The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-06-14
~. Y,onstitution and the Negro.

m. ronstitution and the Negro
TIVE sgaboneites clam that the Const'tu-
,,on Of virginia requires negroes TO DC
snpolutcd trustees OF public schools ana 70
a,ser offices because IL prescribes an oath
recognizing the civil and political equality
:, ali men before the law. This claim Is
,o,,l,v uniouuded. That oath has no re-
ference whatever to any sueh ques-
tion. To assert that II has - "
.ssert that Il Is the duty OF the
voters TO elect certain proportion
Of negroes to the Legislature, to Congress-
and TO all offices within the gin OF tne PEG.
nile. But no man with three grams Oh
sense. unless he Is a negro, Viii seriously
affirm that the oath in question requires
anv such action on the part OF the voters
And ne we hsye heretofore said, II IL does
not require the voters to elect cei'sin
nronor4ion Of negroes TO elective ofiices,tt
follows as the night the day that II does
not require the appointment OF negroes 10
appointivc Offices. II the oath docs not
apply 10 the election Of officers, 1t certainly
cannot apply to the selection OF officers.
There is another plea set up by the apollo
pists for the wicked act OF CANERoS, FAIR,
md BLAIR. II Is that the United States
Constitution has made full citizens oil the
negroes. so it hass but IL has also maze
full citizens OF al'tbe women ard children
i'm the United States. "All persons born
or naturalized in the United States, and
subject to the Jurisdiction thereof, are citi-
zens of the United States and OF the state
wherein they live" So that II the Constr
tuition Of the United States iRstifies the act
Of CAMERON, FAIR, and BI4IR, 1T would
have justified il had they appointed three
of the lowest negroes in the city Jail. + or
the Constitution makes no distinction be-
tween good and bad. GALL" is the word.
All. therefore, have the same claim upon
the GoyernoY-the good and the bad; the
ignorant and the learned the qualified ana
the unqualified. The Constitution draws
no Hncs, we repeat. All persons are in
cluded within its terms and, therefore, IL
CAmER0N's plea be 4 good one, and he is TO
be governed by the Constitution, he must
confer his appointments upon the yilest as
well as upon the best of citizens.
VIII CAMERON claim that he has the right
70 discriminate between the good and the
baSi-between those persons who are tn to
be appointed and those persons who are
notY Very well. That is Just our coEten-
ton. We contend that he has the right to
discriminate: and il he had been the man
he was before he bowed the knee to VIII
LIAM MAlfoNE, he would never have placed
negroes on board OF trustees having
charge OF white schools. Negroes are not
qualified for such positions. Negroes are
not the best men who can be found IN the
community. Negroes are not fit TO hold
such trusts, and therefore no white man
should ever think OF such thing as en-
powering negroes to elect teachers for white
schools, visit white schools. &c, DC.
To claim that CAMERON has the right to
appoint the fit TO Office, and TO refuse to
appoint the unfit, is TO concede all that the
Democrats affirm as to his power in the
premises He had the right TO dscrimi-
nate, but he did not discriminate. lie
made negroes trustees OF white schools.
He has got to repent Of this act.
The people OF Virginia are in earnest in
this matter. The negro PAUL, the Cover
nor's messenger, may. as trustee OF the
white schools Of Richmond, have the honor
of making his own race pay for the educa-
ton Of their own children. The white
people will never consent to have negro
trustees Of white schools. II, as the Con-
stitution now stands, CAMERON, FARR, and
BLAIR were compelled by their oath Of Of
flee TO degrade the white schools by the
appointment OF negro trustees upon the
Board which manages them, then the Con-
stitution must be changed. III such con
structlon of the Constitution is to prevail
then the sooner the present Constitution Il
abolished the better.