Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-17


was one lawyer In every 800 people The colored
people Should In proportion to their numbers have
anoGb sp lawyers Now If they had onehalf this
10 project the rights OF the people.
JUDGES HUMAN AND LIABLE TO ERR
"Just now" said Mr.. Richards, DEPRESSING from
his paper, sit looks a little dark The Supreme
Court has just rendered decision that any man
any white man--can strike down any right we pos
sess as citizens, and we can have no protection
ire tne Chilling as tits we need not
pe discouraged, we need not despair. Judges,
though supposed to be the most fair and impartial
OF men, are human. There is no way OF detecting
tne preudices of the time better than in the actions
OF the judiciary. A court In Massachusetts decided
CnaI Cnlnese born In the British empire might be
Tendered decision just the reverse of that"
THE NEGRO LAWYER FAILURE.
After Mr. Richards sat down there was long
pause. No body seemed to want to dissect "the
negro as lawyer" Finally Mr.: Calvin johnson
arose and delivered bis opinion on the "negro law
yer"
$50 far as the negro lawyer in this city is con-
cerned SAID Mr.. johnson, bluntly, 81 think he is
almost failure. Very few of them have done any
thing thin except graduate. only know OF one who has
nad ms sign out. I don't blame them at all for not
going out when they can get better pay in the de-
parIments, but do blame them for quarreling with
OtherS for not going out"
SCIIcIuIes upon the NEGRO lawyer as seen in Wash
mgtOn, a champion OF that aspersed genus at once
oiooOS LII tuc pcISUu vi cary.
FEMALE LAWYER,
who threw of her bonnet and swept spunkily into
the arena She thought that in view OF the an
tagonisms the struggling negro lawyer had met he
was entitled to great credit ColOred men and wo-
men more than any other class In this country
ought to study law. II colored people did not learn
how to look after the little possessions they have
tney would again have the experience Of the past
ana nave their possessions frfttered away by peO-
pie who think the cOored people objects for fraud
and spoliat1on. The discOuragements met by the
but from their own people 81 belieye.n said Mrs.
cary, with much emphasis, 'sand do not say it to
crafty the vanity Of anybody believe that ma
tuTaly we are the superior people. Taking the
standard-the cosmopolitan standard-and coInpar-
ing ing our people with other believe we
Circumstances, the force Of numbers, the force Of
people concentrated to keep us under keeps us
where we are She deprecated the fact that the
own race. "When colOred lawyer pOkes up his
he me- she said some colored man is the first to
A FRIEND OF THE LAWYERS
Mr.. j. w. Cromwell defended the "necro LAWYERS
holding that it was unfair to Judge OF the capacity
OF the NEGRO lawyer" as class by some lawyer
VINO, through force of circumstances had not been
properly trained. Speaking of the negro lawyers
OF this city, he said You recollect the civil rights
decision delivered in this city few weeks ago. Tt
VINO went TO the district attorney and called his
attention to the fact that there was special pro-
VISION IN the Statute books upon which warrant
cOuiu DE issued Tor the restaurant keeper Bell" In
abiding to the achievements of colored lawyers,
and he mentioned the names OF many successful
sd ta # R p OF the e Mr.
about the sixth OF the lawyers of the District.
MI. X. j. Smith, the president of the association
remarked that the southern states win of necessity
In the future be the field for colored lawyers sThat
ascislon Yesterday said Mr. Smith, evil have the
rnft rnnro tn tI,1r,,
selves, or among themselves, and the larger field
Will De offered In the southern states"
THE BLACK MANS INTELLECTUAL POWER.
MI. Everett Waring spoke OF the profession OF
law as requiring the highest type of intellectual
power. "No man." said Mr.. Waring sholds that
the black man has that fine intellectual power He
Is coming to it. but he is not there yet; and that
accounts for the fact that the colored lawyer is
failure" He remarked that the success of the
negro lawyer depended upon the material success
OF the colored people, otherwise he had nothing
10 live upon. He regretted that so many young
colored men We're rushing to the law. "The white
race, ne said, 'are prejudced against us. We have
mad several instances Of it, and that which oc-
CURED Yesterday in the Supreme Court shows that
the prejudice has not decreased any,
Mr. George w. Arnold made a speech on the sub
Ject IN Whlch he said the reason why cor0red peo-
pie employed white lawyers was not lack Of conf
dence In cOOred lawyers but because circumstances
compelled them to do SO. He instanced case In
which man wanted to buy property in which a
white lawyer could negotiate to better advantage
SIMPLY on account OF his color.
LAWYERS WANTED AT THIS JUNCTURE.
Up to this time there had been very little allu-
sion to the civil rights decision. Mr. Arthur St.
Clair Smith here arose and preluded his remarks
by observing that he felt that in the last twenty
four hours the colored lawyers soul had been truly
was the time for him to prove 1t. 'The law, as ex-
pounded by the highest tribunal OF the civilized
world" said Mr.. Smith, sis expounded as against
Che negro race. Ii we have any negro lawyers let
them now come forward, or forever afterwards hold
their peace. The greatest tribunal Of the United
States tells us that We as American citizens have
no rights within the states that are guaranteed by
the Constitution, or rather that the Constitution
guarantees no rights under our special civil rights
to think that there Is no remedy but an amendment
to the Constitution OF the United States, which re-
CURES three-fourthS vote, is sad thing to con-
template"
MAN WHO AGREES WITH THE DECISION
Mr.. George H. Richardson said the appeal for
lawyers to come forward was little late. II ever
there was time when there was de-
mand for the lawyers it was before
Richardson, cor set Of lawyers, who have read UNI
derStandingly, could under any circumstances have
considered the civil rights law constitutional. 1t
was unconstitutional on its face. 1t grew out of
the Fourteenth amendment and there is nothing
In the Fourteenth amendment but sound. It does
not define any right" He advised that If the col
ored people desired TO secure their rights and i'm
muniteS they should set about securing the needed
legislation from the states
MT Arthur SIIItn, SeCJlng the moor again, de-
clared that the issue before the country raised by
this decision OF the Supreme Court-the question
whether the negro has the same rights as others
was one which would have to be met In the coming
national elections 'The republican party" said
Mr. Smith, "when it begun the civil rights bill led
the cOlored people to believe that it was framing q
law to guarantee their civil rights and was acting
in good faith" Mr. Smith was declaring that they
had before them momentous question when the
chairman called slime" on him and he was COM
PEELED to desst. After passing vote inviting Mr..
George H. Richardson to read paper On the Scivil
rights decision" next week the meeting adjourned.
Alexandria Affairs.
Reported for THE EVENING STAR.
FELL DEAD IN MARKET.-Mrs Edward Bailey OF
Fairfax county, an old lady Of eighty-four years,
fell dead In the city market at an early hour this
morning Mrs. B. Is wen known and much re-
kets In this place and in Washington for forty years
past. An examination Of her case showed that she
died of heart disease.