Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-02-19
he Clvii RlgAts Bill.

or two. We have seen statements to the
effect that it was unlikely that the bill
would pass the Senate, and that the ma
jority of neither House desired it should
become a law. we take no stock In such
declarations. The Senate has already pass
ed civil rights bill, more stringent in
some respects than the House bill, for it
required that there should be equal rights
for black and white in the public schools, as
well as in inns and theatres and public con-
7eyances. Having thus gone farther in this
direction than the House, the Senate cannot
very well decline to go as far as the House.
We expect the bill to become law. and we
believe that such a law is needed at the
South We happened to hear, daring the
debate in the House on this bill, the speech
of Mr.. Lynch, of Mississippi He is fine
and intelligent looking man, with q good
deal of white blood" in him. He was slave
till liberated by our troops ia the Nicks-
burg campaign, and he has picked up all
his education since then. He has the
dress and bearing of gentleman. When he
came to Congress, he was followed by letters
from leading citizens of Mississippi, among
them att leas. one Democrat Of thoroughly
Southern views, who testified in the highest
terms to his fine moral character to his ex-
cellent influence to his intellectual ability
and to his sound sense. He sustained him
self in the debate with admirable command
Of language and force Of argument. And
one of his arguments for the bill was the
fac. that when he-a citizen of this Union,
clean, respectable, and orderly, q member OF
Congress, representing, as he said, the
wealthiest district in his State and one OF
the wealthiest in the South, a member OF
the government of this country-was on his
way North to take his seat in the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES he was not permitted to Tide
in the ordinary passenger cars, through the
| States of Tennessee and Kentucky but,
with his wife, was showed into dirty smoking
and baggage cars, among smokers, drunken
men and loafers. Ought this to be He
and every colored member of Congress who
spoke on the bill-and We believe all of
them spoke on il - asserted with
the utmost emphasis that they nei-
Their expected nor desired that any
attempt BE- made to legislate social
equality nor did they bsIieve it would be
possible, if desirable. All they desire is
that they shall not be prescribed or insult
ed, on account of the color of their skins.
All they ask is equality Of opportunities,
which is the essence Of equal rights.
The Boston Jurnal has characterized
this bill very well. Abiding to the
case Of Mr. Glenn, of North Caroliaa,
who announced the other day tue turning OF
his coat from Republicanism to Democracy,
because the civil rights bill threatened to
"demoralize the manhood of North Carroll
ma, the Journal said Precisely what the
civil rights bill will accomplish is this 1t
Mr. Frederick Douglass, for instance, should
visit the city of Raleigh, he would be en-
titled to put up at the same hotel as Mr..
Glenn, and on payment Of a suitable equiVa-
lent, to sleep in a. comfortable bed as be.
If there CHANGED to be theatre in that
metropolis, he would be entitled to sit side
by side with Mr.. Glenn, provided he paid az
much for BIS seat And on his departure
from the city by the cars, lie could not be
collared BY the brakeman and hustled into
the baggage-car, but by paying for first
class ticket, could ride in irst-class seat
1t Is just these three rights which the civil
rights bill secures t, Mr.. Douglass, and we
can conceive that b E might avail himself Of
all three, without fletriment to Mr.. Glenn's
morals or '.manhoOd."
1t has been said that the evils which
this bill is designed - e-.e, should be
left to the pharmacy Of time. Bot it
seems to Us that they form a class
Of evils which, left to themselves, will grow
instead Of lessen by time. The North went
to war to abolish caste. The Republican
party, at lea st, having put its hand to the
plough, cannot consistently turn back in its
mission Of equal rights to all citizens. The
bill is good one. 1t simply gives the pro-
lection of the United States Courts to the
colored men, SO that, when prescribed and
abused, they shall not be compelled to accept
only saeh redress as the State Courts and
White League magistrates see fit to extend
to them. Its main design, Of course. is not
so much to give due redress in individual
cases, as to bring about a state Of things at
the South, in which clean, respectful lie and
orderly people, whatever the shade of their
faces, shall not be compelled to 90 to the
courts in order to secure admission to de-
cent passenger car, or decent hotel. Why
should there be one rule in such matter. for
Kentucky and another for Vermont We
trust the Senate will promptly pass the ball.
The bill permitting the retirement a
ouuSS 3hafeN, vi hiS iuA ooIoiy, nHiSH
has passed Congress and gone to the Pres
ident, is the customary provision for the case
of L. S. District Judge incapecitated by
physical infrmity for the discharge of his
duties. The appointments of such Judges
are for life and the salaries have been and
are so meagre that it is utterly impossible
that any Judge could save anything for his
maintens nee, after he has reached an age or
condition iorbidding his further sc rvice on
the bench. 1t IS therefore most proler that
the Judge in such cases be permitted to re
sign, and that his salary be continued to
him for life. The statute will not cVmpel
Judge Smalley to retire bat it is, of
course, under the circumstances, to be ex
pected that he will shortly resign his Office
and permit his successor to be appointed.
A collector of Congressional Statistics has
ascertained that only three of the Sta ties are
wholly represented in Congress by persons
born within their own limits. Th Sc three
are Delaware, North Carolina and Vermont. |
A larger number of States, Iowa, Kansas,
Nebraska, Oregon, Minnesota, California.
Wisconsin, Mississippi and Nevada. and all
the Territories, are represer ted entirely BY