The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-02-14

supported in whole or in parb by thl
lbounty oI the United States. The mi
nority has weighedSthis argnnent, bu
without feeling its cogency, and. 0
course, without conviction. When WI
reflect that the convention deciaret
that they adopted the Constitution III
secure the blessing, Of Iibery to them
| selves and their postelity,' and, in the
same instrument, disqualified the black:
and mulattoes from all participation in
The government, by confning the right
of suffrage. to white persons, it is diff
cult to conceive that, under this cover,
phrase, .sihe poor,' they intended to
throw open the doors Of our colleges
and universities to a, class Of persons
who were never to. perform the duties
Of eDecicrs, or elected. II, by the term
"poor," they really meant negroes and
mulattoes, how easily might they have
emplo yed such phraseology as would
have placed their meaning beyond al
doubt This view of the case is
strengthened blythe well known fact,
that Il number of the members of the
convention sat in that General Assem-
bly, which, passed the very first OF that
series Of statutes, now by the petition
ers sought to be repealed. il gb
The minority is at loss to conceive
The object of the majority in pressing
this matter upon the attention of the
House. DO they, or does any man,
seriously suppose that the children Of
the two races could be educated togeth-
er? That they could stand in the same
classes, sit on the same forms, or asso-
ciate in the study of the same lessons? ?
We hazard nothing in affirming that the
presence of a single negro, unless under
very peculiar circumstances, would turn
our school-rooms into deserts. A die
ferent state of feeling may prevail in
the north, but, certainly, in the south
ern, eastern and western parts Of our
State, it would require the terrors Of
the bayonet to people the school-room
with a mixed assemblage Of whites and
blacks. We cannot permit ourselves
to doubt, that gentlemen would shrink
back with horror from the idea of send
ing their own children to associate with
negroes and mulattoes. DO they con-
ceive their constituents to be less fastid-
ious, or less delicate than themselves? I?
The minority might feel more SYM
pathy with the blacks, in their exclu-
sion from our common schools, but for
the we'll known fact, that myriads of
our white fellow citizens would regard
the same exclusion as precious boon,
if they could enjoy it on the same
terms. i. e., exemption Of their property
from taxation for school purposes. 1t
is well known that, in all our populous
neighborhoods and considerable villa
ges, two systems of education are con-
stantly going forward-the public and
the private schools; or, perhaps we
should say, the district and the sub
scription schools. The district schools
are crowded to excess; the energies Of
the teacher are wasted amongst such a
multitude as to be rendered altogether
inefficient. Parental affection, ever
wakefuI, ever enduring, soon discovers
that adequate mental training and dis
cipline cannot be had in these institu-
tons, and, as an expedient to secure
the blessings of thorough and sound
education to its beloved objects, sub
scriptions are made, and competent
teachers employed, on a scale Of libe-
rality somewhat commensurate with
the end in view. 1t should be remem-
bered, that both these systems ofschools
are manly supported by the tolls and
the frugality of the same class Of men,
that is, the tax payers and small pro-
prietors. It's true, our citizens do no t
greatly complain Of this state of things.
They pay their school taxes with com
parative cheerfulness, from a conyic-
tion that those taxes constitute ne
cessary fund, to be employed in afford
ing the lights of education, imperfect
and unfinished, perhaps, yet batter than
none to the children of their fellow cit
izens, who are to compose a large por-
tion of the future electors and sover-
eigns of the land. and whose opportu-
mites are greatly increased by the with
drawal Of the large numbers who at
tend the subscription schools. But they
pay those taxes, us taxes, that is for the
sake OF an indirect and future benefit;
they are not sufficiently stupid TO sup
pose tha! they have any direct or i'm
mediate interest in the matter. But
are the already overtasked and over
burdened energies Of our. industrious
people, to be charged with the educa-
tion of all the black population, who
will crowd here from the east and from
the west from the north and from, the