The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-04-10
9onalosonbille Gbief.
Three Dollars Year.

Three Dollars Year.
Gen. Butler on the Civil Rights
Bill.
Hon. B. F. Butler has addressed
the following letter to Robert Harlan,
Esq, an eminent colored citizen of
Cincinnati;
WASHINGTON, March 18th, 1875.
SIR have the pleasure to ac-
knowledge receipt Of yours of the
fourteenth, containing expressions Of
appreciation Of my efforts in behalf
of the civil rights bill, for which ac-
cept my thanks. You further ask !:
"Wiil: You be kind enough to inform
me II cdlored men are entitled to the
privileges Of saloons and barber shops
under tts provisions Z"
To this'1 answer: l understand by
saloons" you mean drinking saloons
and am happy to say that the civil
rights bill DIES not give any right to
colored man to 60 into a drinking
saloon without the leave of the pro-
'prietor, and am very glad that it does
not. am willing to concede, as a
friend to the 'colored man, that the
white race may have at least this one
superior privilege to the coIored man,
that they eau drink in bar rooms and
saloons, and never shall do any thing
t., interfere with the exercise Of that
high and distinctive privilege. /
would not advocate bill which should
give that right to the eolored man.
If were to vote for any bill on this
subject at all, it would be one to keep
the colOred man out Of the drinking
saloons; and hope no bar keeper
will ever let a colored man have
glass of liquor at any bar open for
drinking. Indeed, l should be glad,
whenever colored man should 20
into drinking saloon for the purpose
of drinking at the bar, if somebody
would at once take him and put him
out, doing him as little injury as pos
,sible. He could do the colored man
no greater kindness.
AS to the other branch of your ques-
ton, in reference to barber shops, let
let me sag that the trade of barber
is like any other trade, to be carried
on by the man who is engaged in it
at his own will and pleasure, and the
civil rights bill has nothing to do, and
was intended to have nothing to do.
with its exercise A barber has q right
to shave whom he pleases, as much as
3 jewe]er has a right to repair a watch
for whom he pleases, or a blacksmith
to shoe such eolored horses as he
pleases. il Other words, these are
not public employments, but private
businesses, in which >tlle law does not
interfere. 8
From time immemorial all men have
had equal rights at the common law
in places Of public amusement, in pub
lie conveyances and in inns, or licensed
taverns, because all such business was
for the public under special privileges
granted by the government. The
theatre and like public amusements
were licensed by the public authori-
ties and protected by the police. The
public conyeyances used the kings
highway. The public inn had the
special privilege of lien or claim
upon the baggage or other property
Of any traveller using it for his keep
and if any man was refused. while be-
having himself well and paying his
fare, q seat in any place Of public
amusement, or carriage by public con
veyance, or shelter in a public inn,
he had at common law a right of &C
ton against the party SO refusing.
The civil rights bill only confirms
these rights of all citizens to the col
ored man il consideration of the pre-
judice against him, and an attempt in
certain parts OF the country to inter
fere with the exercise Of those common
law rights, and has enacted a penalty
Us a means Of enforcing the right in
his behalf, in consideration of his
helpless and dependent condition.
The civil rights bill has not altered
the colored mans rights ut all from
what they We're before under the com
mon law, applicable to nearly every
State III the Union. It has only given
HIM greater power to enforce that
right, to meet the exigency Of com
bined effort to deprive colored citizens
OF it, and all idea that the civil rights
bllr allows tue colored man to. force
himself into 1t, any mans shop, or into
any nhhs private house, or into any
eating house, bo,rdSsg house, or estab-
'llshnfent btller titan those have men
toned, is simply an exhibition of ig-
norance as well as, III some cases, Of
insntferab'e prejudice or malignity. !
And while l would sustain any col
.ored man in firmly ard properly in
sisting upon his rights under the civil
rights bill, which were his at common
law, as they We're the right of every |
citizen, yet l should oplaAse to the ut
most of my power any attempt on the
part of the colorel laea to use the
civil ri gifts bill as pretense to inter
fere with the private business Of pri-
waite parties. It is beneath the dignity
OF any colored man SO to do, and all
acts, Hnch as shutting him ont from