The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-11-08

expended represented only the proportion Of
-four ffths" due to the viii to children, and
that sum equal to one fourth Of such amount
should be added to represent the cone ffth"
due to the colored children. This was the
largest proportion ever claimed, and Il was
on this claim that Mr.. Bowen and his CO.
trustees were defeated In O suit at law before
the Supreme Court Of this District.
But nevertheless, after this claim had been
determined adversely to the views OF the par
ties who had advanced II, the Councils, In
the exercise OF commendable spirit Of
generosity and benevoience, allowed the
claim to the fullest extent In the appropria-
tion bill OF last year, which accorded to the
colored schools 25 per centum on the er-
pendtures for the corporation or white
schools. 1.-THE present bill should DO passed
upon the same principle, IL would give the
colored schools only s35, $50, instead Of s79,-
800, as Is here proposed. The excess In this
bill over this most liberal Interpretation OF
the law Is s34,2s4. But the excess will be
still larger II we take the principle of COM
putation contained In the carefully prepared
report Of Mr.. Clark and the school commit
tee Of last year. (See extract above cited.)
On that principle, assuming the expendl.
lures for the current year to amount to
tlS2, 625, there should be added one ffth
ESQ $3.50 for the colored schools, and the
product would be s219,150. Then divide
by Irs, and we have s43,s3O as the proper
tion Of colored schools. The sum allowed
In the bill before US is s79, 800, being an ex-
cess Of t35,979.
This excess Is a gratuity which should not
DO allowed. There Is no ingenuity Of com
putatiou under the law by which the ratio
named In the pending bill can be reached.
The bill provides for this appropriation 'the
sum Of s79, S09.50" as the amount "neces-
sary to pay the trustees Of colorcd schools,
sum equivalent to thirty and forty.one
hundredths per cent Of the entire crpendl-
lures for school purposes for the present
fiscal year." Such is the language used In
the bill as Justification of the appropria-
ton. II any one will take the trouble to
test the elements OF computation here given,
he will find that thirty and forty.one hun
dredths per cent. on Sis2,625, the sum
named In the bill for the corporation
schools, Is not e79,S09, but only s55, 1886.
Thus tested the bill on rs face shows an ex-
cess Of S2i, 273, even II the colored schools
should be allowed the benefit Of the spurious
census Of 1867, which the school committee
endeavor TO call Into being that they may be
enabled to swell the amount Of this appro-
priation.
By no rule Of construction under the law
(giving them the benefit Of this pretended
ceusus) can this appropriation be justified.
The committee claim that the sum Is based
schools. To compute the amount on this
principle II will BIO found that 3l.40 per cent.
Of $1s2 ,625 will yield SIS, $3.50 as the proper
ton OF colored schools, and that to apply
the same multiple to the sum last men
toned tho product will be an additional
S16,SSS. It will be seen that even this In
genious pretcxt for violating law will pro-
duce only s12 4s4, which is s7,3s5 short of
the amount In the bill.
But the committee do not inform us upon
what principle Of law or equity we should
pay q tax upon a tar. They do not venture
to state why we should pay &c. 1888 for con-
forming to the law of Congress In paying
the sum CESS, $3.50 assessed as tax upon
our school expenditures. No such extortlon
| In the exaction Of taxes was ever before
| known. As an illustration of SO unreason-
able demand let us suppose an extensive
mercantile house to engage an experienced
| person to make its purchases for a compen-
| saton OF 3041 per cent. on the cost of the
merchandise obtained. What would be the
estimate OF the morality or sense OF fair
dealing Of tho agent II he should add his
| own commission upon invoices amounting to
1852 ,G25 In order to extort from his em-
compensation they had profieredl Such a
claim would meet with ridicule and contempt,
and be laughed out Of every court of Justice.
But let us look at the results OF this prin-
clple OF exaction. Suppose the colored pop
ulatlon were equal In number with the white,
| $50 to SOY and the appropriation for the pub
lie schools of the corporation should be
$500, 200. The trustees of colored schools
would not only be entitled to like amount,
but would receive, In addition, fifty per cent
on their proportion, which would give that
half Of the population $3.50, 200, or fifty per
| cent. more than the same number OF white
children. Will any one say that this Is
equal and exact justice to all men, "without
distinction of race or color 7" Is 1t not
determination against the white race
1t seems to be overlooked that under tho
law of Congress no money is due to the COL
ored schools on the expenditure Of the cur
rent year until the 1st of October, 1870.
The law, In plain language, makes the tax
payable at that time. How, then, can II be
pretended that the sum assessed Is now an
expenditure for school purposes And how,
when the act of Congress SO clearly discrmi-
mates between our own public schools and
the schools organized under the said act, can
1t be pretended that the tax assessed upon
the corporation for the support Of the col
ored schools of the cities of " Washington aud
GsorgeloTn" is an expenditure upon the pub
lie schools Of this corporation, whose au-
thority Is confined to the chartered limits of
the city OF Washington
But to return to the computation Of the
y
bill itself aiiirms that the amount approprl-
ated for colored schools (s79, S09) Is 30'4l
per cent. on tlS2 ,625 appropriated for white
schools, when. in TACT, this sum Ia more than
1870. Tho fallacy OF the computation, and
Its discrimination against the white popula-
ton will become the more manifest on the
application to 1t of the simple rule of pro-
portion. Let every one, dlscardlng the frac-
tons, (Which are of no consequence as n
test,) satisfy himself of the nature of the
proposition. The sum Is simple. II a pro-
portion of thirty per cent. of population
will give to particular class forty-four per
cent. Of the school money, how much would
a proportion Of fifty per cent. give to that
classi The answer will be seyenty-three
and third per cent. Nothing could more
clearly demonstrate the absurdity Of the bill
I and the incompatibllity OF its affirmation
with the amount appropriated. No one
would pretend, II the two races were in
equal proportions, that the colored molety
should receive seventy-three per cent. Of the
school money and the white molety only
twenty-seven per cent. Yet such would be
the ridiculous result on the principle OF com
putatlon adopted In this bill.
Mr.. Moore then spoke of the impollcy OF
increasing the appropriation forthe Board oil
Trustees of the Colored Schools at this time,
when II was reported that there was want
of harmony in the board, (small as II Is, }
( and that Mr. syphax, Its chairman, whose
integrity has never been questioned, was
virtually ignored In the expenditure Of mon.
. eys coming into its possession. These re-
T ports he had good reason to believe to be
true. There had never been a proper &C
d countabillty-none at ali to the corporation
for the Just application of this money, ant
n now the accountability Is less than ever, i
s two members OF the board, consisting o
: only three persons, assume the right to MAXI
o expenditures without the knowledge Of the
# third member, who Is chairman OF the board
:. and refuse to submit bills in detail for thei
= disbursements, as was understood to DO nov
il the practice.
}. In conclusion, Mr.. Moore proposed L
Z amend the bill by reducing the approprla
d ton for colored schools to twenty five cent
c on the expenditures for the schools of thu
!. corporations; and, this amendment having
If been rejected, he then moved to reduce tn
It appropriation to thirty aud forty-ono hun
If dredths per cent, to make II conform TO til
n language of the bill. This was also rejected
a The only votes In favor Of either motion
IS were those Of Messrs Moore and Morsell
J. the Republican members voting uanimousl