Year: 1879




The astice's sJurisdiction


Yesterday W. let . little light into
the manner in which justice was dis
penssd to the colored people in the lower
Part Of the county BY the officers who
are appointed there to be conservatives
Of the peace. We often hear of South
ern bulldozing down in the gulf States,
but leaving out tn. numbering and
whipping Of defsnceless men, women
and children, it Is doubtful If there is
a place in the South whore colored poo
pie and poor white people are imposed
upon more than they are in some SEQ
tions Of Now Castle County below vii
mington. If reports are true that
roach us tho colored man has no rights
in that section which many white mon
are bound to respect, and the officers Of
tho law who are generally appointed
on account Of some political service they
have rendered the party to which they
owe their appointment, seem to Be in
oollusion with them to cheat the COL
orsd men not only out of their votes
ami their rights, but ont Of their money.
In cases Of extreme oppression, and
when the justices dockets in the coun-
try are closed against the black man
except to prosecute and psrsecute him,
he locks to Wilmington as the Mecca of
his hopes and aspirations, knowing
that lie can receive that justice to
which he is entitled, but denied to him
in the country. Thithsr he trudgss
his weary way and through the i'm
partiality of our Wilmington Justices
he is protec,el from sxaoting task mas
t,rs and landlords, whose sole aim is
to degr ade him. The instance recited
in yesterdays REPUBLICAN is one in
point where a white man Of means af-
ter the wages of his black foreman
reached forty-fve dollars, took pistol
in each hand nd run him of the
place. The same black man was de-
MED redress Of grievances before the
magistrate of the Hundred, and was
compelled to come to Wilmington
where he still found that The law was
administered with impartiality. Even
the trumped up charge of the white
man, the hasty summons and judgment,
the leaky transcript failed of the end
sought. aud though the case has al
ready been through two courts with
the expectation of worrying the black
man into an abandonment of the ca 9,
he is not likely to succeed, and the per
secuted man will be" apt to get his mon
ey at the next court.


We do not care about being very pre-





ciss in locating the principals in this
case, but it is not personal in US to say
that the bafIled parties had sufficient
influence with the late lie ,islature to
induce it to pass an act d-priving the
Wilmington Justices of jurisdiction ex-
cept in the city ard within four miles
of it, Nobody seemed to know that
such bill was passed until after the
Legislature had adjourned wh.n it was
too late to make any opposition. 1t is
the general impression that the law is
unconstitutional, and we are glad 10
know that it is the intention Of our
Wilmington Justices to test its CT nsti-
tutionaIity before the courts at tho ear
lest opl ortunity. The Justices COM
missions al stats that they are ap-
pointed in and for New Castle county,
and they very properly argue that that
commission cannot be ciicumscribed
especially during the time for which
they were appointed. Should the law
prove to be constitutional, then those
farmers (ws h ope tLere ar lew) who
have bsrn in the habit If taking ad-
vantage of their colorrd and poor white
laoorers, vii! have everv thing in their
own hands. They can point o the
four mile color line and exultantly say
to the Wilmington constable, thus far
shalt thou come and no farther"