Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-04-25
RACE PREJUDlCES.


Ihoaehts saxgestod By Resent Disturb
ances In an Ohio Town.
Another serious outbreak of race
prejudice is reported from Ohio. New
Richmond, q town of 5, 900 inhabitants
in Clermont County. has about 700
white school-children to 800 black.
After the repeal of the ssblack laws"
two years ago. and the consequent
throwing open of the public schools of
the State to children of both races on
equal terms, the negroes of New
Richmond were persuaded to have
their children kept in separate rooms.
and thus virtually allow the old line
of distinction to be maintained. But
one negro. James Ringold, decided to
insist upon his rights, and sent his
children into room occupied by
white children. The little negroes
were abused and made miserable in
every way, and finally Ringold APP
pealed to the courts to protect him
and them, suing the superintendent of
schools and thirteen prominent citizens
for s., damages. The Circuit
Court decided in his favor, giving
him one cent and costs. This showed
the negroes generally that they could
legally send their children into the
rooms occupied by white children,
and they did so on Friday. Great ex-
element resulted. and SO much
disgust was expressed that the
school board closed the schools
for the remaining three months of the
school year, as the only way out of
the difficulty. The situation is thus
described in a dispatch to the Times:
This has been one of the most ex-
citing Sundays the place has ever
known. The streets have been
crowded all day. ALI other topics
were forgotten. Ministers counseled
rorbearance, and wise heads attempted
to calm the impetuous. Each side
processes to fear violence from the
other. All the teachers will sue for
their salaries for the remainder of the
term. and costly litigation. if nothing
else. is sure to follow. There is a
prospect that mandamus will be
asked for in the morning to compel
the school board to reopen the
schools
These outbreaks OF race prejudice
in Ohio. for the New Richmond in
cident is only the latest in q long
series, may well be associated with
the alarm now felt by the intelligent
and well-to-do white citizens of
Topeka, Kan, lest their city shall be
bankrupted by the votes of the poor
and ignorant negroes, who fiocked
thither few years ago. and. with the
unanimous protest of the whole Repub-
llcan press last winter against the pro-
posed admission of New Mexico as a
State. because of the ignorance of the
white inhabitants of that Territory
ignorance not so dense nor widespread
as that which prevails among the
blacks in Southern States. All these
incidents serve to illuminate the
Southern problem, and they ought to
show the most partisan the need of
charity. Hereafter, when we hear of
some abuse OF a Southern negro by q
Southern white, let us recall how ne
gro children have been treated by
whites in more than one Ohio town;
when we find Southern whites COM
planning that the unrestricted rule
of the blacks would involve the COM
munity in financial ruin. let US think
of Topeka's complaint; when we are
told by Southern Democrats that the
control of Southern State by its ma
jority OF ignorant blacks would be in
tolerable, let us remember that the
Republican party of the North refused
to allow the majority of ignorant
whites in New Mexico share in the
government of the Union because such
an idea was intolerable.- IN. Y. Post.