Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-04-03
THE WRONG FOOT In THE TRAP.

R,tlar asserts that she civil rights
hull coufers upon the negro no righ
which he did not before possess, at
common law; but it was necessary LOT
Congress and the President to usurp
the authority to make the denial OF
those rights penal ofense, tor the
better protection of the Radical pollt-
zeal pets. Under the common law the
presumption was that every citizen had
a right to apply at hotels for accommo-
dation; under the same law, 1t was
equally we'll settled that landlords and
propr:etors of places of amusement had
the privilege Of admitting. or excluding
applicants as might seem best LOT
their individual interests. The Offense,
if any, was not penal, if redress were
sought it could only be obtained
through civil suit in State court and
the award of jury of the vicinage. The
control of all such matters was with
held from the federal government and
reserved to the States, therefore the at
tempt on the part of the federal
authorities to assume control OF pure
" State matters is unconstitutional
and a gross act Of usurpation.
So great, however, was the desire oil
the Radical faction to insult and OPP
press the South, that they disregarded
every consideration of right and JUS
tice and affixed penalties to acts not
penal under the common law, and, II
penal, coming solely under State Juris'
diction. All this was designed to ere
ate permanent race hotilities, and offer
ing a premium of $500 to any negro
who will force himself into social con
tact with white men in places OF public
resort. But in this. the Radicals over
reached themselves; they added there
byto the oidium they have so longand s
often merited by their grossly corrup
abuse of power. So far as cases hav
grown out of Summers legacy, It'll tn
negro who has put his foot in the ira
set to catch white men. The convlc
ton that the law is uncOnstitutlona
has confirmed the determination, o
the part of the whites, to bear wit
patience, the aggressive impudensI
the worst class of negroes, and tch
the game of civil strife upon, so
Grant and his Radical staff term
confidently, for winning
and ultimate empire. inst con-
Whilst the conspiratoT sappoint-
stitutional lihn,+, are ttrumn card
ed in the dignity of tbb egrc AGENTS
What are Their deluS hes t A. as onn
likely tG tG he" rbi1 s9lt the consequent
tempt empIoym by which they
lght make an bzst living. The ne
gro who pushes nself into hotel, or
the dress circle theatre, will find
himself spotteDy every white person
present, and :. hat extent, forfeits good
will and chgees for finding profitable
employmer Five hundred dollars
for the diphy of brazen impudence is
a tempting prize, but whilst the cost
of the tcSet will not be scaled, the
prize vii be until there is none Of it
left. There may be few cases of an
noyance, but not single instance, in
this State, Of a recovery of the reward
offered to the negro for making fool
of himself for the benefit of his Rad
zeal master. We desire to see the
colored citizens improving in morals,
in intelligence and material prosperity,
and the two races living together in
harmony and mutually aiding each
other. But these things can not be so
long as the negros work against the
whites and do the dirty work of
party that has no other use for them
than to vote them and make them the
architects of the ruin of the South
and of themselves along with it. Civ
il rights will prove a delUsion and
snare-as law, dead letter-intend-
ed as a blow at the whites, its force
will be expended upon the blacks
whose social and industrial advantages
will be seriously damaged thereby,
unless they see and avoid the trap.