The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-03-16
A SOUTHERN OPINION.


The Civil Rights Rll In Virginia.
The Richmond CVaO DiPaieh does not
think there Is any necessity for making
commOtion over the civil rights bill, such
as the Wing is trying to do, and regards
the law as Of little consequence one way
or the other, 1t says: ut will be seen
that the bill touches. only, first, hotels /;
secondly, public conyeyanees; thirdly,
places OF amusement, and fourthly, iuries,
A more stringent law Is upon the statute
book Of New York, but has never been
enforced. Negroes must be admitted to
inns, but they may be lodged wherever the
landlord chooses, and II they dislike their
quarters and sue for damages, they will
not be able to find easily jury that
will give them anything. Besides, there
are people to dispose Of such negroes
without calling upon hotel propriGtOrs to
kick them out, and without any words or
understanding with such proprietors, or
aiding or melting them in any way.
Observe, there can be no oiiense against
the law unless the party offending either
himself denies some OF these advantages,
etc, to negroes, or else shall aid or
'inCite' some one else who docs so deny
them. Tho landlord won't dCny them, ind
the boys who kick the darkeys won't say
word to the landlord on the subject.
They will not aid or 'inCite' anybody to
deny them, but will simply clare de
Kitchen Such prosecutions and such
suits will not amount to much. The law
will DO n dead letter within year.
"As to public Conyeyances, negroes OIL,
ready enjoy their facilities rs much and
fully as whites.
"As to places OF amusement, We ap.
prehend no trouble. Lester Wallack, OF
New York, was sued by several negroes
of that city soon after the civil rights law
Of New York was passed, but he an
swered that no did not exclude them from
his theatre on account Of race, color or
previous condition Of servitude. The
negroes counsel asked the Judge to make
WallaCk swear to his answer. WRllack's
counsel objected that to do 10 would make
him inculpate himself il guilty, and no
man could be compelled to testify against
himself. And so the Judge ruled. And
there have been no such suits since, that
VIC have heard Of.
"The section US 10 jurors is already a
dead letter. There can be nobody who
will have tho right TO prosecute undor
such law. There arc I, 900 negro men
in Richmond. Which Of them will have
this right2 No particular one, and there
fore mono. Besides, the negroes could get
nothing under this section. The prosecu'
tiOnsis bound to be on the part Of the
Government, and mono Of the money goes
to the negroes or anybody else, So this
section Is already q nullity hore in yir'
ginia,whero negroes are summoned when'
ever they arc needed or wanted. There
arc 1000 white men in Richmond. Only
few dozen Of them are ever summoned
at any court, and Of course the.othor 6,0OC
will have the same right to prosecute
Judge Guigon or Sergeant Cook that the
negroes may have, The Judge and the Ser.
geant can summon ono in hundred, and
all that arc omitted, white and black are
on the same footing. Indeed, none oil
them know but they may be summoned
the next month or tho next year. The
law does not require my particular man
white or black, to be summoned this
month or this year. II 1t did, 1t would
be absurd"