The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-27


whoever Shall entice said apprentice
from his master or mistress, or furnish
food or clothing to him or her, without
said consent, shall be fined in a sum not
exceeding $500"
These laws were framed with malignant
cunning, so as not to be limited in spe-
cific form of words to the negro race
but they were exclusively confined to that
race in their execution.
IN Florida the laws resembled those of
in their a 6fhps sf fSer
might be hired out for full twelve months
ana the money arising from his labor,
III case the man had no wife and chill
dren, was directed to be applied for THE
dement, of the orphans and poor of the
country, although the negro had been
deciared vagrant because he had no
visible means of support and was there
toras quite as much in need Of the avails
OF MS labor as those to whom the law
diverted them
Among the curious enactments of that
state was one to establish and organ
lie a criminal court for each county,
empowered to exercise jurisdiction in the
tflaI and punishment of all offenses,
where the punishment did not affect the
lie of the offender 1t is obvious that
the law was originated mainly for the
punishment of the negroes, and to ex-
pedlte its work it was enacted that in
the proceedings of said court no pre-
sentiment, indictment or written plead
ing shall be required, but it shall be
sufhcient to put the party accused upon
facts are plainly set forth with reason
able certainty in the warrant of arrest
IL was further provided that where fines
We're imposed and the party was unable
to pay them, "the county commissioners
may hire out at public outcry the said
party to any person who will take him
Tor the shortest time and pay the fine
imposed and the cost of prosecution"
The fines thus paid went in the county
treasury for the general expenses of the
county. The law was thus cunningly
contrlYed to hurry the negro into an
odlous form of slavery and to make the
earnings which came from his hard la
Dor pay the public expenses, which were
1eg1t1mately chdrgeable upon the prop
erty of the county.
accompanying the act establishing this
court was a law prescribing additional
penalties for the commission of offenses
against the state and this like the for
mer, was framed especially for the ne
gro Its hrSt section provided that
where the punishment of an offense had
hitherto been limited to fine or impris-
onment, there should be superadded as
an alternative the punishment of stand
ing III the pillory for one hour, or whip
ping not exceeding thirty-nine Iashes on
the bare back The latter punishment
was reserved expressly for the negro.
Under the provisions of another Florida
law ANY negro attempting to keep arms
OF any kind was to be deemed guilty of
mlsdeIneanor, compelled to forfeit the
arms for the use of the informer, stand in
the pilforyp land be pelted by the mob)
s.fop one hour and then whipped with
tb1rtyznIlle lashes on the bare back" The
same penalty was prescribed for any per
sen ofscolor who shall intrude himself
into any religious or other public assem-
Dly OF white persons, or into any railroad
car Or vehicle set apart for the accom-
modatl Of white persons"
South Carolina enacted that ''no per-
son of color shall pursue the practice,
art, trade or business of an artisan, me.
ehaniciior shopkeeper, or any other trade
Or employment, besides that of husband
Fys orthat of a servant under contract
for labor until he shall have obtained a
License from the judge of the district
court, which license shall be good for only
one year" If the license was granted to
the negro to be a shopkeeper or peddIer,
he was compelled to pay $100 a year for
IT, and II he wished to pursue the rudest
mechanical calling he was compelled to
pay $40 year No such fees were exact
ed from the white man.
AT the very moment when the Thirty
ninth congress was assembling to consid-
er the condition of the South
ern states and the whole sub
ject of their reconstruction. it was
found that a bill was pending i'll the leg
islature of Louisiana providing that
every adult freedman or woman shall
furnish themselves with a comfortable
home and visible means of support within
twenty days after the passage Of this
act and that any freedman or woman
Failing TO obtain home and support as
thus provided, "shall be Immediately ar
parish or by the police officer in any city
or town in said parish where said freed.
man may be, and by them delivered to-
the recorder of the parish and by him
hired out by public advertisement to some
citizen, being the highest bidder, for the
remainder of the year. And in case the
laborer shall leave his employers service
without his consent che shall be arrested
and assigned to labor on Some public
works without compensation until his
employer reclaims him.
= The citations just given are samples of
what was done on that line In each one
of the slave states during that very short
period of. time. And vet, with these glar-
ing examples of injustice, untaIrnesss and
oppression, the constitutions upon which
those states We're reconstructed and re-
admitted to the Union, and which the
colored man helped to make Were the
had. They imposed no disabilities upon
the eX-master; they breathed no spirit of
lex talioniS founded on the bitter eXpe-
rienees through which they had come.
The heart of love and the mind brimfu
of common sense, which had made them
loyal and true to the sacred trust put in
their hands during four sapguinary years
of interneclne strife, While the master
with them in this new and untried work
in which SWiftly-moying events had
made them actors.
They might have been unlettered and in
a measure crude; they might have, been
without experience and without skill; but
they were not unjust and reven2eful;
they sought to put around no man such
shackleS as would forever obStruct his
course and degrade his manhood They
helped to make constitutions dedicated to
liberty and for the protection of a free
people; their handiwork was for progress
aIAi enlightenment prosperity and COM
fort, under which all men could live and
enjoy life. H. 5.