The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-03-31
The Civil Rights Bill.

Charles Summers choice legacy to
the Radical party, more especially to
the negro portion thereof, which was
mis-named as we have the caption of
this article, is already proving a
thorn in the side of the tough hide of
that party. Thus far many patent
failures have brought it below ridicule
and with doubts and explanations it
goes down crosswise the capacious
throat Of the man and brother.
Even old Ben. Butler has already
been showed to the front, and has
written an explanatory letter thereof.
1t was in answer to a question
whether or not the negroes were en-
titled to the privileges Of drinking
saloons and barber-shops, under it's
provisions. 1t is strange, according
to Democratic and common sense,
people could have asked so stupid a
question, for the Bill applies, save
only the jury clause, ''only to inns,
public conveyances and places of
public amusement" Butler explains
why it is not and cannot be made ap-
plicable to barber-shops and drink
ing saloons, and in making that ex
PLANTATION calls attention to one of
the arguments against the constitu-
tionality of the Bill. En- PEASANT he
proudly exults in the fact that the
white man has one superior privilege
to the negro, that "they can drink in
bar-rooms and saloons" This boast
of "old Cock-eye'' will certainly ran
kle in the bosom of the negro, for if
we know him, we are sure he would
rather be shut out of every hotel,
stage-coach, railway-car and theater
in the country, than be refused the
privilege of strutting in, big as life,
to a fine bar-room counter, and
knuckling on it for his cock tail, his
ginsling, his sherry cobbler, his mint
ljulep! Then again Butler lament
ingly assails the rights which the
Bill does not give, and calls it "the
lawlessness of the law" He says 30
barber has right to shave whom he
pleases, as much as jeweler has a
right to repair watch for whom he
pleases, or a blacksmith to shoe such
colored horses as he pleases. In
other words, these are not public en-
pigments, but private business in
which the law does not interfere"
Now it strikes us forcibly that the
manager of a theater conducts a
"priyate business just in the same
sense with the barber or saloon keep
er, for he conducts his business for
private gain, and the exacting COM
mon carrier laws are not applicable
to him. A theater is not surely a
public necessity, and is patronized
by the public, as the jeweler, or the
blacksmith, or the seller Of pea nuts,
or of dry goods, is patronized by the
public.
Finally old Butler, after surging
amid the labyrinths of the law and
it's application, winds up with wpat
we would call an untruth. He says
shat the Civil Rights Bill has not
altered the colored mans right at all
from what it was before, by the
common law, applicable to nearly ev-
cry State in the Union" Again we
believe it gives to the negro priv
leges which no white man in the
country has ever possessed as a citi-
zen of State or of the Nation. It
steps beyond the domain of Federal
power, at every point NEEDLES with
the rights Of citizens, not as citizens
of the United States, but in their Ca
pacity as citizens of State. ir7nf
'tts1.3
DIR. ST.. JOHN, as usual and as
ever is up to the times for the devo-
tars of Tke Walton. his nnw odvor