Page:Race distinctions in American Law (IA racedistinctions00stepiala).pdf/242

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  • ated upon regular schedule. Texas provides that the provisions

of its act shall not apply to any excursion train run strictly as such for the benefit of either race.


Passengers to whom Law does not Apply

Certain classes of passengers are exempt from the laws. There is, for instance, an exemption in favor of nurses attending the children or sick of the other race in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The Florida provision is that nothing in the act shall be construed to prevent female colored nurses having the care of children or sick persons from riding in cars for white passengers. North Carolina excepts "Negro servants in attendance on their employers." These two qualifications sound innocent enough, but probably upon a test they would be declared unconstitutional. It would be considered class legislation in that colored nurses and Negro servants are specifically mentioned instead of exempting nurses and servants in general. In fact, the point has been decided in the case of street-car provisions with similar wording.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia expressly exempt the employees of a railroad in the discharge of their duty from the requirements of the "Jim Crow" laws. Where such exemption is not so made in the statute, it must be taken for granted, for it would be manifestly unreasonable to prohibit a white conductor from going into the colored coach to collect tickets, or a colored porter from going into the coach for white passengers to regulate the ventilation or for any other purpose of his employment. It may be noted, how-