The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-10-08
NO MINED MARRIAGES.
The Convention Sat Down on Bob
Smalls-Thc Negroes Pressed the
White Delegates to the Wall

| tne convention TOOK up Tor COnsidcru
tion the Smalls resolution, which
added to the section prohibiting the
marriage of white person with q
negro blood, the provision that an,
white man cohabitinE with II neg re
woman be disfranchised, that theii
offspring should be legiJimatized and
allowed to inherit property.
| Mr.. Aldrich moved to strike out the
entire section and indefinitely post.
pone all amendments to it. He said
that the convention had already
wasted Il great deal OF time discussing
questions that had no place in the &C
stitution. This, among otherS.gsj- 4
matter purely for statutory reIeIution
| Is miscegenation more hcV16us than
any other crime? If you Regulate one
crime in the constitution yhy not all !:
Shere IS no PUBLIC da.S-1ind for this
crime TO be especially considered now.
MIR. Wigg (colorod) agreed that this
matter had no place in the cOnstitu-
tion, but it was wrong in the first
place to bring this section in as an
insult to the colorcd people Of the
State, and he was glad that it had
come home TO roost to the white Dco-
pie. He went on TO say that while
visiting Chicago he had seen a fine
two livericd white men on the box.
In it sat Il white woman and bv her
side a negro as black as the ace of
spades. This did not horrify anybody
and was an every day occurrence in
the North and West. He went on To
say that the sentiment of love was
placed in man Dy God Almightv, and
if white man married u negro woman
no man dared to put them asundcr.
Mr.. Johnstonc said that the real
purpose of the amendment offered by
the Beaufort delegates was to allow
negroes to marry white women and to
compel this white convention to urant
their amendment or put them in an
embarrassing position He for one
was not in favor, positively and en-
phatically, of being driven into any
such position.
Mr.. SmallS denied that any such
thing was ever intended. He was as
much opposed to intcrmurriawc as nnv
man.
Mr. JOhnstonc continuing said that
God Almighty never intended the
marriage Of II white man and an Afri-
can, and he moved TO lay all amend
ments to the section on the table.
Tom Miller said that he was per-
fcctly willing to keep the races apart
as far as marriage relation is con
cerned. He never wanted such IL
thing
Mr. JohnStonc, in order to avoid the
possible suppositon that he WAS max
ing an exception, withdrcm his motion
to table so as to allow Senator Tillman
to speak, although be thought the
subject had been sufficiently discussed.
MIR. b. II. Tilman believed shat if
an indiscrcet act had been committed,
the gentleman from l5arnwcll Mr.
Aldrich) was responsible for it in try
ing to obliterate section b. The qucs-
tiOn was here: should wO not meet it
like men? Whether the committee
was wise In bringing in the section he
would not say. If we pass Il law max
ing it unlawful for intcrmarriagc Of
the races, we cannot in common Justice
refuse to punish Il white man for de-
bduching IL negro woman. He oifcroj
this amendment and substitutes the
amendment to follow section 81 "And
the parties to such marriage, upon
conviction, shall be punished as the
general assembly mayprc5cribe.'
Section 30. Any white person who
shall live and cohabit with negro or
mulatto, or person who shall t&yo any
negro blood, shall be guilty OF mis-
demeanor, and shall bc punished as
We dare not, said Mr.. Iil.man, pub
lish it broadcast that after this Qucs-
tion has come up wc are afraid to act
upon it.
MI. Johnstonc declared that his mo-
tion was pending, and MIR. TilIman's
amendment was out OF order. 1t was
so held.
Mr.. Sllgh, as chairman, held that
all amendments to the committees IS
section was out OF order: that section
81 referred only to marriages all
amendments dealing with othcr than
the marriage state were no; pertinent
Mr. u. ID. Tillman agreed with Mr..
Sllgh. IEat section had been copied
almost exactly from the Mississippi
constitution, except that in that con:
'titution marriage with persons oi
nore than III negro blood was Pro
| nibltcd. lie could, he said, give
: reasons for this OF Il Scicntilic charac'
ter, but 1T would take too long.
Mr.. Ililman shld That the question
having been presented mere, 1T should
be acted on. Alludlng to the sent
ment at the North, ne declared thai
we knew nothing about IL down here