S. to Frederick Douglass, April 9, 1855
The Colored Schools—Another hearing before the Committee on Federal Relations on the removal of Judge Loring—The trial of the Burns rioters,
etc., etc.
Boston, April 9, 1855.
Mr. Douglass:—Many of the readers of
your paper may not be aware, that in the city of Boston, there are separate schools
for colored children. This, we believe, is
the only proscription we have here. There
has been some bitterness of feeling among
the colored people in relation to this matter
—some maintaining that we should have
separate schools, and colored teachers—others, that all distinctions should be abolished, and that white and colored children
should be schooled together. The great ob-
jection which the colored people seem to
have, is not against our colored schools, or
the teachers, but that our children should be
proscribed from the public schools. There
has been no law to prevent the colored chil-
dren from attending the public schools; but
the matter has been entirely in the hands of
the school committees, allowing them either
to admit or to refuse them, and they have
been pro-slavery enough to refuse them.—On Tuesday, a bill reported by Mr. Slack, of
Boston, a member of the Committee on Education, passed the House of Representatives,
abolishing all distinctions on account of race,
color, or religious opinions, and that any
child who shall thus be excluded, on account
of his race, color, or religious opinion, from
the public or district schools, shall recover
damages therefor in action of tort, in any
court of competent jurisdiction, to try the
same against the city, or town, by which said
school is supported. It requires the concurrence of the Senate, and the signature of
the Governor, to become a law.
On account of Mr. Dana, counsel for Mr.
Loring, having intimated to the Committee
on Federal Relations, that they were bound
to take the testimony of Mr. Grimes, anoth-
er hearing took place, and Mr. Grimes' tes-
timony was given. But, unfortunately for
the Judge, the testimony was not such as
Mr. Dana could have wished for his client.
Some of Mr. G.s' enemies were malicious
enough to say that he would testify in favor
of L., and that was the impression convey-
ed by the press. We denied the charge
from the first, for we knew that Mr. Grimes
was a man too loyal to Freedom, to be made
the tool of any pro-slavery clique, and we
said so. There may be men base enough to
do so, but Mr. Grimes does not belong to that
number. The case will come up in the House
on Tuesday next. John L. Swift, Esq., will
open the debate in favor of the removal of
Judge Loring. There have been 133 peti-
tionsm and 12,373 signatures in favor of his
removal, and six remonstrances, and 1,424
signers, against it. The probabilities grow
stronger every day in favor of his removal.
Dr. Rock's lecture at the Music Hall came
off on Thursday (Fast-Day) evening. He
will, after the present season, lecture before
Lyceums in various places where he shall
have invitations. We send you a condensed
report of his lecture, reported for the . He is requested to repeat it, which
it is expected he will do at an early day.—
(See report in another column.)
The trial of the Burns; rioters commenced
Tuesday before Judges Curtis and Sprague
–Benj. F. Hallet, U.S. District Attorney,
assisted by Elias W. Merwin, for the United
States, and John P. Hale, William L Burt,
Charles M. Ellis, John A Andrews, and
Henry T. Durant, for the defendants. The
indictment against Martin Stowell, of Wor-
cester, was first read. Upon being asked to
plead to the indictment, his counsel moved
that the indictment be quashed. The Court
decided to hear the motion, and after having
dismissed the jurors, Wm. L. Burt addressed
the Court upon it. It has been discussed
for three days by the counsellors for the de-
fendants, and on Friday was postponed un-
til Tuesday, on account of the illness of [B.
F. Hallet. We shall keep your readers in-
formed of all the material points in the case
as it progresses.
S.