The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-30
TIE VIRGINIA CONVENTION
ORDERED BIZ CONGRESS- TO
FRAME A STATE CONSTITUTION
Eighty-ei2hth Day.

Eighty-eighth Day.
SATURDAY, March %, 1867.
The Convention met at II o'clock.
Prayer by the chaplain.
Mr.. HuGH LEE offered resolution pro-
| viding for additional compensation for COM
| mittee clerks. Laid over.
EDUCATION.
The report on education was taken up.
The seventh and eighth sections were
| adopted, as follows:
"SEcTIoy !. The General Assembly
shall set apart, as a permanent and per-
petual sliterary fund.- the present lite
rary funds Of the State, the proceeds of
| all public lands donated by Congress for
| public school purposes, of all escheated
| property, of all waste and unappropriated
lands, Of all property accruing to the State
| bv forfeiture, and all fines collected for
Offences committed against the State, and
such other sums as the General Assembly
may appropriate.
@SEcTIoS s. The General Assembly
shall apply the annual interest on the lite
rary fund, any capitation or other special
tax provided or by this Constitution for
public free school purposes, and an annual
tax upon the property OF the State OF not
less than one mill on the dollar, for the
equal benefit of all the people Of the State,
The number of children between the ages
Of five and twenty-one years in each pub
lie free school district being the basis Of
such division. Each county and public
free school district may raise additional
sums by tax on property for the support
of public free schools. All unexpended
sums of any one year in any public free
school district shall 60 into the general
school fund for re-division the next year.
"Provision shall be made to supply ne
cessary text books to INDECENT children at
tending the public free schools in cases
where the parent or guardian is unable by
reason of poverty to furnish them"
To this last section Mr.. +. GIBSON moved
to add the following
"And also provide buckets and baskets
for the children 10 carry their dinners to
school in" Not accepted.
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh sections
were adopted, as follows:
"SECrIoN 9. The General Assembly
shall have power 10 foster all higher grades
of schools under its supervision, and to
provide for such purpose permanent edu-
cational fund.
"SEcTIoS 10. ALI donations and grants
received by the General Assembly for
educational purposes shall be applied &C
cording TO the terms prescribed by the
donors.
"SEcTfoN II. The General Assembly
shall fix the salaries and prescribe the du-
ties of all school officers, and shall make
all nccdful laws and regulations to carry
into effect the public free school system
provided for by this article"
LOOK OUT FOR X. K. KS.
PETER JONES, imbued with wholesome
fear of secret bands, offered the following
| as an additional section:
"That each county, city, and township
| in this State shall be responsible for in
cendiary work or any injuries whatever
that may be practiced on any of the schools
of this State, to be regulated by law"
| PETER hoped that the reporters would
take notice of what he said, becase he
knew what he was talkin' about. He knew
dere was danger of secret bands of men
who would burn down schoOl-houses.
LEWIS LINDSEY said he was Seedlngly
glad to see so much respect paid TO the re-
,ushun was gYine to be voted down, and
Old Verginuy was going back on de old
title of things. There was no design for
suspicion, as dc old Commonwealth was
always able to obsarye good order and
punish de wicked.
The Convention, without visible fear,
laid the proposed section on the table.
Mr.. THOMAS moved to reconsider the
eighth section which motion prevailed.
He then moved to insert after the words
| " one mill" the words "nor more than
five mills" This was carried.
Mr.. WILSON moved to strike out the
words "each county and public free
school district may raise additional sums
by tax on property for the support OF
public free schools"
In the course Of the debate that fol-
lowed, Mr.. Z. GIBSON spoke of the efforts
of the colored masses, led on by incendi-
airy scoundrelS, to tax property so heavily
that it would eventually fall into their own
hands.
HuSSlcUTT warm and wrothy): ;" What
do you mean by incendiary scoundrelS i?
l wish the words put down, Mr.. President.
Voices from both sides: "Shut the
door"
HuSSIcUTT (clinching his teeth and
scarcely able 20 control himself): " Never
mind about the door. The man on the
floor now is not afraid"
Mr.. GIBSON replied that he might repeat
the old adage, :" Let him the cap fits wear
it"; bnt he would not. He meant just
what he said: sled on by incendiary
scoundrels %; and he didn't care who took
it to himself.
Ihe vote was taken on Mr.. Wilson's
amendment, and resulted ayes 20, noes Sc.
Ihe section as amended was adopted
ayes, AZ noes, %. Il. -. i. !.
CuRTIss offered the following as an addi-
ton to the eighth section
/" Provided, That any tax authorized by
this section to be raised by counties or