The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-23
PROF. LANGSTON SPEAKS.
On the Legal Status of the Colorod
Man-Authorities
TOPROYE THAT HE VOTED BEFORE
The Civil Rights Bill Was Passed..An
eloquent Colorcd Man Informs Ills
Race orsome Not Very Well Known
Facts...Thc Colorcd Man n Voter.

A moderate sized, audience greeted
Hon. John NJ. Langston at G. A. r.
hall last night. The speaker, the theme
and tho eloquent manner OF Its prcsen.
tation were worthy OF much larger
audience, but those who were present
made sup for lack Of numbers by album
dant we'll merited applause. 1t was
fully nine o'clock before tho speaker
arrived, and the audience. getting i'm.
patient, was kept in good humor by tho
music of Dimmey's orchestra. Prof.
Langston was introduced by Prof. ].
MoHenry Joues.
Promising his remarks with the state
ment that he well knew tho sacredness
OF tho occasion, in that they wcro on
gagged in celebrating the birth OF the
father OF his country, and that he knew
the place was sacred, because there as
sembled there men. who endangered
their lives for the perpetuation OF the
free institutions OF our country, the
speaker referred to tho statement SO
often made, that this is white mans
country and white mans government,
and thai ut one time negroes had no
rights that white men were bound TO
respect. He dwclt on the recent at
tempt made in Virginia to make colored
people rido in separate cars, and tho
defeat OF tho proposed law in Demo-
cratic caucus. He spokorof tho Tonnes
see law, which has established ''jim
crow" cars for colored people, and which
compels the colored man who has
bought first class ticket in Washing
ton to vacate his seat and
ENTER A "JrM GROW" CAR
assoon as he crosses the Tennessee line.
Why was this treatment? tho speaker
asked, and then proceeded to show that
it was from q misunderstanding OF the
legal rights possessed by tho negro.
''We ourselves" said Prof. Langston,
"don't understand our legal standing.
People tell us: You didn't amount to
anything before the war. 1t was the
war and the amendments to the consti-
tuition that endowed you with political
life And We thank Charles Sumner
and Abraham Lincoln and the Republi-
can party for what they did for us, and
We never think OF the great worthless of
the Revolution, OF the men who drafted
the great bill OF rights and uttered the
words, All men are born FREQ and
equal We are accustomed to think OF
Washington, Jefferson and Madison rs
great Shareholders, interested against
us, but they were the ones who admit
ted the possession OF political rights by
colored men,"
1t was the speakers theory that it
was not the thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth amendments to the constitu-
ton that established the political rights
OF his race, but that they only sanctioned
beyond doubt what the negroes had
always possessed, the right OF citizen
ship. In the days of Washington, he
said. the negroes had political rights
and this fact was taught by the general
and political history and in tho laws OF
the country. His claim was that a
negro free, whether emancipated or
born freeman, had the right to vote.
He instanced the opinions of Writ and
Legare to the contrary, and then adj
duced the following authorities to bear
out his assertion: Hon. William
CASTOR, in pronouncing the opin-
OF North Carolina, A. D. 1885, in the
case OF the state VS.. Manuel, n free col
ored man, sentenced to be scourged at
the whipping post, said:
According 10 the laws OF this state
North Carolina) all the human beings
within it, who are not slaves, fall with
in one of two classes. Before our
revolution all free persons born within
the dominlons of the king OF Great
Britain, whatever their color or COM
plexion, were native born British sub
jects-those born out OF his allegiance
were aliens. Slavery did not exist in
England, but it did in the British col
onies. Slaves were not, in legal par
lance, persons, but property. The mo-
mcnt the incapacity, the disqualifica-
tion OF slavery was removed,
THEY BECAME PERSONS,
and were then either British subjects
or not British subjects, according as
they were or were not born within the
allegiance OF the British king. Upon
the Revolution no other change took
place in the laws OF North Carolina
than was consequent upon the transi-
ton from colony dependent on an
European king to free and sovereign
state. Slaves remained slaves, British
subjects in North Carolina became
North Carolina freemen; foreigners un-
til made members OF the state, remained
aliens; slaves manumitted here became
freemcn, and, therefore, if born within
(. North Carolina are citizens OF North
Carolina, and all free persons born
within the state are born citizens OF the
state. The constitution extended the
elective franchise to every freeman who
had arrived at tho age OF twenty-one
and paid public tax and it is matter
OF public notoriety that, under it, free
persons, without regard to color, claim.
ed and exercised the franchise until il
was taken from freemcn OF color few
years since by our amended constitu.
ton"
Chancellor Kent in his commentaries
says:
'Citizens, under our Constitution and
laws, mean FREQ inhabitants, born
within the United States or naturalized
by tho laws OF Congress. If slave
born in the United States be manumit-
ted or otherwise legally discharged from
bondage, or il black man DO born
(. within the United States, and born free
he becomes thenceiorward a citizen. =
Justice Curtis, OF the United States
supreme court, in his dissenting opin
ion in the famous bred Scott case
uses these words: Al the time OF the
ratification Of these articles OF conied.