Richmond planet., 1898-10-08
The Injustice Of the Law.
SEPARATION THE CAUSE OF THE EVIL.
NO SUCH THING AS PRESERVATION OF THE
RACE TYPE-THE INTERMINGLING
OF RACES.

Mr.. T. Thomas Fortune, under the
caption of the "Separatist Legislation
Humbug" in the New York AGE Of
September 29thssyi:
"There were those at the Rochester
Conference who were very much exer-
cised in their inteilectuals and nervous
organism because Mr.. Fortune made q
square issue Of his membership of the
conference of his presiding over it on
the direct question of admitting Hon.
John II SmYth of Virginia TO member
ship of the conference after Mr..
Smyth's open and shameful declsra-
tion that he did not believe in mixed
schools and mixed marriages, on the
specious and untenable plea that Re
believes in the preservation OF the Ne
gro race type, and all that sort Of rot (;
but we are sure that on sober reflec
ton there will be substantial agree
ment that Mr.. Fortune was right and
consistent in his attitude and action,
even as the conference voted Mr..
Smyth od the floor of the conference
hall.
Az INSULT TO APPEAR.
1t is an insult for any Afro-American
to appear in 8 race assembly of honest
men and women and unblnshingly de-
clare that he believes in the two evils
which arc the very bases of all our civ
il disability and moral degradation,
and the offense is doubly aggravating
when the assembly is made up not on
ly of faithful men and women of the
race but of faithful white men and
women of the character of Miss Susan
B. Anthony, who were fighting for
for q IN oil dfr00ffnne
before Mr.. Smyth was born.
THE SEPARATE SCHOOL QUESTION.
Take the separate school question
1t embodies the inception and conc ate
nation of all the separate civil sIegisla.
| tion under which the race stsggers and
| which makes its citizenship in many
| States of the Union a simple farce
The man who endorses the separate
| school infamy must perforce endorse
| all the other parts Of the separate ma.
| chinery OF legislation which weights
down the race. There is no escape
| from the re ductio al absurdum. We
| do not propose thai Mr. Smyth and
| those who think es be does shall es.
| cape from the illogicality and the
infamy of this aspect of the contention
i THE SEPARATE MAhklAdE LAWS
Then take the separate marriage
laws: Who will deny that they are uot
at the very bottom of most of the i'm
morality which demoralizes our WON
anhoOd, which is left without redress
| in law or public opinion while white
| scoundrelism is not only relieved of iti
legal responsibility for the honest sup
| port of the progeny Of its libertinisn
| but is unwhipped of public opinion fol
| it's moral debasement. Any restraint
upon the free operations of the affec
| tions which is not general ia character
| is immoral in purpose. Separate mar
| rage laws are of this character and il
| is impossible to make anything else o.
! them.
THE WHITE LIBERTINE SHIELDED.
They shield the white Iibertine but
] leave the black victim naked indeed
| To favor the existence of such laws foI
| whatever reason cannot be defended
/ upon any ground whatever; surely nc
upon the ground of race integration
| advanced by Mr.. SmYth and those who
think as he does, white or black, be-
cause the Federal Constitution works
| directly and irresistibly for homogene-
ity OF citizenship, however much GER
tain of the State constitutions work in
| the opposite direction and in conflict
with the Federal Constitution. for any
State law which strikes at the roots oil
| citizenship, the home, must conflic
with the fundamental law defining cit
izenship.
NO PRESERVATION OF THE RACE TYPE.
As far as preserving the Negro rae,
type is concerned, under the opera
tions Of separate marriage laws, lie
Mr., Smyth go through the country, o.