Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-03-06
Address TO Colored Voters.

The following address issued on
Thursday of last week, is self-ex plana-
tory:
To THE CoLoRED VOTERS OF OHIO:
The recent passage of the civil rIghts(?)
| bill, sO-cailed by the Democratic Leglsla-
luIe, has called forth considerable COM
ment from various sources, and express
! preSslunS of cOngratuiatlOn have been
uttered 10y some Uf our colored friends
IN Ihe State In consequence. In order To
dlSabuse the minds Of colored people
/ throughout the State as well as through
out the country upon this subject the
State Central Committee of the Ohio
| Equal Rights League Association have
delegated the undersigned sub-commit-
Ice the duty of preparing an address set
ting forth the true intent aid meaning
OF the 50 called civil rights bill, which
is herewith submitted: The said bill, en-
titled the "Crowell bill" was passed Oh
the oh gay of February, and while
claiming to be in the interest OF the col
Ored people, IS proscriptlve in character
| and thei uIe not hat the cOlOred peO
PIE have aSkrU for nor what the good
sense of the citizens of Ohio will APP
prove of. Let us analyZe this bill and
see just what it is and IL what manner
the people of ONO are in any way bene-
| fitted. The act does not meet the wants
Of the people i'll any sense and should
| BOT, therefore, become a subject of con
graduation, in that the said bill does
not provide sufficient penalty for vi
olation of its provisions, and that it on
| ly gives maximum of 500 without
providing a minimum sum so that in
case of violation of its provisions and
redress Is sought by the injured party,
nominal damages could only be obtained
where case is fully proven under its
provisions.
| The act further provides that where
! "a judgment in favor of the party ag
grieved" is obtained, or punishment
upon an Indictment" is the result, Ell
ther shall be bar 10 the other. In 9TH
er words, that if snit is brought on a
civil action and judgment obtained, it
acts as bar to criminal action, and
vice versa. The civil rights bill, as
passed by Congress, provided that 800
| should be the maximum penalty assess
/ ed, $500 of which goes to the plaintiff in
a civil suit and $1,000 to the Govern
ment upon conviction on indictment in
a criminal action, so that the act as
passed is of no practical benefit to the
cOlored people in this State, and we may
he mistreated with impunity, refused
accommodation in hotels, eating houses,
restaurants, etc, without having redress
at law.
We, therefore, appeal to our celored
friends throughout the State to set the
seal of their condemnation upon the
measure by showing that We have sutfi-
cient knowledge of our rights as citi-
zens not To accept as final any act pass
ed for the purpose of hOodwinking our
people in the attempt to catch votes in
| a political contest. Let us stand united
in our req 1eSJ for equal and exact JUS
tlce upon all subjects affecting our
status as citizens, and net be satisfied
with any ab0rIive attempt to please us
| when we know it IS done for the pnr-
pose of binding us TO the true intent OF
the same.
Believing that the good sense of the
coored people of Ohio is such as will
not be satisfied with any such shallow
pretense of friendship as evidenced in
in the passage of the act alluded to we
urge ali to stand true to the friends who
stand by us and be true to the race.
[Signed Graham Dewelt, Springfield
o.; c. l.. Maxwell, Xenia, o.; Walter s
Thomas, Delaware, o., committee.