The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-29
THE TWO EOUALITl Gs.
The Social and the Legal Equality of the
COlOred Race.
Fred. Douglass, at Louisville.

Fred. Douglass, at Louisville.
The right of every American citizen to select
his own society and invite whom he will TO his
own pariOr and table. should be sacredly
speeted. A mans house is his castle, and lie has
right to admit or refuse admission to it as he
may please, and defend his house from all in
truders even with force, If need be. This right
belongs to the humblest not less than the high.
est and the exercise Of it by any of our citizens
toward anybody or class who may presume to
intrude, should cause no complaint, for each
and all may exercise the same right toward
whom he will.
When he quits his home and goes upon the
public street, enters public a public
house, he has no exclusive right of occupancy.
He is only part of the great public, and while
he has the right to walk, ride and be accommo-
dated with food and shelter in public convey
ance or hotel, he has no exclusive right to say
that another citizen, tall short, black white,
shall not have the same civil treatment with
himself. The argument against equal rights at
hotels is very improperly nut upon the ground
that the exercise of such rights 1t is insisted, is
social equality. But this ground is upreasona-
ble 1t is hard to say what social equality is,
but it is certain that going into the same street
car, hotel or steamboat cabin, does not make
any man society for another any more than fly
ing in the same air makes all birds of one
feather.
Two men may be seated at the same table at q
hotel, one may be a Webster in intellect and the
other a Gulteau in feebleness of mind and morals
and, of course, socially and intellectually they
are as wide apart as are the poles of tine moral
universe, but their civil rights the same.
The distinction between the two sorts OF equal
ity is broad and plain to the understanding of
men never cease to confonnd one with the other
and allow themselves to infringe the civil rights
OF their felow-cllzens, as If those rights were in
some way in violation OF their social rights.
That this denial of rights to us is because of
our color, only color is badge of condition Is
manifest IN the fact that no matter how decent
ly dressed or well behaved colored man may
be- he is denied civil treatment in the ways thus
thus pointed out. unless he comes as servant.
His color. not his character, determines the place
he shall hold ana the kind of treatment he shall
receive. That this is due to a prejudice and has
rational principle under it, is seen in the fact
that the presence of coored men in hotes and
rail cars is only offensive when they there
as guests and passengers. As servants they are
welcome, but as equal citizens they are not. 1t
is also seen in the lnrther fact that nowhere
else on the globe, except in the United States,
are colored people subject to insult and
outrage on account of color. The
colored traveller in Europe does not
meet II, and we denounce it here as q disgrace
to American civilization aud American religion,
and as q violation of the spirit and letter of the
cons titutiOD Of the United States. From those
courts which have sOlemnly sworn TO supp0rB
the constitution. and that yet treat this provs-
ion of ii with contempt. appeal to the people,
and call upon our friends to remember our evil
rights at the ballOt-box. On the point of the
two CAPABILITIES we are determined to be under
stood
We leave social equality where it should be
left, with each individual man and woman No
law can regulate or control IL. 1t is matter
with which governments have nothing to do.
Each may choose his own friends and assoei-
ates without interference or dictatiou of any,
fragrant as have been the outrages committed
upon ooOred citizens in respect to their civil
rights more fragrant, shocking and scandalous
still have been the Outrages committed upon our
political rights, by means or buldoZlng and
kukluxing, Mississippi plans, fraudulent counts.
tissue ballots and the like devices. Three States
in which the colOred people Outnumber
the white population are without colOred repre-
sanitation and their political voice suppressed.
The cOOred citizens in those States are virtually
DISTINGUISHED, the constitution held in utter con
tempt and its provisions nullihed. This has
been done in the face of the Republican party
and successive Republican administrations.
1t was once said by the great O'CouDell that