Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
C0LORED ATTORNEYS.
Two Admitted Yesterday to Practice
in Common Pleas No. 1.
FIRST IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY,
How the Color Line Was Drawn After q
Bitter Fight in 1867
NO OBJECTION WAS RAISED THIS TINE

The first colored attorneys in Allegheny
county were admitted to the bar yesterday.
Their names are w. M Randolph and j.
Wilfred Holmes. ExJudge Fetterman
recommended their admission, and there
was not a dissenting voice. They are both
bright young men of good education and
thorough law training. Holmes was
candidate six months ago, but failed
through lack of knowledge of
Pennsylvanis law. He is not yet
80 His home is in Baltimore, Maryland,
where he is member of the court corre-
spending to the Supreme Court in this State.
When he failed at the last examination, he
did not become discouraged, but pluckily
settled down to hard work in the law Ii
brary. He has become acquainted with al
most every member of the bar, and on ac-
count of his color as well as his diligence Is
in fair way to get good practice.
Randolph comes from New York where
he practiced eight years. He is not 50 we'll
known as Holmes, but is well recommended.
He is graduate of the Albany Law School.
Besides experience, he has natural shrewd-
ness to carry him through, and has the start
to become close rival of Holmes. They
will establish offices at once and will make
an effort to see that they have the handling
of fjustice for Allegheny county's colored
population.
Discussing Their Colored Brethren.
The fact that they had colored brethren
was the principal subject of discussion
among attorneys yesterday. To the older
members of the bar it recalled a bitter
fight in 1867, when on a certain Saturday
every lawyer in the county was asked by
the Court to express an opinion on the
propriety of admitting to practice colored
man named Vashon, who, just in the midst
of prejudice against the black man, had
the audacity to ask for admission to the bar.
Vashon was the son of Pittsburg barber.
He was well educated, intelligent and
seemed to have all the qualifications for e1-
pounding Blackstone, but he was black, and
in 81 that was q serious offense. Judge
Sterrett was on the bench and called for a
meeting of the bar to discuss the question.
Every member turned out and for several
hours the iveliest session the Allegheny
county bar has ever known was held. A tech
nicality that the applicant hadno complied
with the rules was raised, but it was only
for a pretense, and in the heat of the meet
ing was soon dropped for the discussion of
the ''nigger" pro and con.
Thomas Bayne was his champion. He
claimed there was no reason whatever for
refusing him admission, and asserted that it
was a Democratic scheme. Colonel Kerr
and John H. Bailey took the other side. It
was claimed that while the United States
had made the negro a citizen, the State of
Pennsylvania had not yet done so. A deci-
81 1T T,,l, ro&a II ~
road case in which it was held that white
people had the right to discriminate against
colored people by compelling them to ride
in car by themselves.
Shutting tho Negro Out
If negroes could be kept out of the white
mans car, it was argued that he could be
refused admission to the white mans bar.
M. Marshall claimed the negro
was ci 'izen, and could become lawyer if
he complied with the rules. Hon. James
II. Hopkins thought this particular appli-
can't had not complied with the rules. He
was Chairman of the Democratic
County Committee at that time and
argued that Vashon had complied with
the rules as closely as the majority of
white men. He stated that the whole ques-
ton was one of color, and from that time to
the end of the meeting the color line was
the one discussed. The Court did not give
3 decision that day, but afterward refused
admission without stating the grounds.
Vashon then went to Washington and Is
now practicing attorney in the capital
city. He was the only colored man who
applied for admission to the Allegheny
county bar until yesterday.
Besides Randolph and Holmes the follow
ng young men were admitted yesterday,
They were sworn in in Common Pleas Court
No. 1: L. Griffin, Joseph R. McCance,
Leon j. Long, H. M. Scott, L. j. Graham,
]. c. Force, James NJ Jarvis, w. P. Carter
Ind T. G. Noble.