Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-10-25

since. In some States equal privileges
have been accorded the colored people
in nearly every respect, and the ques-
ton of the constitutionality of the act
was never questioned. In other
States the hotel-keepers have refused
to admit colored guests to their tables on
equal terms with white people and
they have been forced to take back
seats at places of amusement or none,
and other indignities, which have been
resisted when tried in the courts on the,
ground OF the nnconstitutionality of the
law, and all of the five suits brought
to enforce that law have now been
heard and passed upon by the highest
judicial tribunal in the land. That the
decision is very much to be regretted is
not to be denied, but when an august
legal tribunal, consisting of nine learned
Judges, agrees upon a constitutional
question, with only one dissenting
opinion, he is bold man who will
say that the judgment of the cour.
is not technically or legally correct.
The Chicago Journal commenting at
length upon the decision pungently
says: ''One effect of the recent decis-
ion will be to cause an intense excite
ment among the coiored people of the
whole country, and more especially in
the Southern States, where the race
prejudices are still strong. and where
there is little hope of the Democratic
party doing much to advance their in
terests. They will be likely to regard
it as a second edition Of the celebrated
bred Scott decision, which declared, in
the language of Chief Justic fancy,
that, ''that the negro has no, rights
which the white man is bound to re-
spect.n AT the time the bred SCOTT de-
cision was rendered QS57) the asser-
ton of the Chief Justice was literally
correct, for slavery was then safely in
trenehed in the Constitution, and the
slave was simply a piece of property to
be used, sold or given away like dog
or horse. His emancipation and en-
reimbursement have been secured, and
his political rights guaranteed by
amendments to the organic act, and by
the act Of Congress he theoretically
stood upon perfect equality with his
white brother. He is now invited to
take back seat. His best and only
friend, the Republican Congress, is now
impotent to assist him, and he is turn
ed over by the Supreme Court of the
United States to the tender mercies of
his traditional enemy, the Democratic
party. The Republican party abolish
ed slavery and bestowed upon the col
ored man all the personal and political
tights that he new enjoys. and it is not
the fault of the Republican Congress
that the obvious spirit and intent of the
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amend
ments to the Constitution have been
rendered nugatory by the Supreme
Court. Notwithstanding that the Su-
preme Court is composed of Republi-
cans, with one exception, its decision
has nothing whatever to do with the
policy of the party, and will not be in
dorsed by it. 1t will still be found on
the right side of mans equality, the
advocate of great moral ideas, and in
favor of granting the largest liberty of
conscious and action to all persons,
irrespective of color, rank or social dis
tinction, and it will insist that the State
Legislatures shall make good to the
colored man the civil and individual
rights and privileges which the decision
of the National Supreme Court has
denied him.