Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-02-16
THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL

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The civil rights bill passed by the House
of Representatives provides that all persons
within the Jurisdiction of the United States
shall have full and equal enjoyment of the &C
commodatious, advantages. facilities and priv
leges of hotels, railroads, steamboats,, stage
coaches. and other public conveyauces of
travel, and also of '.the theatres and other
places of public amusement" subject only to
such conditions and limitations as are now es.
tablished by law and applicable to "citizens
of every race and color, regardless of any
previous condition of seryitude." The psn>
atty of five hundred dollars may be recovered
in an action of debt, and fne of not less
than five hundred nor moro than one thousand
dollars, or imprisonment not less than thirty
days and mot more than one year, on indict-
ment and conviction for nisdemeanor, shall
be imposed upon each person who may deny
to any citizen the full enjoyment of accom>
modstions, advantages, facilities or privileges
as aforesaid; or who may aid or abet or incite
such denial. The District and Circuit Courts
of the United States are to have exclusive
cognizance of all crimes and ofFenses against
and ia violation of the provisions of this act
and the district attorneys, marshals, deputy
marshals and commissioners of the United
States courts, who shall wilIfully fail to insti-
tute and prosecute proceedings against all per-
sons who violate this act shall themselves for
every such offsuse pay to the person aggrieved
FIVE hundred dollars, and on conviction be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and fined
not less than one thousand nor more than 1--WE
thousand dollars.
The school clause of the bill was stricken
out, Mr. Butler having accepted an amend
ment to that effect, he being of opinion that
its incorporation in the bill might affect the
public school system in several of the States.
THE PRESIDENTS CoNUNDRJM.
President Grant asks in his late special
message to Congress ssWhat is there to
prevent each of the States recently readmi,ted
to federal relations on certain conditions from
changing their constitutions and violating
their pledges, if this action in Arkansas is ae-
quiesced in ?" That is conundrum which
Congress may be yet studying, If State
sees fit to change its constitution, providing
it does not depart from republican form of
government, what is to prevent it? General
Grant seems to suggest as the true answer
bayonetf, his fayorits solvent for all political
problems. The only way to prevent State
from changing its constitution is for majority
of the people of the State to be against it
The President seems to be Of opinion that the
United States government can interfere and
prevent State governments from changing
their constitutions. His language does not
admit of any other construction. Such
suggestion evinces very little comprehension
of the structure aud principles of the govern
ment The Southern States certainly did
not enter into a compact never to modify or
change their constitutions any more than did
the other States of the Union. Such an idea
is in conflict with the fundamental principles
on which our government is founded. The
designing men who surround the President
should not take advantage Of him and commit
him to such vile nonsense. Baltimore Sun.