Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-27
TmE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Suggestions from a CoFrsspOndent-The
Proper Use Of the PoII-Tax.
The White Men 10 support the White
and the Hacks the COIOred Schools.

EDITORS APPEAL-5O il appears that
our public schools, like all other public
institutions, are hOpelessly In debt-owe
fifteen thousand dollars to teachers and
others who should be paid-nOt dollar
to pay with. Their bonds cannot be
negotiated for fifty cents on the dollar,
and growing beautifully worse every
day. The only remedy proposed is
more taxes, which are already 80 heavy
that the property-Owners are mere ten
ants for the OfficehOlders or those who
are the benefieiaries Of taxes collected
money gone glimmering, no one know
eth where. Until this maelstrom of
reckless corruption and foul use Of
public money can be stopped,
there is no use of the school
or any other board asking honest
thinking men to go and vote for
an increase Of taxation for any purpose.
Better have no public sehOOls-better
have no city, State or county govern
ment. Let every citizen watch his own
property. Let every mother teach her
own children. This will at least leave
those with homes who nave them-a
thing they will not have if this system
of taxation continues much longer. As
regards the present public school sys-
tenn, it should be abolished at once. But
in saying this do not understand your
correspondent to be opposed to public
school system, for with the destruction
OF that miserable nuisance I would in
augurate a system at once which would
be better 10 every respect. l am only
discussing the ways and means of sus-
tang public schools. To do this would
levy a poll tax on the voting
population Of each city, district
or county, to raise a sum per annum
sufficient to sustain the required num-
Der of public schools to educate the chill
dren In their respective localities. Let
the whites who may wish to vote and
exercise some control over their own
property, go to the ballot-box with his
certificate from some responsible bonded
officer, the County Trustee, for instance,
that he had paid his poll tax Of 80 many
dollars, school fund. Without this GER
tificate no one should vote. The money
received and to be accounted for by the
Trustee would be a check against any
fraudulent issuing Of certificates. Let
the black man who wishes to vote, be
forced to procure a similar certificate,
and the money thus collected from them
90 to the education Of their own chill
dren, or the children of his race.
This will not only relieve our taxpayers
from heavy taxes, but will settle the
question now and then sprung up about
mixed schools. But il will put stop to
all illegal voting and purify the whole
system Of elections. We viii have no
more low, dirty grogshoP- politicians, in
office, who only seek office for public
plumber. Their places will be filed by
good men, who will once more govern
this country properly, and not for what
it may be robbed out of as now. Through
some such plan as this can the country
ever be delivered from this worse than
Egyptian bondage, for in addi-
ton to The bondage we have
the official locusts ten times
more destructive than the famed To-
Gusts sent by God Almighty to curse the
land of the Pharoahs. This can be Rc-
complished through the State Legisla-
lures. In fact, it has already been half
accomplished in legislative enactments
which will soon come in force, requir-
ing poll tax to be paid before any one
can vote.
This is the best law that Legislature
ever passed, and we have now only to
amend that law, to redeem our State
and people from this PandOra's box OF
evils that are drawing on US from all d.
rectiOns. The statistics show the whole
mum her of voters, as well as the number
of children in the State. With these
facts it will be an easy matter to deter
mine the poll-tax to be paid by each
voter; the same for the black population.
VIII not Mr.. Overton, or some of the
other Shelby representatives, look into
this matter? If they won't take hold Of
it, show some better plan and do some
thing to relieve people who can bear
no more,
Don't go to Nashville for the mere
purpose of drawing your pay, and come
back home and repent that you have
done nothing for our relief, for the time
has come when further fOrbesrance has
ceased to be virtue. CAUCASIAN.