The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-10
sEGREeATING THE NEGRO.

Inc race problem may be solving
itself by the evolutionary process. as
wise observers assure us 1t must do.
but its path to the ultimate goal is
not without occasional Jars. the latest
one being caused by the movement
for residential segregation in some of
the large southern cities, notably Bal.
timere and Louisville. The council
iof the Maryland city recently passed
an ordinance providing for race seq
Iregation. and the other day the
state court OF appeals affirmed its con-
lstitutionaIity. In Louisville the oues-
ton has been agitated considerably.
ana the idea HI received the endorse
ment of the Louisville Times. The
Baltimore Sun, protesting the kind
Hest sentiments toward the coIored
people of the city. advises them to
accept the situation as fixed by the
i present law and not undertake to keen
aiiye an issue which it is to their
pest interest to remove from the fe,d
tof agitation The New York Even.
ing Post, on the other hand insists
that the legislation is undemocrat;c
ana the Philadelphia Public Ledger
nolds that it is class legislation
4 vioiatiye OF the spirit If not of the Iet.
Ter OF the constitution" 1t is eener
ally predicted that the ordinance will
not be accepted as final by the negroes
untii the supreme court of the TTn;ted
states has passed upon it. The arpu
ment OF the opposition Is summed II,
In an article by Samuel Want IN tbe
Baltimore Evening Sun, from wb;ct
We quote in part
II is settled rule OF decision !,
the United States supreme court ba
lore which the question OF the consti
tutionality of the legislation in nnae
tion VIII come for ultimate determine
tlon, that legislation may be stricke,
Gown as unconstitutional where n
: operation is to deprive persons q
some constitutional right or guaranty
/, even though the language of the en-
actment taken alone. could not b
y held Objectionable.
Applying this principle to the seg
regation legislation the significan
: fact is that its operation-havin re
: gard to the conditions existing in thi
city-it absolutely prohibits negroe
from occupying any of the desirabl
g residential sections of the city. wit
q few insignificant exceptions.
j No real analogy to the segregatio
b legislation can be found in the Law
providing for separate accommod;
p ton for coiored people in schools
"A street cars, and railroad coaches. 70
in ali such cases the very essence {
i The decisions upholding the statute
!, IS that substantially equal or at leas
mcdations are to be provided no
withstanding the separation. while
le the case in hand the essential effe'
of the legislation is to depriTe pc
We ton of the population of the right
re occupy any with rare exceptions1 81
the least desirable sections of the cit
nd The Philadelphia Public Ledger sa.
the ordinance is kind OF sumptual
ng. Legislation" and analogous to u
rit. prohibition laws that have been e
acted In many OF the states Tn
paper thinks that southern cities OF
er than Baltimore have found 1t pc
ian slbie to prevent the invasion of sele
md residential neishborhoods by und
lar- s;raoles, either white or black, wit
oW- cut resorting to discriminatory ena,
men's. the immediate effect of whi
IS 10 aagravate race prejudice" Vie
any ING the problem from a southern star
out aoint' the Charleston News and Co,
Tier says: