Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-04-30
"NEGROES AND STREET-CARS,,

LIE IeiCuIuOuu, Nd.s NEWS LEADER
has been quite liberal in its views with
reference to the citizen of color.
Some of its utterances would have
made good reading in the columns of
some of our own journals. But evident
" the Negro hating department. was
not working smoothly or the manager
must have been away on his vacation
and left no one in charge capable of
Willy ing and abusing us.
Be that as it may, it is running all
right now and its editorial utterances in
its issue of the goth inst. entitled
Negroes and Street cars" would have
done credit to the Richmond Dispatch
during the palmiest days of Readjuster
Rule. 1t said:
The conflict that has arisen here
over the seating of the races in the
street-cars is an illustration as vivid as
we could find of the perpetual conflict
we may look for while the experiment
of keeping two distinct races of people
on the same territory and in contact and
competition with each other. The
street railway company is subjected TO
tremendous pressure from the white
people 20 take advantage of this new
law and separate the races in the cars as
far as possible. Obeying this strong
public demand. it is confronted with the
indignation anu resistance of the Ne
groes and with an attempted boycott of
1t by all the representatives of that race
in the city"
We have enquired carefully as to the
source of this tremendous pressure
from the white people" and the street.
railway officials admit that it is from
people outside, rather than those inside
of Richmond, and that this species of
race legislation is confined to the
legislature of Virginia.
There is no conflict between the white
and colored people of this city. 1t seems
however, that General Manager HUFF
and his associates are trying to raise the
issue and make such a conflict, but both
races are directing.
AS to the extent of the disposition of
the colored people TO walk, person has
only to use his eyes and note the remark
able falling off in the patronage of the
street-cars by the colored people of this
city. They are staying off the cars and
avoiding trouble, aud as result white
people only are being carried to the
Police Court and fined for violating
street-car regulations.
Our people walked before the street.
cars were established here. In fact
they did most walking for the white
folks whose servants they were. We
certainly are able to walk now that we
are. in legal sense at least, our own
masters.
When we get tired walking, we have
our own bus lines. owned by Mr. A d.
PRICE, Mr.. w. ISAAC JOHNSON, Mr..
A. HAYES and others while their
carriages are among the best in the city.
Hundreds of colored men have furniture
wagons and drays and the hearses
can be utilized with the side glasses
taken out.
The NEws-LEADER charges the
trouble up to race antagonism and re-
marks:
"In that antagonism the matter OF
clothes or manners or comparative intel
igence Is not considered. The daintiest
and most exclusive white woman has
not the slightest objection to :cupying
seat in a car with The humblest white
man. provided he Is reasonably cleanlv,
decent. sober and well-behaved She
does object and her friends object TO her
occupying a seat with the best dres. d.
best behaved and most intelligent Negro
man in the City, and her feeling is
shared all along the social scale dowa TO
the poorest and most obscure white
woman"
From where did the white gentleman,
who wrote that editorial come? Is it
possible that he does not know that the
antipathy 10 which he refers exists in
only what is usually termed the 'poor
white trash?" People who came from
nothing and are bound for the same
stationl If he did not know it. why is
it that he does not go to Franklin street
in this city III the afternoons and look
at the most accomplished and beautiful
white ladies in this country of charm
ing manners and graceful mien sitting
by the side of Negro drivers, who know
their places and who never think for a
moment of presenting that their pres
ence is noticed otherwise than in a
mental capacity.
What is true on the public streets is
equally so IN the homes.
Negro servants go to and fro knowing
at at the side of a person does
disturb the social and
II iSs