The Portland daily press., 1865-08-19
A STUPID TRICK.

The Copperhead City government of Wash
ington, has for some time been greatly exer-
cised upon the subject OF colored schools
10000 to 10000 colored children between the
ages of 6and II years, not one fourth of whom
have had the poorest chance to obtain com
monsschool education. About $500 are pro-
vided for by the various charitable schools
Of the District, but the rest are wholly without
any provision For several years, Congress
not thinking 1t fair that colored people should
be taxed to support white schools only, have
been laboring to oblige the municipal authori-
ties of Washington and Georgetown to set
aside for the support of eolored schools the
portion OF the school tax assessed upon eolored
people Various ways are contriyed to render
the laws thus passed a nullity. The Wash
ington authorities higgIed and tried to get
rid altogether of paying the sums due, but
finally did pay aportion only. Congress then,
in June 1854, enacted that sthe municipal
authorities of Washington and Georgetown
shall set apart from the school fund such
proportionate part thereofas the colored chill
dren between the ages of six and seventeen
years bears to the whole number thereof"
Georgetown has obeyed the law, but Wash
ington has just perpetrated a trick worthy of
Mississippi river blackleg. She simply drop
ped the school tar from the Levy this gear, but
increased the real estate tao from seventy to
seVenty-five cents on the hundred dollars; and
with this and other increased taxes, the ,ohite
schools can be easily taken care of There is
nos@School Fund.-" and, therefore, the colored
schools can't have their their 'proportionate
part thereof" ftv a.4r
This matter has been managed very quietly.
and artfully; but the facts coming to light
have caused much Indignation. A writer in
the Repub.icGn declares, that there are, even
in Washington, some friends of and believers
in, republican institutions who will not rest
until that city provides for the free education
of colored children, as well as white children.
The copperhead city government which has
perpetrated this dirty trick, apparently flatters
itself that in contest with Congress copper
will win; but there is such thing as triumph
ing to ones own hurt. Sharpers often cheat
themselves. The Chronicle, commenting upon
their action, says:
We are strongly inclined to suspect that
tne -Clty Fathers forgot in their glee over
TINS shrewd dodge, that Congress possessed the
iegal, constitutional power to make coters of
colored men in this District. They must have
left out Of their calculations the fact that Con-
gress would. naturally indignant at this piece
OF petty chicanery, be very strongly induced to
put the power TO right their own Iyronos in
the hands of the colored men themselves. by
giving them right to voice in the election
of the men who are to make tax levy I'D well
as to assign its proportions to different inter
ests. II stronger argument could be brongbt
to the attention of the next Congress for grant
ing the ght of suffrage to the blacks Of This
District than the true history this little trans
action affords, we wish some one would call
our attention to it. If Senator Wilson's sar-
castle allusion to the absence of the CITY au-
sTnorities from the colored celebration on the
sour1h of July is not realized in another year
~ WIN not be the fault Of the men who run the
cipa machine at present