The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-31
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN LOUISIANA
THE ANNUAL REPORT-RADICAL EMBEZZLE
MENTs OF SCHOOL FUNDS.

Resuming our extracts from the report, in
elucidatisn Of the subject referred to in our
last article, we present for the careful con-
sideration Of taxpayers and Of all honorable
citizens throughout the State, the following
excerpts, furnished by the compeers OF the
sol disant State Superintendent.
In the Fifth School Division an ex-mem
Der of the Legislature Of 1s7O-72, excercis
ing in 1e73-74 the Division Superintendency
reports
ain Catahoula, parish large fund was
| at the disposal Of the school board, but wal
lavshly used, and the records kept very i'm
perfect "The books showed small
amount on hand, viz: 1927 81, but the sum
was not on hand, and was merely due by the
Treasurer, who had used it himself, and
could not then replace ii"
ain the parishes of Concordia and More
house there has been bad management o.
the school funds, but Carroll parish has been
the most unfortunate Of any in the division
| An immense fund was squandered in 1871
and 1872" mo less than $50, 600 was spent
in the parish, and the schools were open Less
than one year."
The following remarks by the legislator
who was manifestly familiar with the Pc.
litical wire-workers in his division, betray
a keen appreciation of the insidious policy
of the Radical confraternity:
at is often said and commonly believed
that, in some quarters, the school money was
| used for political purposes. Large sums
| were used Improperly, but it is not quite ac-
curate to say that the object was political.
| The object was personal rather than political,
| in most cases. Some persons, who wished
| to promote their Orn fortunes, used the funds
| which were intrusted to their care for the
purpose of rewarding or securing the serricse
of those ,chO Were thought to exert an influence in
the community. The neglect of the Super
intendent of the Division to exercise any
control over the local schools was one great
cause Of this evil. In some Instances,
iqnOrance and, in other instances, design.
caused the loss of large portion Of the
funds"
In the Fourth School Division, the acting
Division Superintendent (who had been a
Federal postmaster and Public School Di-
rector, at Shreveport, and who, too, was
nominated for the State Superintendcy, at
Baton Rouge, but supplanted by the pres
ent sol disant, by that process Of legerden.ain
which all Radical politicians delight to prac-
tice) contributes the following eridence Of
frauds:
was in no way prepared to meet such a
demoralized. corrupt and inefficient class
of men as l found composing number Of
the retiring boards. In two of the parishes
the former Treasurer had abscOnded with quite
large amount Of money belonging to the
fund. In another, the money appropriated
TO nh foA in nrix 70
business and in speculation. In many Of
the old Treasurer's books l found charged,
under the head of contingent expenses,
travelling expenses to New Orleans and
other points in the State, expenses incurred
for visiting schools, mileage and per diem
for members OF the school board, and many
other charges Of similar nature.
The acting Superintendent Of the Third
Division (who had been member Of the
School Board Of Iberville Parish, under the
notorious Parson Conway testi6es as fol-
lows:
Gin a number of the parishes, great frauds
and the alienation of large sums of money,
mark the administration Of the former
boards of school directors" "In Assumption
parish mal-administration and corrupt man
agement Of the School Board rendered the
school work deplorable." "All the forms Of
law which should govern the school affairs
had been totally ignored and disregarded."
In East Baton Rouge the finances were also
in a deplorable condition. Outstanding in
debtedness presented prepayment was found
to be illegitimate and payment refused. In
East Feliciana there were extravagant sala-
ries and useless and inappropriate expendi
lures of thousands Of dollars. The legal
Indebtedness Of the School Boards was
found to be S6432."
This official of the Third Division also
arraigns the bayonet Legislature Of 1873,
tund, in the following terms:
Two Of the largest parishes in my divis-
ion, st. Landry and St. Martin, were so
financially crippled that they had no re-
sources, present or prospective, with which
to open public schools. This discourage
ment was traced to the alleged fraudulent
passage of section in the General Appro-
priatiOh bill of the Legislature Of 1873, by
which the sum of $4,000 of the current
school fund was appropriated by preference
to the payment of certain old school claims.
The parish of st. Martin was victimized to
the amount of $4,000 of that appropriation,
the parish of st. Landry was assessed to pay
$500 Of it, and the parish OF Iberville $500.
Other parishes, only IN less amounts, were
the victims of an enactment, the sole intend
ment Of which ,oas the agrandizement Of arari
cious brokers, at the expense of the sacred
public school fund.
N. B.-The people of Louisiana will not
have forgotten that the Legislature thus
excoriated by one Of it's own creatures was
that ushered into existence by the midnight
order of Federal Judge sustained only by
the bayonets of Hessian militia and of
Federal soldiers, who, as honorable men,
were doubtless ashamed of the furtive coup
fetat which they were compelled to pholt.
The Third Division Superintendent con-
.inues:
"An examination Of the books and ac-
counts of the former Treasurer Of St. Mar |
lin resulted in finding defalcation by that |
officer of 1886 80, and the further indebt- |
ness against the Board Of $500, mostly mn-
,aid salaries of teachers for the past year.
In the Second School Division the acting |