Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-02-12
bort q obarco Gimes
PORT TO ACCO:
Friday Morning, February. IL, ......1S75
Civil Wrongs vs.. Civil Rights.


Civil Wrongs vs.. Civil Rights.
Our readers will see by the Congression-
al proceedings that, under the operation
Of the new rule adopted by the numerical
Republican majority last week. the social
ed Civil Rights Bill was passed by the
House of Representatives. This was APP
propriately done under the lead of tina,
cockeyed Mephistopheles, Ben Butler, who
seems to be troubled with moral strabis
mus greater than his physical obliquity
All of the Democrats voted against it and
used every effort to defeat it. Some few
Republicans voted against it, but it was
only pretense on their part, because al
of them, except Mr.. Sener of Virginia, had
previously virtually voted for it, when
they declared for the new rule, and took
away the rights of the minority which had
been held scored for a period of ninety
years. 1t will not do for any of these here
after to point to their vote against the
final passage of the bill after their deceit
full action, which enabled base majority
to enact it into a law.
1t is, perhaps, some consolation, if there
can be any consolation under the inf1iction
of such an outrage upon our race, to know
that the men who accomplished it, were
not the representatives of any respectable
portion of the American people, but had
been most emphatically repudiated by the
vast majority OF that people, and were in
fact but the ghost of repudiated and de
parted power. That the attempt thus made
to force upon the people measure which
has been so generally condemned, will
meet with still more crushing rebuke
we do not doubt-a rebuke which will
sweep away from the face of the earth every
vestige Of Radicalism. 1t is as useless tC
talk of doing away with the race prejudice
by legislative enactment as it is by the
same means to prevent the sun from shin
ing The laws of the same Great Maker
causes both.
1t is, perhaps, something gained also, by
the determined opposition of the Demo
Gratis, that the mixed school feature was
stricken out in the House before the bill
was passed. But this does not by any
means emasculate it of all of its potency
for evil. 1t still leaves its other odious
features in full force and effect But the
striking out of the provision for the mixed
schools neeessitates its return to the Sen
ate for concurrence in this action. and as
there remain to this Congress but seven
teen working days, and the bulk of the
most important business, including the APP
preparation bills. some thirteen in number
we believe, is yet to be acted upon, we
have strong hopes that it will ultimately
fail to pass. We have not the slightest
doubt that the able and vigilant Democrats
ofshe Senate will do their duty right nobly
In endeavoring to defeat so ubiquitous a
measure. Every hour of delay that can be
gained is now most precious to the patriot
heart, and we know these gentlemen will
do all that mortal men can do in STAYING
the hand, which, in its dying clutchings,
is seeking to destroy the Government
which it can no longer rule. But if these
patriots should be powerless to prevent
the passage ofthis great civil wrong, which
seeks to destroy the civil rights of the
white man, then they may still defeat some
of the appropriation bills, particularly
that of the army, and thereby prevent the
President from using that arm of the gov
eminent to carry out further his usurpa-
tions, or compel him to call an extra ses-
sion of the new Congress, when he would
soon find that white men and patriots were
t'on deck"
When, during the last campaign, we told
the people that the object of the Republi-
can party was to force negro equality on
us, and that all those who voted for that
flippant politician, Alex. B. Hagner. were
indirectly voting for this hateful measure,
we were told by some of our selfstyled
Independent men, that the Republican
party did not want to pass the bill-that
it never would be passed by the House
that its passage by the Senate was but a
sort of sentimental eulogy on Mr.. Sumner.
and good deal more of similar stuff. none
of which did we believe. We would like to
hear what some of these bob-tailed indie
pendents have to say now? But we doubt
not they will be conveniently silent, like
the naughty boy, who had nothing to say.
If this bill does pass the Senate and
thereby become a law, We have not the
slightest doubt but that it will promptly
be signed by the President. But there is
still hope behind that to which we will
cling as the mariner to the last plank, and
that is the Supreme Court. We have no
doubt about the unconstitutionality of the
act, and we shall continue to believe that
the Court will so decide until it does other
wise.
The Presidents Message.
The most startling event of the past week
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