Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-02-03

/ roo eriecu tnat III IL Dill which
rnfringes upon the rights aud feelings
Of our coiczed citizens An inspection
| OF tae bill, however, will show that IL
does not provide. ss thus suggested,
special cars OF irferior character or
convenience, in which color-d beople
are required 80 travel, but is Simply
requires that the rail road companies
es the State shall furnish separate cars
or compartments for white and colored
passengers and by express provision
It Is enacted that the railroad comps.
MES shall make no difference or dis
criminst'on in the quality, convenience
or accommodation in the care or coach
es or partitions set apart for white and
colored passengers Z"
Mr.. MUSFoRD must have Thought the
coiored people of the state blind az a
bat and as deaf as post" aud unable
TO read either the TRADE OF abuse of
themselves in the Democrats iourn ais
or hear the unehsritabls utterancss Of
the patron of the measure.
The bill was drawn to meet the re-
quirements OF the Law and to conform
to the decisions of the Supreme
Court OF the United States. In this a
virtue was IN sde OF necessity.
The equality Of privileges for the
races is all "moonshine" as every man
who has travelled from North CAROLYN
to Texas knows. The law makes the
accommodation equal aud the railroad
companies proceed to make them uu-
equal whenever the occasion demauds
or the caprice OF their employees re-
Quires.
1t reminds US OF the wooden mt
megs of the var. The label on the
box guaranteed good nutmegs but the
mixing OF the good with bao, required
the skill OF al expert to tell the differ
ence.
it's the same condition as ia now az
listing in the matter of the elective
franchise. No state is allowed to dis.
franchise eolored men on account of
race, or color, so far as the law upon
its statute books go, and yet each and
every southern state DOES this very
teing even though the law provide 8
otherwise.
Tbs only way that a colored mau can
get hrst-clsss accommodations ia for
him to be in the same part OF the car
occupied OF white passengers.
Mr.. MUNFoRD knows as we'll "a wa
do that the EPPs' Bill permits the rail-
road companies to put on q coach for
colored people and in which no white
people win be allowed to ride.
He knows thstit permits the placing
OF coiored passengers in the compart-
ment of the train usually assigned to
smokers.
He knows that those promises of
equality of privileges are "mede to the
ear to be broken to the hope" Mr..
MUSFoRD continusd:
THUS it will be seen that the setp.l
provisions of the bill are no more dis
terminating in their character against
the coloreo people of the State than
| they are against the white"
We have dealt with this phase of
the question. But he gives his case
away when lac says:
1t is legislation in exact accordance
with existing laws which provide sem
arate schools and separate asvlums.
and will doubtless tend to promots
peace and goodwill between the two
races"
Mr. MUNFoRD must know that the
colored and white schools of Virginia
are not equal. He must know that
Discrimination is Observable on every
hillside snd in every city.
The cry OF "Good enough for the
Negroes" is heard from the mountains
to the sea.
! Even the Superintendent of Public
instruction. who stands sw orn to rec.
ognizs the "civil and political equality
of all men before the law has made a
powerful plea in favor of curtailing the
educational privileges of the colored
children of the commonwealth.
Talk not about equality of privileges
IN the schools of the commonwealth.
Mr.. MUNFoRD.
de then cites the provisions by
which the opposition of the railroad
companies were bought of or with
drawn and says:
!, There is one other suggestion-thst
the terms OF the bill are onerous and
oppressive upon the railroad comma
MES, and tend to greatly embarrass
tnem In the discharge OF the duties as
PuDlie carriers. Whatever may have
Deen the provisions of the bill as orig
inally introduced-and with respect TO
which am not sdvised-certainly the
bill as passed by the House, and now
peIoT5 this body for consideration, is
not amenahls 90 this criticism"
he continues:
The bill simply provides that the
railroad companies shall designate the
cars IN which the two races shall be re-
CURED to travel. and permits the con.
ssruction OF compartments in any one
Car Tor this purpose. It further pro-
vld95 that wnen anY coash or cona mart