Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-10-25

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pic Of which Mr. Scaton was chairman.
Mr. Wheat asked Mr.. Pinn whether he would
object to the city paying the debt and taking
the school houses on Il trust to be forever de-
voted to coored schools. He thought that us
the colorcd people of Alexandria had schools
provided for them by the white people they
ought to be willing to make the cost rs light
us possible.
Mr.. Pnn was not willing to surrender the
| houses
Mr.. Wheat said that if the city had still to
pay GOU dollars rent for these houses, he would
move to change the schools to cheaper locations
Mr. l'nn did not propose to vote Tor turning
over SCHOOL houses in which he was himself III
tercsted it, II these houses were turned over
would make the colorcd people provide
school houses beside paying their proportion of
the school tax
Mr.. Wheat was surprised that the gentleman
had alluded to the subject Of taxation. 80 out
| Of every hudrcd dollars of school tax was col,
lcctcd from the white people The colorcd
schools were not filled because the fathers OF
the children were not willing to pay the 81
! school tax that WIS required rs requisite 10
admission.
Mr.. Pinn said That the colorcl people paid
taxes equal to the white men in proportion to
their ability. The colorcd people did not all
understand the matter about the school tax.
The Constitution intended the schools to be
free and the Legislature required Il tax to
be paid before child was allowed to attend.
As to colorcd schools always using these school
houses, he did not know that ''word' would
| always be used He did not propose TO have
that word "cOlorcd' kept always in the law
| lie expected to sec the day that the law would
| consider all as men, and have ''no white and
''no colorcd' on the statute book.
| The resolution Of MIR. Wheat was agreed to.
The report of the special committee to whom
had been referred the petition otthe Alexandria
Passenger Railway Company for right Of way
through the city, adopted by the Board of Al.
dcrmcn. was received from that Board aud
read us follows:
! The special committee to which was referred
| the petition of NJ ID. Curse and others, for .hc
privilege of building and running street rail-
road through King street and >cver', other streets
| of this city have considered said petition and re-
! commend granting the prayer thereof. our
committee believe it good policy to give Il hos
| pitablc entertainment tn all such improvements,
| and would permit anybody t. build railroads
anywhere ON payment of all costs and damages
without aid or taxation of the State or liz coun-
ties, cities. or towns. Individual interests and
enterprise may be safely trus.cdn these matters,
| and will best Judge what improvements will
| urnyc profitable We would rejoice to see the
State c,ccLcrcd with railroads and studded with
| manufacturers until we become IL rich and pros
porous rs New England. 1t may be well to look
| for 4 moment ut the increase II wealth and ma
| tcrial progress OF localities where the greatest
| freedom and encouragement baS been given To
| such enterprises. The city of Boston. by the re-
cent census containing 230,Lm inhabitants, or
! about "nc-ilth the population of Virginia, Is one
of the greatest centres of both railroad and MANU-
featuring industry in the U. S. And we see by
! the same census that the assessed valuation of
| Boston for purposes of taxation amounted to
| nearly GUO millions while that of our entire
| Statc real and personal, was only about 3Gu
millions. Add t" this that boston Is creditor
| city rs to other localities, while Virginia Is
| debtor StaLc to Il large amount and we shall
| have some idea of the advantages OF generous
and hospitahlc policy.
! This wonderful growth, common to all locaIi-
Tics udupting the same policy of inviting capital
and skilled labor, teaches useful lesson eSpccl
| ally to us who are blessed by nature with very
| SUPERIOR advantages. Coal, the great source and
generate: of >tr;,in power can be furnished here
bv way Of the c;lraI 1T two dollars per ton less
| than in the interior manufacturing towns OF
| New England, and this fact together with others
| only n little less favorable would soon make
| ours one of the greatest manufacturing ana bust
ness centres, if by generous c"nc iati"n we could
| remove prcjudiccS unhapIy existing, which re-
| mel the cnuilal and skilled and educated labor
|
| then show our respect and regard for business,
| energy and enterprise, not to nc mistaken by Il
pledge in This thai no city tax shall '" M
posed on our rcllcwctizcns for the capital in
vested in building and running this railroad Tor
| ten years from this date.
The ONLY conditions We would impose are that
! the company shall make the grade of their road
| correspond with the street grade, and Keep the
| grade and pavement between the rails, and for
| the distance of Is inches each side thereof in
| i,ri
Scngcr more than five cents for Il ride one way
| over the entire length Of the read, and observe
| III! the laws and customs imposed upon similar
| roads in other cities.
| LIT behalf Of the committee
.JnmN G. UNDERWOOD, Chairman.
Mr.. HOPKINS doubted whether the city had
mower under the Constitution, q exempt the rail
road from taxation.
Mr., Smith said that the gentleman who
wrote that report was one OF the trainers OF the
Constitution Of the State. He knew that he
WAS one Of the ''Sn;lrtc<t' judi yes in the State,
and he knew what that Constitution meant.
He (Mr. S. waS in favor of adopting the
recommendation Of the report.
Mr.. Shinn called for the rcrca'ling OF the
report 1t WAS done.
Mr.. Shinn would not vote for some portions
Of the report. He agreed with the idea that
all railroads should be treated alike, but could
not agree that this railroad should be free and
the others be taxed. As to the amendment
about race and COLOR the laws Of the United
States were ample on this sui icct, and it waS
no use for the Council to go into politics on a
railroad law.
MIR. $. then considered the references of the
report to other cities. Baltimore not only tax.
ed the proprictors Of the railroad, but LAID i
special tax of one cent on each passcngcr,t to cs-
tabliSh parks.
Mr.. Pinn thought that the provision relative
to race and color was needed 1t was true that
the civil rights bill provided for equal rights
but colorcd man had not the same privileges
as white man on the q. Il \. Il. r., nor W.
Il A. r. K. Under the civil rights bill he
could take the case to court, but that involved
! much trouble and expense. He himself had
not been allowed to travel rs white men did on
the 0. & \. r. r., and he added Il believe |
am as white as any man in this house. y He
i took his action, but what did he recover? No
thing.
Mr.. Wheat said this provision would give
r,iornd nnOn|n no more RIGHTS or remedies than