Year: 1874




reside"


This provision places the children o
colored persons born in the United
States expressly within the operation O
the first section of the Eighth Article O
the Constitution of Indiana, which is in
these words;


knowledge and learning generally
diffused throughout the community be
Y ing essential to free government, it shall
be the duty of the General Assembly tC
yencourage by all suitable means, moral
intellectual, scientific and agricultural
improvement, and to provide by law fol
a general and uniform system of common
schools wherein tuition shall be without
\ charge and equally open to all.


1t will be seen that this provision Of
the Constitution of Indiana is even more
explicit than the Civil Rights Bill, and
declares in terms not to be misun
derstood that the General Assembly shall
provide by law for a general and uniform
system of common schools wherein
tuition shall be without charge and
equally open to all Now will these gen
tlemen who have arraigned Senator
| Pratt and myself show how the colored
children of Indiana can be kept out OF
the common schools without violation
of the Constitution of the State?


DECISION OF AN INDIANA COURT.


In recent case brought by a colored
man against the school officers of Law
renee township, Marion county, for ex-
Guiding his children from the public
school, the Superior Court of Marion
county decided that under the operation
of the first section of the eighth article of
the Constitution of Indiana, colored chill
dren had equal rights with white in the
hi Il 4 l. 4
from their equal benefit and enjoyment.
! The decision was made. by Judge Per-
kins, a distinguished member of the
Democratic party, and for many years
upon the bench of the Supreme Court.


The old bugbear of social equality
which has so often done service in the
cause of the Democracy, is again paraded
to alright the souls of those who do not
feel entirely confident of their social po-
! sltlon. How often were we told that if
slavery were abolished there would be
social equality between the races; and
then how solemnly was it declared from
every stump in Indiana that if negroes
were admitted to the right of suffrage,
social equality would be inevitable? Well,
these dreadful contingencies have hap
pened, and social equality appears to be
as far off as ever. But now we are assur-
ed that the Civil Rights Bill, which, in
respect to schools, is but re-enactment
of the Constitution of Indiana, will GER
tainly produce the much dreaded result
The school, hotel and graveyard ques-
tions are about the last hold the Democ-
racy have upon the prejudice against
race and color, and we must expect to
see them make the most of them


The future is long and revelation, his
tory and reason alike teach us that JUS
tice and the right will triumph in the
end. The doctrine of civil and political
equality to all races of men has been
firmly entrenched in the constitution,
and Notwithstanding the obstacles thrown
in its pathway by lingering prejudice
and the exigency of parties, will march
to speedy and final triumph.


ONE IDEA OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE
SOUTH.


In the Southern States the central idea
of the Democratic party is opposition to
the civil and political rights of the ne
gro. White men are urged to vote the
Democratic ticket because that is the
white mans party, and will not tolerate
the civil and political equality of the
negro If the party in the South has
any other principles than this, they are
wholly subordinate, would be sacrificed
to 1t at any time, and are not worth men
tioning To be Democrat in the South
ern States means not only opposition to
the civil and political rights of the negro
under all circumstances, but the political
and social ostracism of every white man
who recognizes such rights, and will act
with the negro in any political organiza-
ton. Democracy in the South means
a conflict of races and has no use for the
Democracy of the North, except so far as
L . IL
principles of the white mans govern
ment. The Republican party placed the
18th, 18th, and 18th amendments in the
Constitution, and is bound by its al
legience to the Constitution and to the
eternal principles of the Declaration of
Independence, to preserve and defend
the negro in the enjoyment of his free
dom and of his civil and political rights.
And here is presented great vital issue
between the two parties The Demo
cratic party is pledged by its constitution,
its history, affiliations, and hopes of the
future to undying hostility to the negro
race. The Republican party is pledged
by its history, by its sacred principles, to
stand faithfully by the five millions of
newborn freemen, and must continue to
be in the future, as it has been in the
past the party of liberty, equality, jus
tice, and the indissoluble union of the
States.


MsCHIEYoUs IMPRESSION.


A mischievous impression has been
cunningly made in the South that the
President Sympathizes with the South
ern Democracy upon the subject of civil
rights, and will differ with Northern Re
publicans upon that question and this
impression emboldens the movement
against the negroes, which is growing in
the South day by day. For this impress
sion know of no foundation. No word
or act of the President has given it coun-
tenance. In his December message he
expressly recommended "the enactment
of law to better secure the civil rights
which freedom should secure, but has
not effectuaIly secured to the enfran-
chised slave" and l repel with indigna-
ton the suggestion that the President
will prove false to the principles of the
Republican party.


WHO Is RESPONSIBLE.


For the corruptions and disorders ex-
isting in the State government of South
l have no apology to make, nor has the
Republican party. While these have
been exaggerated an hundred fold, there
is too much truth in them, but they are
not political and are the natural out
growth of the condition of the State and
of society as they emerged from the re-
bellion. In the frauds and peculations,
Democrats have had their full participa-
ton, and the Republican party of the
United States Gave no other RESPONSE
bility than this: That they prevented
the dissolution of the Union, abolished
slavery, clothed the negroes with civil