New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-03-04
RACE SEGREGATION IN
CITIES.

Under tine initiative. the people
of st. Louis, bE q vote of more
than three to one, adop-v,a i"rs-
day, two city'or,iIuanrc> srgrt@al-
iny the races and prohibiting ne
gr"c> from settling in white DIS
trirts. and vice versa. The ordl-
nance is am XXI rnslon of the Lou
iSiana segregation law which sep
aratcs the black and white races
on the train, on boats, III street
cars and in other public places.
Similar ordinances have been
adopted in Baltimore and Louis
Vile and are said to give satisfac-
ton in those cities and to oc ac-
ceptcd by both races. Baltimore
was the leader in this legislation
and encountered many difficulties
at first in framing an ordinance on
the subject that would be legal
and constitutional. Two ordl-
nances that We're adopted We're
Knocked ont hv the courts. and it
was some years before the Legls-
laturc or council could frame a
measure that conformed to the
Organic-la Of the state and
United States. When that was
finally d0ne If was an easy mat
ter for Louisville to prepare and
adopt an ordinance on this sub
| iect Both cities had previously Y
suffered from the heavy immlgra
ton Of negroes from the South,
who crowded into many rcslden-
tial sections prcyiouSlv Y occupied
by the white alone. croWding out
the latter and sending down the
value of property in that section.
St. Louis had an even more diff
cult fight to make against a very
strong opposition. 0The mayor
and city government is Republic
can. and they refused to pass the
ordnance asked for by so many
persons. 1t thus became neces-
sary to appeal to the initiative
provision Of the Missouri cOnsti-
tuition which allows the voters to
submit nv I';l1ior an ylaw they
desire to the popular vote. The
city government fought the pro-
posed ordinances. and so did the
press, almost unanimously, al
though it admitted the truth Of
the contention-that-a large negro
population injured the value of
real estate: but protesting that
any legislation of this kind would
prejudice st. Louis in the neigh
boring districts with which it does
most Of its business Illinois,
Iowa and Kansas where there is
no race distinction Of any kind
and no color line is drawn. The
general view Of the question is
presented as follows by the Globe
Democrat, a Republican paper
which opposed. the ordinances
while RECOGNIZING the strength Of
race prejudice:
The segregation ordinances are
founded upon race prejudice.
That such prejudice exists cannot
! be denied. There is something
! instructive in racial antagOnisms,
stronger as to some races than as
to others, but strongest between
! races having the least physical re
semblance. America is made up
Of people Of all races. who mlngie
in political equality, but who are
nonethcless socially separated by
various divisions growing out Of
racial aversions or antipathies.
Time brings here amalgamation
Of all branches Of the white race,
bat there is little or no fusion Of
that with the red, the yellow or
the black races, nor is it likely
there will ever be. for nature her
self seems to have raised barriers
that no laws can throw down. 1t
is useless, therefore. to deny the
existence Of these prejudices or
the consequences Of them. 1t is
nonsense, for example, to say
that the entry Of colored residents
into a block occupied by whites
does not cause a depreciation of
property values in that block. for
the evidences Of such results are
too conspicuous to be denied.
But. in spite of the OpnOSition