The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-02-12
MIsCEGETATIoN.

~miscegenation law should he adopted.
1t proposes TO wipe out a law that Is one
OF the musty and widowed relics of q
barbaric age, and should have no favor
or place among the laws Of the youngest
and most progressive territory.nThe
law, as 1t stands, aims 10 do something
which statutory law should never at
tempt TO do-regulats purely socisl
matters. The matter of choice or a
husband or wife should he left to the
consciences.and tastes of those desiring
to marry. II 1t Is proper to Iegislate
on this subject, 1t Is proper to prohibit
n very dark brunette from marrying a
very light blonde; or to prohibit II
cross-eysd man from mating with any
other than Il blaseyed woman. Indeed,
there Is no limit to which such laws
might go.
But the m~Iscegenstlon act aims to
prevent ''the corruption Of blood, Z" on
the principle that negro, Asiatlc or
Monaghan blood Is 30 vastly inferior to
Caucasian blood that 1t Is II felony to
commingle them. The l~ntermarriages
OF whites and blacks, or yellows, are
prohibited by precious few northern
states and territories, but the prohibit
ton Is general throughout the south.
But only since emancipation. Before
that time unlicensed mIscegenatlon, in
the south, was only too prevalent, and
no laws were enacted to prevent 1t,
either. But the war and emancipation
removed opportunities for crime and
m~iscegenation laws became general.
Let us stop to consider mi question:
Is 1t the right spirit TO punish US II fell
ON, a colored man who may chance TO
wed II white woman, when that man
stands equal In the eyes of the law with
a white manr equal In his right to pub
lie Officer equal in his right to become
president of the United States IL the
people choose to eject him? In mis-
c%egenation laws we subvert the very
spirit and principles which have caused
the U. 8. to advance more rapidly dur
ing twenty years than any other nation
that ever existed since the day when
our colored ~progenitors, Adam and Eve,
were driven from the Garden of Eden.
What would u people think of
China and Japan, or Siam, enacting
laws declaring 1t a felony for a Caucas.
ian TO intermarry with their people.
What would they do IL an American
were sentenced to prison for seven
years for marrying q Chinese, Japanese
or SIamese IN Suppose the King
of Ashantee or Dahomey should punish
an American for wedding duoky daugh-
ter OF the nation-would We resent the
outragep Undoubtedly.
Dumas, the elder, was a quadroon.
His father, who was the son Of u
wealthy French planter and a negro
girl in IIayti, rose from n common
soldier TO one of Napoleon's best and
bravest generals. lie married Il French
girl. Dumas-a q%uadIoon. or one
fourth negro blood-marrled the cele-
brated French actress. Mile. Ferrier.
The younger Dumas-an octeroon, or
one.eighth negro blood-wedded II
French lady OF fortue. All these mar
riagrs were happy. No disgrace attach
cd to the white women who became the
wives OF these celebrated writer's. AND
yet. should Dumas, the younger, be-
come a wldower and chance to wed n
white woman in Wyoming, he would
be liable to Imprisonment, us u felon,
for five years. Suppose King Kalakaua
should chance to wed a fair daughter of
Wyoming-the same legal consequences
would he In store for him. But would
they be2 Would not the principle(rl
be subverted for the sake OF policy and
expedlencyp After all, 1t Is not a ques.
ton Of principle but Of blind passion.
A few years ago All Wing, the Chinese
commissioner Of education at Hartford,
married u fair damsel In Connecticut.
The marriage has proved II happy one.
Mrs. All Wing lives like q princess In
China and is happy, surrounded by her
little family Of Anglo. Chinese. Ali
Wing Is leading statesman at home
and all powerful. Yet IL All Wing
should have CHANGED to wed his wife in
Wyoming the i've years penalty would
have o'erhung him like the sword Of
DImocles. But 1t Is safe to say that
he would never have been prosecuted.
Is not our law a farce, In this light7
Again, u mi'csgsnitlon law stands
forth us an insult to our fellow citizens,
while 1t Is practically void. Our neigh
boring states and territories are more
liberal than We, and IL n white and
black or white and yellow desire to in
termarry,a few hours ride over our
boundary will land them in an enlight-
ened community which allows device Il
marriage to regulate itself. We don't
urge intermarriages ; We don't advise
them, but we believe in leaving the
question to individual choice. We he.
lieve in allowing the utmost freedom to
every man and every in doing
whatever he or she can Justify In con-
science, so long rs they do not do any.
thing that Is criminal In itself or crimI
nal In the injury 1t does to society. We
deny that the intermarriages prohibited
by our law are injurious to society.
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