American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-09-07
CAMDEN, Sept. 2, 1872.

Honiewood, Miss, Aug. %, 1872.
CAMDEN, Sept. 2, 1872.
Editor american Citizen
By your special request made
sometime ago, I'm trying to droI
you a few lines of crop news, and
then 1 may branch off a little.
Corn, in this section of country
is tOlerable good; enough will be
made to meet next years demands
by all the people up here. The
drought was very severe upon cot
ton. The opinion of every good
farmer in this country, lying near
Camden and Sulphur Springs, is
that not more than one-half a cot
ton crop will be made. 1 have
watched the cotton blooms closely
for fifteen years or mOre-have seen
much of the boll-worms and the
regular caterpillar-lost a promls-
ing crop by caterpillars in 1867, and
then witnessed the destruction of
another crop of cotton by boil worm
and caterpillar in 1868. And now
I have reason to believe that the
drought just passed, the injury al
ready done by boil worms and pro-
spective destruction by caterpillar
to the cotton crop, will make this
the lightest crop per acre ever made
in these neighborhOOds. ThOus-
ands of caterpillars are just hatch
ed in my cotton and in the fields of
G. w. Scott contiguous to mine,
and are lacing the cotton from top
to bottom. 1t will require but a
short time to utterly strip the stalks
of all but bolls nearly grown, and
many of these will shrivel up. open
prematurely and be worthless IN
lint. With us there is no false
cotton crop is late and
destined to be ruined.
Now, Mr.. Editor, I don't intend.
like your correspondent "Junius !"
to criticise the language used by
the Board of Common Schools, but
1 do wish to show the public and
the Honorable Board. the injustice
done some of us taxpayers by the
action of the Board of Directors in
locating schools. 1 take it for
granted that the genius of common
free schools, is to give every child
school facilities, every neighbOrhood
white and colored, school advant-
ages; to so apportion and locate the
schools that every child shall be
able to reach some free school. This
has not been done in our part of
the county at any time during this
free school system. This injustice
is visited upon us either through
ignorance or a spirit of
nnfairness in the Board. If the
Board would publish their meetings
SO that all interested
might know when and where to go,
so as to make known their wants,
much more justice would doubtless
the actions of the
Board. 1 don't know who is the
School Director fof 4th district, and
addressed the Super
for a colored school in Snl-
phur Springs neighborhood at what
is called "Tim MOore's school
house.n Here are twenty-five or
more children, five or more miles
from any school, and therefore de-
MED school privileges. I suppose
The negro schools, located by ex-di-
rector Boyd, are to be stereotyped
and fixtures. These children had
no school facilities last year and
none this year, and yet 1 venture
The Sheriff g books will show that
heir parents have paid their taxes
more uniformly than some neigh
oorhoods of negroes that are favor
ID with free schools aud benefac-
ions from the Board of School Di-
,ectors, now aud hitherto. If you
,an't give every neighborhOod
school facilities, locate schools so
hat every child can reach a school
n four miles distance-then in re-
,pect to Justice, do as E. @. POstell,
Esq, did in District No. 5, move the
schools about so as to alternate,
rom community to community.
,old that every child in the county
,hould be in reach of free school,
md if the number required are so
that you can't run them
light months, then run them only
our months, and thereby meet the |
genius, the philanthrophy and char
table civilization f an honest COM
non free school system.
Gentlemen, you are paid for some
hing, go learn where your schools
ire, see the wisdom of your select
ons IN places and teachers, and feel
be pleasure of an honest conscious
Tess of having earned your money.
1 have written plainly, hope re-
1 feel aggrieved, l have
written number of letters to the
since last April or
lay, wishing to be informed before
he appointment of schools, so as
O make our school wants known.
must say l think it grave error
n the Board not to give ample pub
ic notice of their meetings.
Yours respectfully,
JAMES X. HAMBLEN.
~ Religion and politics are get