The bee., 1883-01-13
THE COLORED LINE.
PROFESSOR j. VI. GREGORYS : SPEECH
DELIVERED Ar TIE DOUGLASS
BANOIr Ell.

In responding to the sentiment,
The Color Line" I do so, the mere
willingly because / stand in the pres
encc Of him, cur honored guest, IL man
who has done more by his pen, on the
rostrum, by his character, by his whole
cyentful life, to eradicate this selfSame
evil, than any one of whom cur history
speaks.
Tacitus in his Agricola uses this
characteristic expression, "Properium
humani ingenia est Odissc quem-
laeaeris" it is a principle of human
nature to hate those whom we have
injured. The trouble of this sentiment
is Strikingly illustrated in the history
Of slavery. And. indeed. wherever
among a people we find dominant
class and a subject class, we will al
ways find caste and prejudice, the off
springs of slavery.
The color line was drawn when the
neOgrO was made slave in this cOun-
try. But prejudice exists against him,
not on account of color, but by reason
If previous condition: his color serving
to indicate his identity with race held
as bondsmen. whose emancipation dates
back but a few years. The prejudice
of which we speak is purely American.
CUlored men travelling in other cOtIn-
tries have not found color mark of
degradation. If they are reminded of
their color at all. it is by Americans
they meet who are not magnanimous
enough to treat the negro courteOusly,
even on foreign soil where race preju-
dice is not tolerated.
If we understand the nature of
slavery, it was natural, we say. for the
master. after emancipation, to hate
the Freedman whom he had SO griey-
ously wr0nged, and to seek to retard
his progress in every possible way. The
depriyatiOns and sufferings of the
mancipated in the South have not been
ana possibly can never be IuIIy Ue-
scrGed. And although twenty years
have elapsed since emancipation of
cOlorcd men in some States. North as
well as South, are even now subjected
to the grOs5est indignitieS. Public inns
refuse them accommodation. Often
on railroads they are compelled to ride
in smoking cars. Separate apartments
are provided for them on steamboats,.
They are refused admission to theatres
and other places of amusement. unless
they take seats in the corner designated
for them. COlOred children are the
only ones OF our composite nationality
against whom discrimination is made
in the public schools; for separate
schools cannot properly be called pub
lie schools.
To guard against these very evils
the amendments were made to the
Constitution and the civil rights bill
was passed. The voice of the Supreme
Court of the United States has been
heard upon some of these questions,
and in several well-defined cases has
declared in no ambiguous language
that the design of the amendments is To-
place colored men in the enjoyment of
all the rights, political and civil, en-
JOyed by white men, that the law for
the blacks is the same as the law for
the whites, and that it prohibits anv
based ON color or pre-
viOus condition.
The Judges of the Supreme Court !
now have under consideration four
cases,a decision of which will no doubt |
settle for all time several disputed
questions. These cases are especially ,
as they will in effect decide /
the cOnstitutionality of the civil rights |
bill. The first case is that of the Uni /
ted States against one Stanley, of Kan
;as, fer refusing to admit col,,red
man into an inn, the second against
Nichols, of Western Missouri. for n
similar cause; the third against RYAN.
)f California, for refusing to admit n
:Olored man to the parquette of a thea
re, and the last against Hamilton, of
middle Tennessee, for excluding a col
red person from the first-class cars of
! railroad train.
solicitor General Phillips presented
heSe cases, cOntending that the civil
tights bill being in harmony with the
plrlt and purpose of the amendments.
constitutional in the features sub
lltted to the Court; that if it were de-
Jared unconstitutional, it would be a
natter of surprise and regret inasmuch
the statute has been framed and
assed upon by some of the ablest con-
lawyers that ever sat in
ongress. The colored people are
nder lasting debt of gratitude to Mr..
hillipS for the able and earnest manner
which he presented our cause. Too
ften men in high position have not
'und 1T cOnyenient,and it may be have
OF thought it polite to trouble them
elves about the rights of colored men.
The decision of the cases in question
III certainly have important bearing ,
pom kindred matter in which we are
alike interested. | refer to the color.
ne IN the public schools. Doubtless
)u are all aware that there is now
ending before the courts of the dis I
let the case of Gregory against the I
'hO0l board for the exclusion of his I
N from a so-called white school ON I
count of color If we meet with an 2
iverse decision in the lower courts 9
e case will be carried to the Supreme I
lurt OF the United States. If the I
hool authorities shall force us before a
Is tribunal from whose decision fbo-o :,