Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-13
EEvADA LEGISLATCRE.
Friday, January IL. 1877.
Acknowledgements Day.

|
Speaker in the Chair.
Roll called and quorum present.
| Prayer by Rev. j E. D. Hammond.
| Journal read and approved.
Leave Of sbseDce for Sawtelle asked
for one day. Grsuted.
Arquest 10 have Senate Substitute
Bill No. returned 10 the Senate was
granted.
The Chair appointed Toonb. Bailey
and Botstord as committee from the
House to visit the Woodbridge Insane
. Asylum.
The Judiciary Committee reported
favoraby on Mighels' amendment to
Section Of Article 2 OF the Constitu.
| tiob.
The Euerossment Committee reported
| untarorabiy On the eDerossment of GER
tain bill placed in their charge.
!: Was moved by Mighels to take up
the amendment proposed to the Consti
tuition and place it upon lis third aud
final pass ge. On This being agreed to
The following speech was Dy that gentle
II 10 delivered:
the passage Of these resolutions, beg
tho attention Of the House while I
briefly recito the events and circun-
| stances which. ConspIre to make their
| ado ption &C usistent incident in the
/ history of tbs State. 1t is not inap-
| prOpriate, ana 1 trust it will not be
thought egotistical upon my own Fart
for me 10 say that their introduction
here and The patient hearing that they
have had, mark an advancement in
| the temper and tolerance of the times;
for it is An interesting and Instructive
fact that when, during the sitting Of
the convention OF Unionists by whom
Stale. the honorable George A. Nourse
| then delegate from Washoe county,
AID subsequently tho Attorney Gen
erai of Nevada, moved to omit the
| word white" from the place where
it occurs liz the constitution, the mo.
ton was regarded as too preposterous
TO DC seriously entertained and it
tailed 10 receive even the cold courtesy
OF u formal second" The long-cher-
ished projUdices which were then en-
ter,aincd against the cclored man,
even 10 his exclusion from the Witness
stand, supplemented by many dis
turbing appreGenSions lest the aspir.
ing politician should he thought to lie
too much tainted with the heresies
of the aboiii:Onist and a sympathy
with John Brown of Ossawattomie,
made it an unpopular as it was thank
less act, 10 say good word for the
fellow being whose chietest offense lay
in the helpless fact of his complexion.
The moro fortunate man of Caucasian
lineage. proud of his superiority and
welded to his intolerance Of prejudice,
had found
this fellow guilty of 3 skin
Not Cu!o!ed like his Cwu."
So this Constitution, framed and
fashioned during the smoke and tG-
mult Of n civil conflict v nose final and
deciding victories were needed to de- |
molish the preiense of COufederacy !
whose corner stone asaulhoritalively |
declared TO lie African slavery, was so
constructed that j: might not offend
supposed popular sense Of intolerance
If The very condition Of freedom with
out the perfection of which that cor
ner-stone could not lie effect ually re-
jec.ed. The word white" was o
with the very darkest and
least delcnsible OF errors. That it was
natural, and in a certain sense eXcusa-
bile, will not deny but I may be
pardunCd the expression Of the opjn.
ion that they by whose motion the
al iec,ive was written and retained
took counsel Of their timdity when
hey made it, and were influenced bya
not COURAGEOUS and a greatly mistaken
estimate of the popular mind. The
.rror, like many another which has
ound is way into the fabric Of our
political and social life and history
vas packed over the Sierra by the
pioneers of "WashOe," together with
much other easily portable rubbish Of
political caucuSes, partisan dicta from ,
aa bench. evasiors Of laws and consti. :
u;ions i'll favor of 1.-THE pairiarchai
and P perverted, dwarfed +.
Iud narrowed public opinion. ] cast !;
10 reflections upon any party;
merely arraign the Past for its faults (
rd its nisconceptions,-n failing or |,
10 make the free and candid i,
that l myself, but brief c
'eriod before the time to which al e
ude, gave those heresies full enter
and expression. To the little
,and of Aboli.iOnists whose voice
ound utterance through tho works b
nd acts of such men as Garrison and
Philips and Brown, and not such 5
ieventh hour converts as I, is to be .
warded whatever honors attach to q .
nst and consistent course toward the il
olored race.
On the 9th Of February 1869, the
pillow ing resolution was passed bv The