The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-11-20
ARGUES CASE IN
SUPREME COURT
Attorney William Harrison Is
Against Separate Gar Law.
BIG EVENT IN VA. .EINGTOh.
Distinguished Lawyer and Consistent
Asitator For the Full Constitutional
Rights Of coIored Americans Cues
tions Legality Of Oklahoma Separate
Car Law Before Highest Tribunal

tions Legality Of Oklahoma Separate
Car Law Before Highest Tribunal.
Washington. Jimcrow chr case
brought up from the United States cir
cult court Of Oklahuna was recently
argued In the United States supreme
court by Attorney william Harrison Of
Oklahoma City. Okla. The purIn,se Of
Lawyer Harrison IN bringing the mat
ter before the highest court II to test
the constitutionality Of the separate
cur law for mterstate passengers The
care was filed In the federnl court by
Lawyer Harrison Feb II. l9lS
The case is unique In that II involves
the rights Of the colored people
throughout the country 1t Is one
which few lawyers have been willing
to handle and has been from Its begin
ming handled exclusively by lawyers Of
our race.
In the argument ATTORNEY Harrison
sought to interpret the mind Of con
grcss rs evidenced by the enabling act
approved by congress June lG. 1900.
and insisted that unless the Legislature
Of the stnte of Oklahoma could violate
every provision Of the enabling act.
which the people Of Oklahoma had &C.
cepted and adopted irrevocably rs a
condition precedent to admission into
the sisterhOnd Of states. II (the Rgisla.
tnrp Of Oklahoma, could not enact a
law making distinction when II ro'nes
to the Negro race based upon color. th'
same being forbidden by the language
Of the act Itself This argument was
clinchpd when MIR Harrison pointed
out that separate schOols were pro
viied for In the enabling act and no
other distinction or separation.
Arguing that the act Of the Okla
hOma Legislature seeks to and does
regulate Interstate transportation. the
lawyer said the act must stund or fall
AZ whole. not being seImrabIe. and.
being clear. positive and una mbigu"us.
could not be construed away .and had
to be taken as expressing the mind Of
the Legislature He exploded the theory
Of police regulation and showed thut.
20 far ns the health. safety. comfort,
ETC.. Of the citizens were concerned.
the police regulation argument set
out by defendants was mere sub
terfuge. and In this connection Il was
forribly argued that the Mexican. the
ltulian. the Indian. the Turk. the
Greek aud every other race on the
face of the earth hnd been iegislated
into white men nid educated. cultured
and refined citizens by the act Of the
legislature complained Of
Lawyer Harrison reached his climax
BY invoking the Interpretation and con
structiop Of the federal cOlstituti
and specifically the fourteenth amend
ment A. applied to the act Of the Iegis
leture Of Oklahoma complained OF
Perhaps the most finely drnwn differ
entintiOn was shown by the able jurtst
when II came to comparing the case at
bar With other cases adjudicated. he
clearly showed that his ease was diff.
ferent and new In the following par
ticulars-to wit: The supreme court Of
the state Of Oklahoma Ind not con
strued the law as had been done In
cases coming up from Louisiana. Mis-.
sissippi. Kentucky. etc. The rnse at
bar had evaded and avoided the state
courts. knowing what its fate would
be once In the said courts. and finally
that the word "distinctirn' did not
occur In the organic act m the states
mentioned. but WIS purImseIy written
In the enabling net OF Oklahoma.
Closely connected with the cnse and
intimately nssHiatfd with Mr.. Hnr
risOn from the very beginning ~ this
case In the Rev " II. Jernngin. n. D..
pastor Of the Mount Carmel Baptist
church In this city Dr Jernngin was
formerly pastor of q Baptist church
at OkinhOma City. Okla. before corn
ing to Washington He II a race man
Of the cloth and has from the bcgin.
ming agitated and argued that cOmpe-
tent Negro lawyers were able and
should have the conduct Of this case.
He has stood on the firing line. fnan'
cially encouraging Lawyer HnrrisOn
tO 20 on and this he has continued up
to the present time.