The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-22
CLOSING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

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CLOSING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The following communication has beer
handed to us by V. E. Mccarthy, coloree
member of the School Board, who is very
much dissatisfied with the action Of tn
President Of the School Board and the Super
intendent of the Sixth Division in closing tn
schools prematurely. His arraignment O
those officials, it must be confessed, is forci
BILE, and his arguments, SO far as they are con
cerned, will be found very difficult to an
swer. There is no question but the action o.
the school msgnates was cowardly. They
were afraid to take any action at first, and en-.
deavored in sneaking way to carry thei,
point of forcing negroes in the high schools.
The storm that was instantly occasioned
caused them to shrink from the consequences
Of their action and finally they succumbed
and resorted to the make-shift Of closing the
schools sacrificing what they claim to be a
cherished principle to expediency. In other
words, they were false to themselves and their
race, and doubly false to the negroes who
placed them in position. "Let no such men
be trusted" The assertion Of Mccarthy that
the whites inaugurated q movement to ter
rorize the colored population is absurd.
The movement emanated in Washington and
the School Board was expected to carry it to
successful termination. The purpose was
to create disturbance here by an attempt to
force the negroes into the schools, and there
by necessitate the active interference of the
Federal troops.
The white children resisted the attempt
successfully, the adults were not called upon,
and the diabolical purpose of the Radicals
was frustrated. That is the whole story.
It is amusing to hear q school director in
vok.ng the law in the governance of the
schools. Law! If there were the shadow of
law and justice in this State to-day some of
the fellows who now sit on the School Board
would be playing checkers at Baton Rouge,
or languishing in the Parish Prison. Law |!
The farce which has been enacted in this
State for some time under the forms of lap
will soon be over, and then we may hear q lit
tie more Of justice and equity, and not so
much and 50 exclusively of "la,e," which
has been with us synonymous with burglary.
We print the subjoined communication in
order that colored men may be heard. It is
well to know just where We all stand, in order
to avoid mistakes in future:
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 10, 1874.
Editor New Orleans Rnllafin
Sl-The order closing the public schools
until after the holidays, it will be observed, is
not an act of the School Board, but emanates
from the President of that body and from the
Superintendent Of the Sixth Division. The
reason assigned for this order is the recent
disturbances in the public schools. Now the
act and the reason assigned very naturally
suggest few inquiries.
Why, in the grave circumstances oS the |
case, was not meeting of the Board called !
Immediately, on the very first breaking out of |
these troubles? The exigency was one that |
called for prompt and decisive action of the |
board itself, and the board was the sole |
proper official body to have taken action in |
the premises.
Were these gentlemen afraid to submit the
question to the board? or were they them
selves somewhat in sympathy with these late
raised by some people attem pting
to terrorize the colored population and its
and did not desire to see the inter-
ference of the board with these disorders
But If the gentlemen assumed to act at all
without the board, why has their action been
30 tariy? Why did they not close the schools
at once, and thus prevent the outrageous
which have been going on
day by day in this already tormented COM
for q whole week, and attended
with so much violence and even bloodshed
and death?
The members of the School Board have
been left, as individuals, to bear all the whole
outside responsibility, while these gentlemen,
with vacillation totally inexplicable and
of men of any pretensions to the
government Of principle, have been lodging
and skulking. and blowing hot and cold at
The same time.
Furthermore, we have to ask, are prejudice,
passion and violence to control the manage
ment of the public schools, or shall the con-
'titution and the laws Of the State determine
III the rights involved in this question and ,
we would like to know whether
Incidence to lao shall be the paramount con- '
ider ltlon governing alike the officers of the
school Board, the teachers and the pupils of
he schools?
Shall the President Of the Board and the
Of the Sixth Division, instead
# being observers and conservators of the
NV, and setting the example of obedience to
IS requirements, encourage INSTRUMENTATION
nd violence, either by their sympathy with {
IS manifestations, or by their evident lack of
haracter and force of will? They owe it to
themselves, to the public, and more particu-
arly to the colored people of this city, to
HON they are SO much indebted for their ac-
nal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, to give satisfactory re-
~ to these questions.
Very respectfully, We. NJ,
COURTESY IN OFFICE.
Some idea of the nlaasnra incidonk "a naf.