Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-08-17

E DF turning the state into "a railroad
( less Alabama. There are I'm this
country 100000 miles of railroad.
/ operated by corporations that any
/ one of 10000 politicians will tell
YOU hold an the SO.000.0o0 and odd
of us in a condition of peonage. Al
ALBANIA. and Arkansas. too. likewise
/ North Carolina. are weary OF the
|thing and have taken steuE to make
/ it Improbable 90 operate railroads
within their limits. Thus the day
/ OF Jubilee is but q little way ahead
and the yoke of the railroads viii
/ be lifted"
10 continues:
"Tbe Post is not lawyer enough to
/ say whether state has the right to
Inuliiy any clause of section %. Arti-
I Gle Ill.,. of the Constitution of the u
uite3 States by iudirection. The
/ law or Alabama requires a foreign
/ corporation Co abdicate it's rights nm
/ der the constitution before it can Doe
/ licensed Co operate "a railroad I'm that
state This S. meat for the supreme
Court. and the sooner that tribunal
/ sits down to &c the better for Alabama
land the railroads.
We hope that every colored person
1 i'm the United States. who can read
and digest these propositions viii
take note OF this one. Here is the
vital issue that has been embraced
in every effort of our people to Sc
cure their political rights under the
provisions of the Fifteenth Amend
ment TO the Constitution of the Unit
ca States The laws of every South
ern State that has enacted suffrage
Nesislatiou $50 as TO affect the citizen
.of color require the citizen to- give
lup his right 90 vote. I'm order for
him 90 reside within it's confines and
this is done by ndirection and i'm
violation of that constitutional pro-
vision which declares that no person
shall Doe denied the right TO vote on
account of race. color or previous con
.dition of servitude. The Post de-
'clarcs that "this is meat for the SUI
|preme Court. and the sooner that
/ tribunal sits down TO &c the better
for Alabama and the railroads"
This has been our contention AN OF
these years.
The issue places the United States
Supreme Court go a most embarrass
.ing predicament for this is the very
issue chat 60 has avoided passing up
ION whenever the attorneys for the
citizens of color have presented Sc
for it's consideration. It SIS now face
90 face with "a condition of affairs
that So ignored. Tho success attend
ing the efforts of the Southern
States ina their combat with Ne
groes has led them TO seek higher
game and employ similar tactics i'm
bringing it to earth.
The confscation of the Negroes
rights has led to- the connscation of
the white mans property The peck
let nerve is extremely sensitive and
now the ablest attorneys i'm the u
nited States viii rally in clusters to
force from the sphinxes at Washing
ton a decision upon this aI-impor-
tant question. They will accomplish
In a few months what the Negroes
.of the country have not been able
ITO bring about in forty years. The
principle. however, is the same and
our people must necessarily profit as
a result OF this most remarkable le-
gal movement.
The Post, speaking FOR the north
ern capitalist and fnancier and voic-
Ing the hope of the Southern busi-
ness man and developer Of the
.South's resources, says:
II the railroad mileage Of Alaba-
ma were double what il is, the
transportation facilities of that State
would not be equal TO those enjoyed
by the people of Indiana No State is
more abundantly endowed by nature
than Alabama Soil and climate are
all that could be desired. Her noun
tains and hills are full Of iron, coal,
and stone. Birmingham is one Of
the marvels of American energy and
the product of railroads. The north
ern part of the State should abound
in manufacturing cities, aggregating
millions of inhabitants, busy in the
hives OF industry. All that is lack
ing is for the corporations and the
people TO practice justice in their
mutual intercourse and be friends.
And friends they would be If it,
were as odious for politicians to
practice demagogy in Alabama as i'll
now is for corporations TO operate
railroads in that State. no other
section Is so sorely in need of more
and better roads as the South. II is
blind, fatuOus folly for the South
70 discourage the railroad business.
but that is what the South is doing,