Chap. 226.—An ACT to require railroad companies to provide separate cars
for white and colored passengers.

Approved January 30, 1900.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That all rail-
road companies or corporations, person or persons running or operating
cars or coaches by steam on any railroad line or track within this state.
and all railroad companies, person or persons doing business in this state,
whether upon the lines of railroad owned in part or whole, or leased bv
lines that may hereafter be granted in this state, and all foreign corpora-
tions, companies, person or persons organized under charters granted or
that may be hereafter granted by any other state, who may be now or
may hereafter be engaged in running or operating any of the railroads
of this state, either in part or whole, either in their own name or that of
others, are hereby required to furnish separate coaches or cars for the
travel or transportation of the white and colored passengers on their
respective lines of railroad. Each compartment of a coach divided by
a good and substantial partition with a door therein, shall be deemed
a separate coach within the meaning of this act, and each separate coach
and compartment shall bear in some conspicuous place appropriate words
in plain letters indicating the race for which it is set apart.

2. Be it further enacted, That the railroad companies, person, or per-
sons shall make no difference or discrimination in the quality, conve-
nience or accommodation in the cars or coaches or partitions set apart for
white and colored passengers. |

3. Be it further enacted, That any railroad company or companies that
shall fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with the provisions of sections one
and two of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon
indictment and conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than three hun-
dred nor more than one thousand dollars for each offense.

4. Be it further enacted, That all county courts in whose counties
railroads are operating and corporation courts of cities shall have com-
plete jurisdiction over such offenses.

5. Be it further enacted, That the conductors or managers on all rail-
roads shall have power, and are hereby required, to assign to each white
or colored passenger his or her respective car, coach, or compartment,
and should any passenger refuse to occupy the car, coach, or compart-
ment to which he or she may be assigned by the conductor or manager,
said conductor or manager shall have the right to refuse to carry such
passenger on his train, and may put such passenger off of the train. And
for such refusal and putting off of the train, neither the manager, con-
ductor, nor railroad company shall be liable for damages in any court.

6. Be it further enacted, That any conductor or manager on any rail-
road who shall fail or refuse to carry out the provisions of section five
of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon indict-
ment and conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than twenty-five
nor more than fifty dollars for each offense.

?. Be it further enacted, That when any coach or compartment of a
car for either race shall be completely filled, where no extra coaches or
cars can be had and the increased number of passengers could not be fore-
seen, the conductor in charge of such trains is hereby authorized to assign
and set apart a portion of the car or compartment assigned to passengers
of one race to passengers of another race.

8. Be it further enacted, That the provisions of this act shall not apply
to emplovees on railroads, or persons employed as nurses, or officers in
charge of prisoners, nor shall the same applv to the transportation of pas-
sengers in any caboose car attached to a freight train, nor to Pullman
cars, nor through or express trains that do no local business.

9. This act shall be in force from July first, nineteen hundred.