Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-17
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
"A SENSATION OVER THE CIVIL
RIGHTS DECISION

Payson, of Illinois. will have the Two
Sections Tackled Oh to the Constitu.
tiOn-Little Done by the Civil Service
COmmissiOn-BIainea and ConkIing Not
RecOnciIed.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16.-The decision
of the Supreme Court, declaring the civil
rights act of 1915 an unconstitutional in.
vasiOn of the rights of the States. has been
the subject of much comment here to-day
Several of the most prominent cOlOred
men of the District have been interview.
ed and have given their opinions as to the
moral effect of the decision. Naturally
the majority Of them express regret that
the Supreme Court has rendered such a
decision, and are inclined to regard it as
an obstacle to the prosperity of the col.
Ored race. Bruce. ex-senator from Mis-
sissippi, and at present Register
OF the Treasury, declares it the most
unfortunate decision. and on that will
carry the country backwards fifteen
years. He also says that it does not re-
fleet the sentiment of the people of the
United States, and is a revival of fhe the
Ory of States rights.
Frederick Douglass says that the deci-
sion puts the cOlOred people again outside
OF the law, and places them, when on a
steamboat or railroad or in a theatre,
restaurant, or other public place. at the
mercy of any white rutfian who may choose
tOinsult them. Professor Greener says that
in view of this decision every cOlored man
with any selt-respect must continue to
demand the fullest protection of the law,
both as man and as an American citi-
zen, and that he does not think the civili-
zatiOn of the age can be turned back. even
by the Supreme Court of the United
States. At conference of the cOlOred
people of the District to-day it was
decided to hold a meeting Monday night
to express the sentiment Of the cOlOred
race with respect to the decision and to
consider what course to pursue in view
of that decision. Among those who are
TO be invited to address the meeting are
several prominent white lawyers and
clergymen and such cOlOred speakers as
Frederick Douglass and Professor Gree
ner.
Prominent Democrats say that it would
not have been rendered now had not the
negroes shown Il decided inclination to
no longer be the tail to the Republi can
kite.
Representative Payson Republican, J. of
Illinois, is one of those greatly dissatis-
fed with the Supreme Court decision.
the next session a bill incorporating the
two sections of the civil rights BILL which
were Yesterday declared unconstitutional
by the highest legal tribunal in the coun-
try, rs a further amendment to the COnsti-
tuition. Mr.. PaysOn will simply intro
duce his bill and that will be the end of it.
wOODwORTH ON BUTLER.
Mr.. Woodwork, of Massachusetts. is in
the city. He was "a candidate for Lieu
tenant Governor of that State on the
Butler ticket three years ago. He to-day
predicted that Governor Butler would be
reelected this fall by $1,000 majority.
THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
The Civil Service Commission to-day
made a report of its work for the first
three m0nts of its existence. 1t does not
make very good showing. There have
been filled but twenty vacancies in the
several departments in this city by candi-
dates who have successfully passed the
civil service examinations. This small
proportion is, doubtless, due in a great
measure to the fact that all the va
cancies, up to the very date that the civil
service law went into effect. were filled
hastily by the heads of the several de-
partments.
BLAINE AND CONKLING.
A story which has attracted good deal
Of attention has been started from here
that Blaine and COnkling are upon the
eve of a mutual love feast Its basis is
reputed to be that Blaine, through his
friends in New York is to aid Conkling
to return to the Senate, and the latter is
to hand over the New York delegation to
Blaine in the next Republican Presiden-
tial Convention. Any one who knows the
bitter personal animOsity that exists be-
tween COnkling and Blaine, would on
sight have pronounced the story of the
recognition as absurd on its face. Its
official denial made here to-day by Blaine's
friends was not necessary. The bitter
words which passed between Blaine and
COnkling when they were members Of the
House, and the bitter antagonism that
they have kept up ever since, would PEE
clude the possibility Of any rec onciliation
between them