Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-30
NEGRO TEACHERS
Color Question Preeipitates Hot Fight
in the House.

Color Question Preeipitates Hot Fight
in the House.
The hottest fight Of the present
session was precipitated in the house
this morning on the passage OF the
Fortner bill prohibiting white people
from teaching in negro schools or
negroes from teaching in white
schools under penalty Of fine not
exceeding $500 or imprisonment for
not more than IL months, says Co
lumbia special Of Tuesday, to the
Spartanburg Herald. The bill was
passed to third reading after battle
royal led by the Charleston delega-
ton.
The measure was amended without
a dissenting vote to make the same
penalty applicable to "the intimacy
of the races In houses Of Ill repute."
Another amendment was passed pro-
hibiting white nurses from working
in negro hospitals. A third amend
ment made the bill inapphcable to the
teaching of the Bible to negroes by
white people.
BY vote Of 50 to 3s, the house
refused to strike out the enacting
words Of the Fortner bill. ~
The vote was as follows:
Ayes-Atkinson, Barnwell. Bethea,
Bolt, Boyd. Brice. Busbee. Charles.
Clement, Courtney, Dantzler, De-
Laughter, Evans, Greer, Hunter, John
ston, Kirk. Lee. Lilies. Lumpkin. Nc
Master, Mcqueen, Means, Melf. Nich-
olson, Pegues, Riddle. Rittenberg, w.
M. Scott, Senseney, Shirley, Smiley.
Thomson, Tindal, vanderhorst c. T.
wyche, Youmans. Zeigier-s8.
Nays-Speaker Smith, Addy, ]. w.
Ashley, M. ]. Ashley. Blackwell. Bow
ers, Browning, Burgess. Cross, Daniel.
Fortner, Friday. lGasque, Goodwin,
Gray, Halle, Hail. Hardin, Harrelson.
Harvey, Holley, Hutson, Irby, James.
Jones, Kelly, Kennedy, Kirby, Ly-
brand, Mcdonald, Miley. Miller,
Mixson, Moore, Moseley, Murray,
Nelson, Odom, Pyatt, Ready, Ri
ley, Robertson, w. 8. Rogers, Jr.,
sapp, w. W. Scott, Sherwood. Stanley,
Strickland, Sturkie, Summers. Walker,
Warren, welch, White. Whitehead,
Wilburn, C. c. Wyche-5s.
The fight over the passage Of the
Fortner bill, taken up out Of Its or
der yesterday at IL o'clock, was OPEN
ed by speeches from Mr.. Fortner. Mr..
J. w. Ashley, and Mr.. James. ell OF
whom urged the passage OF the bill
chiefly on the grounds that white
teachers in negro schools made for
social equality.
Mr.. Lilies of Orangeburg. opposed
the pasasge Of the bin on the grounds
that white men should be allowed to
manage negroes in their schools just
as they managed them In the he'ds.
He said, however, that he would be
in favor of the bill il Il prohibited
white women from teaching in negro
schools. %.
Mr.. Barnwell Of Charleston. In
whose county about SO white women
teach in negro public schools, said
that he attributed the lack OF friction
between the races in the low country
to the fact that the negroes we're
taught by white people early In lie
to respect the white race. Mr.. Barn
we'll opposed the passage Of the Fort
ner bill.
Mr.. Wyche, of Newberry. spoke
against the passage Of the bill. VINO
but the white, he asked, shall teach
the negro his proper position?..
Mr.. White of Clarendon, advocated
the passage of the bill, and Mr.. Van
derhorst of Charleston, opposed 1t.
BY a vote of SO to 38, the house re-
fused to strike out the enacting words
of the bill.
The house refused by vote Of 40
to 40 to agree to the amendment ex-
empting Charleston county from the
provision of the bin. Then the
Charleston delegation started hiii-
buster to obstruct the passage OF the
bill. The delegation was ably sec
onded by several members OF the
house, and the bill hung fire for about
an hour before 1t finally passed to
third reading.
By a vote Of 85 to "a the house re-
fused to adopt the amendment offered
by Mr.. Stanley. of Horny. an advo-
cate of the bill, to make the measure
apply to negro walters, negro nurses
in private houses, negro servants IN
hospitals and negroes working In the
same establishment in which white
women are employed.
BY a vote Of Al to Al the house re-
fused to consider the motion whereby
1t refused to exempt Charleston
county.
Mr.. Hunter Of Bamberg, wanted
the bill to apply to negro chaufeurs,
but the house refused by vote OF 6o
to 43 to allow 1t to do 30.
To reduce the bill to an absurdity,
Mr.. Rittenberg of Charleston, offered
an amendment prohibiting farmers 70
hire negro laborers, which the house
voted down.
The Lee amendment providing that
the provisions Of this bill shall also
apply to the intimacy Of the races In
houses of Ill repute" was passed by
vote Of 100 to 0.
BY a vote Of So to 46 the house re-
fused to agree to the Lilies amendment
prohibiting only white women, and
not white men. from teaching In ne
gro schools.
The house adopted the amendment
offered by Mr.. Wiley prohibiting
white nurses from acting in this ca
pacity in negro hospitals.
Then the bill was passed to third
reading, after which the house ad-
journed until 10 o'clock tomorrow.
Work saws a London dispatch, has