed guilty of {
misdemeanor, and on conviction be
fore any Superior Court Of this State
he or they snail be fined not more thar
five hundred dollars or imprisoned il
the States Prison, in the discretion o.
the Courts.
Sec. 4. That this act shall be in force
from and after its ratification.
And again on the 1Ttn Of January
1874, the views OF the negroes gere
plainly shown. The following lesolU
ton was before the House, towit:
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED PRoTES.
AGAINST THE PASSAGE OF THE CIyI!
RiaiiT}: BILL By CONGRESS.
Res0}rcd, That the General Assem-
bly of = Orth Carolina DO most earnest
" and respectfully petition the Con
gress of the U tied States not to pas
the bill now pending in the House o
Representatives. known as the Sup
Elementary Civil Rights Bill, believ
ing as we 10 that the INN ediate effect
OF such law would be the suppression
of our public schools for both whit
and colored: the closing - many O
our houses of worship; the ruin Of o,'
landlords and hotel proprietors, a
we'll as the thorough demoralizat;ol
o. oifr society and the cause of bite
strife between the two races. From
thorough knowledgs of the situatio
we are satisfied that t..e bill Won!
operate most disasterousiy TO et,f oes
interest, and therefore we prefer tlli
orr petition.
When the vote was taken it appeare
that every negro member voting, wit
a single exception, vota9 against tn
resolution.
In the Senate the following resolu
tions were introduced by Eppes, th
colored Senator from Halifax, on 3r
December, 1873, and were voted TO
by every colored Senator present, q
appears from the Senate Journal. TIL
resolutions are called "Senate Resolu
tions No. 1885," and read as follows:
: RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING PASSAGE o
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL BY CONGRESS
Rcsolced, By the Senate o. Mort
Carolina, the House of Representative
concurring, that our members of Con
gresc and Senators be and they ar
hereby respectfully requested to Civ
| their encouragement, influence an,
support to the passage CT G Civi
Rights Bill similar in kind to tie on
introduced by the Honorable Charlie
Sumner in the Senate of the Unite,
States.
ReSolrcd, That copy of these reso
lutions be forwarded to our Senator
and Representative in each house O
Congress.
CAPT. W. e. II. BELL,
We have already noticed that Captain
W. Il. r. Bell, Of Carteret has beel