New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-09

Thy kingdom comet!
When and wheres0e'er it may be, we feel
Thou God who made must set it's bound'ry line
We may mot trust 1t unto earthly ZEAL
Though we be weak, we strive, and we are Thine.
FROM ST. MARY PARISH.
BALDWIN, Louisiana, April Z, 1871.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN:
have been spending few days in this
parish, and have been giving my time to
studying the country, the People, hunting,
fishing, or visiting, as inclination has di-
rected. The daily mail has brought city
papers, so that my interest has not at all
abated in the affairs Of Orleans parish.
Ihave given special attention to the edu-
cational work in the county, and as could
only be expected, find that among the
friends of public schools great anxiety is
felt in view Of the legal dispute soon to be
settled by the Supreme Court relative to
the levying of school tax in New Orleans.
The people here very naturally ask them
selves the question: What would be the re-
cult If Il should be decided that the city Ad-
ministrators shall not levy tax to support
the city schoolsi Evidently the decision
win affect the entire State. To begin with,
New Orleans could have NO public schools
for at least = year, which would be terrible
calamity. It would make it almost certain
that no school system could be organized
for years in our State. It would also multi
ply private and parochial schools, of which
We already have too many. These schools
II our State are the result either of secta-
Rainism that 10 anti-American and preju-
dicial to general and liberal education, or Of
. determination to oppose, and, if possible,
defeat the organization Of school system
IN Louisiana that shall place the benefits Of
education within the reach Of all the people.
Should New Orleans be without schools
on accountof q decision of the court against
the tax, every parish in the State would
follow suit, and Of necessity the schools
would all be closed throughout the State
In this parish the question Of tax for
school purposes was presented to the Police
Jury, bat they postponed action until the
question now before tie Supreme Court
should be settled. In Iberia the same mat
ter was treated with Indifference, and re-
ferred to the District Attorney. In the
parish Of Lafayette tax was voted and the
collection begun, but objections to paying
were raised and now collections are sus-
pended until the Supreme Court renders its
decision: These parishes, no doubt, fairly
represent what may be expected in large
majority of the parishes of the State.
It il plain, then, that should the decision
Of Judge beaumont be sustained by the Su-
preme Court, and the city Of New Orleans
thus be without means to sustain her public
schools, that the entire educational system
Of, our State will be destroyed, as far as it
has been inaugurated, and any future move
ment in this direction rendered doubly hard.
From such calamity all the people of our
e1mmsnwealth should unite in praying that
We nay be saved.
Tho people Of Louisiana want public
schools. The constitution Of the State dis
tinctly makes it the duty Of the Legislature
70 organize and sustain them in every
parish. The representatives in our State
Of ante bellum times, when the colored
people were slaves and the majority of the
whites outside Of New Orleans we're with
ont opportunities for education, don't
want public schools. Here are the two
parties to this question. Which ought to
pucceedi Certainly the wants Of the peo-
pie should be met. Neither ought the
meeting Of this want be thwarted by mere
technical points in any particular written
law. There is q law Of public necessity
back Of all constitutions and legal enact
ments, and of which they are but expo
nents, demanding the maintenance of our
public school system.
1t il unfortunate that it should be so,
nevertheless it is fact that there is q
political aspect to the school question in
Louisiana that cannot be ignored. The free
education Of the people, irrespective of race,
has been, is now, and probaly for years
will be the work of the Republican party.
Many men in the ranks of the Democracy
deny this, and no doubt they are anxious
that the people should be educated. But
the difficulty is that this anxiety is sub
ordinated to deeply rooted antipathy to
the colored race, that leads to practical
opposing Of all public free education.
For one, Mr.. Editor, sincerely hope that
our public school system is to be sustained
by taxation to meet its expenses. The work
thus far, in our midst, under the present
regime, has advanced very encouragingly,
considering the many difficulties. In the
parishes extending from New Orleans to
this place ! learn that many schools are
already organized-enough to give good
promise for the future. St. Charles, La
fourche and ST. Mary parishes are being well
supplied with schools. Let the good work
SO. on. hear apprehensions expressed,
however, lest the result of the litigation in
New Orleans will not only destroy the |
schools already organized, but make it i'm
possible to establish others. 1t is hoped |
that no such disaster may come.
Yours truly, R. e. r.
In = lecture in Chicago the other evening,
George Francis Train, being asked to give . |
definition Of egotism, replied: He liked
himself better than he liked any other body
in the world. Egotism is power. Power is |