The Portland daily press., 1891-08-07
The Color Line,

The contention which has arisen in the
Grand Army over the status Of colored post;
In the South is one which seemed inevitable
and one which can never be settled who'll,
to the satisfaction Of either party. Although
this question of the color line is very OLD
one, we think its consideration is still an
preached from wrong standpoint by mos,
people in the South and many people in the
North. Too many fail to make the bread
distinction between social privileges and
what are called civil rights. Northern peo-
PIE believe that the negro, being a citizen Of
our country, should have the rights of a
citizen; and in this belief they are right. in
the light OF the present and in the light Of
all time. But among the rights Of a citi-
zen" are no guarantees of social equality,
and no reasons why the negro should be in
vited to the white mans table or marry into
his family. Many candid northern people
will 60 farther than this and take tie ground
with justice we think, that there is no in.
fringement of the rights of a citizen" liz
having different schools for white and colored
children, provided the schools for the one
race be as good as for the other. These mat
questions of rights" SO long as the one race
is granted as fair facilities for the enjoy
ment Of life, liberty and happiness as the
other. The confounding of social privileges
and civic rights Is very old. 1t fourished
most when the copperhead used to meet the
arguments of the anti-slavery agitator with
the question, would you want your daugh-
ter to marry Niger" AS if, because q
man was ineligible In matrimony, he should
therefore be worthy only of slavery! II we
turn from the North to the South, we find
this confusion Of ideas very much worse
The southern people are positive that they
do not want their daughters to marry ne
groes, that they do not want to associate
with colored people socially. nd that they
do not want their children to attend school:
where there are also colored pupils. And in
this respect they find sympathy in the North
But the southerners do not stnp here. Be-
cause the negro is not pleasing to them as q
social being, they also wish to deprive him
of bis rights as citizen. making no dis.
tinction between social privileges and civil
rights. The North insists, too, that such a
policy is not right. 1t Is not humane to the
negro and 1t is not fair to the rest of the
country. One reason why the South insists
so vehemently in denying to the negro politi-
cal rights Is undoubtedly on account of the
sensitiveness Of large portion Of the white
population. When the case is considered
candidly it must be admitted that a large
portion of the poor whites of the South are
hardly more cultivated, more thrifty, OF
H. fhnp thA
races living side by side are so nearly on a
level. the danger of a condition of social
equality may not be so remote las people In
the North would consider 1t. People at the
North laugh at the idea of social equality
with any race which they consider less ad
vanced, because northern people are so well
educated and have advanced to such a de,
gree of cultivation that they feel assured Of
the ability Of their society to maintain Its
own standard and dignity. But certain
class of whites Of the South. who have been
degraded by contact with slavery, do moi
feel this self-confdence. Therefore they al
tempt to enforce state Of civic inequality in
order that 1t may serve as barrier against
social equality. Hence the confusion OF
ideas which exists somewhat, even In the
North, is assisted in the South by the pres
sure of self interest. The Southern Grand
Army men do not belong to the class who
fear social equality will be brought about by
civil rights. They want the negro to have
the rights of citizenship. But they do moi
want to be obliged to associate with him in
their Posts. AS the negroes can have all the
privileges Of the Grand Army in Posts OF
their OVID, 1t is hard to see in what way the
demand OF the southern white members is
unreasonable. The United States govern
men1 never has. and does not to day, mingle
' mn,.e ana colored soldiers in its army organ
lLa.lons' with the exception that white Off
GERS are put over colOred commands. But the
coiolea soldier receives the same pay and has
an equal chance with the white soldier
IL Is as much part Of our national treodoa,
that men in their social affairs shan cboOsa
their own associates, as that all cItI1ars
in civic affairs have equal chances r Taa'l
are two ideas involved in the ones,,on nei :.
color which must be kept distinct n ina. o., o.
Is to be done on both sides, JUSTICE