The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
The court here, however, evaded the real question as before, dodging
behind the doctrine that while a State or the United States could not
abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens, individuals or
groups of individuals may do so and Congress has no power to interfere
in such matters since these come within the police power of the State.
In other words, the government cannot discriminate against the Negro
itself, but it can establish agencies with power to do it. It is not
surprising that Justice Harlan dissented, feeling as he had on former
occasions that this decision permitted the States and groups of
individuals supposedly subject to the government of those States to
fasten upon the Negro badges or incidents of slavery in violation of
the civil rights guaranteed him by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth
Amendments. He believed that Congress had the right to pass any law to
protect citizens in the enjoyment of any right granted him by
Congress. The duty of the Federal government as Justice Harlan saw it
was very clear in that the State had caused the race question to be
injected therein and in such a case Congress always has power to act.
On the whole, however, the United States Supreme Court has not yet had
the moral courage to face the issue in cases involving the
constitutional rights of the Negro. Not a decision of that tribunal
has yet set forth a straightforward opinion as to whether the States
can enact one code of laws for the Negroes and another for the other
elements of our population in spite of the fact that the Constitution
of the United States prohibits such iniquitous legislation. In cases
in which this question has been frankly put the court has wiggled out
of it by some such declaration as that the case was improperly
brought, that there were defects in the averments, or that the court
lacked jurisdiction.
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