The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1892-07-16
SEPARATE CAR LAW.
An Able Article in Reference to That
Great Iniquity. :,

The Afro-Americans are Called Upon to
Arouse From Their Seeming Lethargy
and Make Another Effort to Wipe
out the Obnoxious Law.
Mr.. EDITOR will you kindly allow
me space to express a thought upon a
matter, about which, we all are, or
should be, interested, namely, the ''Sepa-
rate Car Law" of Tennessee, which was
80 strongly assailed and justly denounc-
ed few months ago throughout the
country by strong race loving men and
women, who vowed they would never
ceasa to work and to agitate against this
odious and unjust law, until it was declar-
ed null and void. The Minnesota Civil
Rights Committee which had for. it's
purpose the raising of money for testing
the validity of this law, was formed.
This committee sent out an admirable
address, held numerous meetings and in
various ways appraised the nation of the
outrageous manner in which the Afro
American was being deprived of his
constitutional rights and citizenship.
Great meetings answered the call of the,
committee in St. Paul and elsewhere.
Learned jurists and 'prelates agreed up
ON the unsoundness of the law and
urged the Afro-American to make his
legal fight. Now, what of the hour?
Let US review the work a little. There
has been a little money raised, which,
to my certain knowledge. has been
honestly and judiriously expended for
printed matter. hall rents. etc., and for
attorneys fees in placing the case of S.
z. Hardy upon the court calendar in the
State of Tennessee. Attorney McGhee
informes me that this case is set for the
September term Of the court. Thus far
has the committee gone towards blotting
out this infamous law, and no farther.
am In position to know that the COM
mittee is sorely in need of money to
carry this case to a successful issue.
Some have given their money and much
of their time to this our common cause,
while the public. generally doled out it's
pittance with stingy hand. Shall we
stop here? Shall this accursed law
which says our venerable bishops are no
better than the rowdies and tramps; and,
our cultured, ladylike wives and daugh-
tiers shall be the travelling companions of
the lowest and most degraded of their
sex? 1fyou are willing to accept this as
sound doctrine, or, as good law, I, too,
am willing to admit that our mission is
ended; and, that it was unwise and un-
necessary for US to have complained in
the first place. very much dislike to
continually complain, supplicate, agitate
and harass the public about our denied
rights, but let US stop and reason for
while. For illustrations: Should my
house take fire, would I act wisely in
remaining there quietly moving from
place to place as the heat might drive
me while the flames devoured that
which represented years of my hard toll,
while I would only have to arouse nv
neighbors and they would gladly lend
helping hand to save my property? My
course would be clear to all thinking
men. Now, if sitting still would ex.
tinguished the flames, there would be
wisdom in my inactivity, but if not, the
case Is otherwise. Again, if slavery
could have been abolished without
prayer, without agitation, without the
sacrifice of hundreds of thousands o.
lives and billions of treasure, then the
cause Of the Abolitlonist. was wrong. If
the abolition of slavery could not have
been brought about in anyother wav.
then their cause was right. Can we af.
ford to allow this unjust discrimination
to continue? We claim that we are in
dustrious, industrious people maintain
themselves; we say we are as brave as
other people, brave people assert their
rights; we say we have integrity, will
people with true integrity quietly submit
to subordination? 1 answer, no! This
discrimination in the State of Tennessee
is not directed against individuals, or in
habltants of certain states, but it operates
against every Afro-American who NAV
chance to cross her borders. Now, the
question Kings here. Is the State of
tennessee stronger and more powerful
than the Afro-Americans and their
wealth, the itelligence of Douglass,
Langston. Bruce, Lynch, Smalls, Clark,
Price and hundreds of others of whom
our writer's and speakers are 30 often
pleased to boast? If so we ought to
admit our inferiority and cease clamor-
ing for equal and civil rights. If all one
against alike, that makes
our cause common. Then, if our Afro.
American population would donate one
cent each to the Minnesota Civil Rights
Committee we will knock this internal
law higher than the famous Gilroy'.
kite. Now, word to the committee,
Gentlemen, you should be up and doing
l have met many persons who expresa
themselves as ready and willing to con.
tribute to this cause whenever thew are
called upon to do so. I regard the re-
versal OF this law more important to the
Afro American than the election OF
Benjamin Harrison, or any other man
to the presidency of the United States
Let all Afro-Americans join hands and
get this case out of thu way and we will
then look after politics and other mat.
tors.