Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-12-15
A TEXANS OPINION OF THE
EFFECT CIVIL RIG HTS
WILL HAVE.

ments and opinions thereon of eminent
writer's and thinkers, as given in the NAN
SION and other papers of the country.
But long before had any doubt on the
subject OF the constitutionality of the civil
rights bill. experience had taught me that
however lofty might have been the motives
that actuated the friends Of the measure,
it was a mistaken policy and has done more
to retard tLan to advance the interests of
the colored people Of the south.
l was born and raised in bondage, but
slavery was an institution. | will go fur
ther and say, that in my opinion 1t was an
abomina able institution. But before had
fairly attained to robust manhood had
satisfied myself of the fact that no particu-
lar section of our common country could be
charged with the entire responsibility for
the existence of this abominable insttu-
ton.
God, in his wisdom and his goodness, in
his own good time, saw fit to condemn and
frown upon this unholy compact, ordained
by his creatures north and south, and from
that day slavery in these states was doomed
to destruction.
At his bidding the offspring of those who
had established it in the land-of the north
"
they could not see and by a power they
could not comprehend, to sectional war.
But was the battle-fag of either section
blazoned with the mOtto-"Death to negro
slavery v'-''Freedom for the black man -
Nothing of the kind.
The battle cry of the north was "The
Union must and shall be preserved?' with
VI I,f <ho Tho
right of self government" (without our
institutionsD }
But the unseen hand and the power they
could not comprehend protracted the strug-
gle until necessity-that mighty scourge of
God-compelled the promulgation of the
edict of the great Jehovah-the "Emanci-
patton Proclamation :.
This is the truth. This is history. Es-
tablshed facts speak for themselves with
out the aid of inspiration.
The emancipation proclamation was pro-
mulgated war measure! ! And who
more earnestly and more eloquently than
any other-was it that was folemost IN
urging this measure. may months before
it was adopted? 1t was democrats DEM
ocrat who had voted many times in cOnVen-
tion for Jefferson Davis as his choice for
President of the United States-G eDerai
Benjamin l.. Butler.
Possessed of this knowledge and imbned
with a conv iction that by the cultivation OF
friendly political relations with the south
ern white man, the greatest good could be
accomplished for the betterment of the con-
dition of our race. 1 have always refused
to join the northern carpet-bagger in this
crusade against the conservative white IN an
OF the south, both As 4 member of the Lou
isiana legislature and as private citizen
since l came to Texas.
Conceal it as we may, it is truth all the
same, that the colored people, those of the
north as well as those of the south, are we'd
ded to the civil rights bill, not so much for
the reason that they fear their civil rights
will be abridged by reason of the law hav-
ing been nullified by the decision of the
supreme court, but it is because OF the fact
that they have cherished vague hope that
this civil rights bill would some day become
a stepping stone by which they could reach
social equality with the whites.
And whatever opposition has been mani
tested in the past to this late law by the
southern white man, was occasioned am
satisfied, not on account of the fact that
they did not wish to yield to its require
ments as heretofore Interpreted, but be-
cause of a vague dread that it might some
day open the door to enforced social equality
with the negro.
My own opinion is, that in social life
every man and woman has the inaiienable
right to choose whatever company they
prefer, provided it is agreeable to all con-
cerned. But the white man or colored man
who would, in social life, undertake to in
trude himself into circles where he Is not
ia
recognition.
This is the unwritten law of all countries
so old in years as to have become sanctl-
fled by time. But SO long as such special
law remains Upon our statute books as
gives the least warrant to any one to ignore
this unwritten compact, just 50 long VIII
there be some friction between races AS
well as classes.
But l believe now that inasmuch as this
decision of the supreme court, on the sub
ject of the civil rig hts bill. has had the effect
of eliminating from our pciilcal status the
bug-bear Of social equality, it is scarcely
posi- BILE that any other barrier should arise
hereafter to prevent such political frater-
niZatiOn between the southern white man
and the southern colOred mar will work
to the advancement of the interests of both
and for the welfare of our section of cOun-
try.
not attempted any dissection or analysis of
the abstract ideas that governed the court
in arriving at the decision which has been
rendered. II Is DOOticSb no" lOi US W
either hiss or applaud. The question being
settled it ceases to be of any further inter-
est to us, except as a lesson to instruct us
in the direction Of our future political
duty.
1t is regarded by me as only another mile
post indi eating as other events have done,
that am still on the political road tn at all
pilgrims of our race should fOllow-the road
that leads us to the political fraternzatlon
with those among whom we were born and
raised-those who comprehend our neces-
stiles our capacities and our aspirations.
But to those Of our race who are still
..ioined to their political idols," who pro-
pose to leave this road to follow every ignus
fatuIs of political doctrine, who can dream
of no Utopia but the one fashioned for us
by the republicans of the north, L will pro
pound one question Why is it that what
YOU have been taught by the republicans to
believe was the very citadel of your most
sacred rights as people, has been surren-
iered by a Republican Supreme Court
composed of nine members-wi,h but one
dissenting voice, and that voice the only
one representing the much abused South
H. Carter, a cOlored man of Vicksburg,