Smyrna times., 1874-10-07
Wills no one is desiring or asking for

WHILE no one is desiring or asking for
mixed schools, aud while the negroes insist
that they do not want them, nay, while they
have shown by their acts that they will 60
without any rather than ha@ them, the Dem
ocrats are insisting that they are threatened
with them. Such narrow partisansbip as this
is more serious blow to our school system
thanit is to the Republican party. To put up
such plea when there is no ground for it, as
the Democratic leaders well know, shows
that they would stir up prejudice against our
public schools and destroy them for mere par
tisan success. The mud thus thrown where
there is no mark, besmears our educational
system, and nothing else.
Let it alone, gentlemen of the Democratic
persuasion. 1t was given to US by the old
Wing party, and your party has refused to give
us the improvements upon it that thirty or
forty years of experience has brought to other
States; therefore, if you won't better it don t
injure it by creating partisan prejudice against it.
You have denied to the colored people the
necessary appliances for establishing schools
among themselves, and if you have the power
you will probably deny that right again you
have also denied better educational facilities
to your own children, and will probably con.
tinue to do so, if you can, in the face Of few
good advisers in your own party; but don't dc
anything to impair what little system we have
If you don't want to make those of your owl
race and party vote down the tax" leave thi!
school talk out of politics, for that is just wha
you accomplish by it, and that only.
THE Poor MANS OATH.-The law for tn,
assessment and collection of taxes, pursl!
partisan enactment passed by the last Legisla
ture in spirit Of spite, is a standing reproacl
to every voter in the State who is too poor t.
hold houses and lands. The law carries Will
il the inference that man who owns no rea
estate is not worthy of belief on his oath.
presumes that poor men (those who pay only
poll tax) will seek by fraudulent means to &c
their names on the assessment rolls. The Lev
Court in each county is therefore allowed /
refuse TO enter the name Of every poor ia
payer who cannot bring real estate owner t
swear to his citizenship. Remember, the ma
who makes the affidavit must own houses
lands, or the Levy Court will say to him yol
oath cannot be taken before this body ;-yo
are too poor to swear to this mans citizenship
you are no better off than the man himse
and as neither of you own real estate we mu
disfranchse this would-be citizen.
The law is @ piece of class legislation and
disgrace to our statute books Although aimt
at the negro vote, it places all poor men, whi
and black, 10 the same humiliating position
as unworthy of belief before the law.
By its operation some Of our most worth
citizens, who, by accident or otherwise, are n
the possessors Of real estate are turned dow
by our Levy Court as unworthy OF creden
and OF no earthly account, so far as their OPT
ions are concerned with reference to the ci
Eenship Of their neighbors
The law being political one, the Democra
of New Castle are getting very uneasy. T
Democratic papers cry "save the Levy C)l
at all hdSards.'' Save it, lest it prove Del
ocrAtic boomerang when the Republicans q
the machine Save it, not more for what I
Democrats will lose than for what it will rev
to the Republicans. Save it, or we perish,
the Democratic organs Save it at all haz0r
it was not attended TOR the Republicans.