Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1907-02-01
Legal Rights Of the Negro.

+ E Under the law these people pos
sess every right that white men have
as far as the constitution confers
rights, and the fifteenth amendment
expressly forbids the enactment OF
any law which shall discriminate In
voting on account of race or color
Large numbers Of these Negroes are
disfranchised at this time, but these
laws are only temporary and work
no cure, and In the near future
enough Negroes will be able to vote
to make inevitable the struggle for
mastery between the racess."
A short while ago q few congress
men were discussing the ability of
the Negro to govern, and they decid.
ed he was unable to do SO. called
their attention to little town in
Iowa called Buxton" six or seven
years old with C,O00 Inhabitants, a
goodly portion white, governed en-.
tirely by Negroes. They have mixed
schools and mixed teachers. They
also have the best equipped Y. M. c.
A. among Negroes in the United
States and one of the best governed
towns In the state. So well governed
is this town that the use of a Jail
Is not known. told the gentlemen
that that was a great thing to say
Of a state having less illiteracy than
any other state in the Union. It's IL
literacy being only 2 per cent. 1
asked them how this blending could
be without race friction. They never
answered the question. Then / told
them 1t was because both races were
trying to do the thing that is ri yht.
The response was, 4 guess that is
so" The following article will show
how our, friends seek trouble when
we are peaceable.
This statement, is trIes 4. s8
Washington Record, January 1S.
Representative James O'Hanlon
Patterson Of the Beaufort, s. c. dis
trict, says that he came near figuring
in an unpleasant incident at the
House restaurant. Mr.. Patterson ell
tered the restaurant at the lunch
hour when the place was crowded.
Seated at one Of the tables was a
very dark skinned colored man and
a couple of white women of apparent
refinement and respectability: The
latter were chatting with the colored
brother In the most friendly fashion,
and apparently treating him as an
equal. Mr.. Patterson states that he
was amazed at the sight He called
a waiter and asked him who the in
terloper was. The waiter said that
he was q minister from Boston, and
that he came in with the ladies.
my first impulse said the repre-
sentative from the palmetto state, in
speaking of the matter afterwards,
"was to go over and interview that
Boston clergyman, as it was a prac-
tical demonstration of the social
equality Of the races that grated on
me and ! was mad clear through.
However, refrained by an effort,
from making an unseemly exhibition
of, myself and sought the manager
of the restaurant for an explanation.
To my astonishment he told me that
the portion of the restaurant set
aside for the general public was free
to anybody who wished to be served,
regardless Of color, and that he was
rowerless to prevent such an exhibi,
ton of social equality as that which
so enra ged me.
Boston may tolerate such things
but they are calling to those who
know how prone the Negro is to take
an ell If he is given an inch of en-
couragement in the matter Of social
equality. Such an incident could
never happen in South Carolina