The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-05-02
Our school DOQrtf.

virtuOus Radicals il this State;
none was 70 loud, so well sounding
mud 20 tittillating to their negro
dupes as the paternal care with
which tho education tof the nations
wards Eas to be carried on. A tax
which in former years was sufficient
to keep in motion the public schools
OF the State, was instantly prononnc-
ed INADEQUATE for the new and
larger demands that were to be
made. And no tax could be too
large to impose on the barbarous
master who had hitherto made it
penal to teach u slave to. read and
write. Here Was an army Of little
wards, whose ignorance was caused
by the deliberate maliguity OF their
former owners, and whose minds
were thirsting for knowledge. To
nnseal this fountuin, hitherto closed
to them, it was only necessary to
thrust the tax gatherers hand deep
into the pockets OF the former
owners of these chattels.
A disrcputable adyentnrcr call ed
CONWAY WIS at hand t6preside over
tho new system, who besides pro-
viding for doubling hrs own salary,
and securing as much again in the
way Of contingent fund.-. created Il
horde ot new and useless Offices,
chief among them being what are
called Division superintendent at
salaries Of twenty five hundred
dollars each, and with not q single
duty to perform. it is in this way
that the mulatto who has been sit
ting in the Senate from this Parish,
and the negroes who have played
dummy in the House, have filched
the money from tho Treasury that
has been collected expressly to edu-
cate the children Of the State.
Nor does this statement convey
the full idea Of their jniquity. Os-
tensib)y the School Fund is raised
to educate. all children between Ger
tain prescribed ages, but practical
" throughout the country Parishes,
and notably in this, the fund is APP
propriatcd to the use of colorcd
children exclusively. Every dollar
therefore of this fund that is wasted
upon tavoritcs, that is bestowed on
salaricd officials without work, is
SO much distracted from the negro
children whose education they pre-.
tend to have at heart. The lazy
louis who come back from every
session Of the Legislature with
brides in theft, pockets and the evil
dcncc OF their inl,my upon their
back, have helped to deprive scores
OF cl,lIdrcn-nrgrO children here
Of thousands OF dollars, deliberate
ly and ostcntatiously donated to
sinecurisis.
And while this is true of those
who conceived and brought forth
this iniquity Of the School system
which, under the guise OF fostering
the children Of the State, is only a
cover for open gifts by way Of sala-
rlcs, and secret thelts, as VIC snail
presently see, what is to be said of
the local officials to whom is com
mitted the distribution and proper
application Of the School fund? We
ask this question in all seriousness
and VIC propose to get an answer.
The persons in this Parish who are
the custodians Of the School Fund
are John DeLacy, Thompson Coke
ly, &. Y. Kelso, VIM. Kelso, John
Mayo, Julius Ballard, Dawson Al
len, Thos Epps and Joe Conaugl,ton,
one white ll'an and eight negroes.
Two OF them alone can read and
write. This Board, If that be the
right statutory name, receives,
controls, disburses, or divides
among Themselves o tho school
money of this Parish as it plcases.
Which do they do? Has any man
here even seen any account Of their
disbursements 2 Does any0 man
here, white or black, know whether
they are partners in tho guilt Of
public robbery, gor that they have
done the routine duty Of then office
with as little filth sticking to them
as a Republican official is capable
Of. We do know this much, that
the reports from every Division in
the State are unanimous in attribu-
ting gross and corrupt administra-
ton of the School Directors, and
these reports are made by Radical
officials. The superintendent of the
District in which Rapides is, says
i" that although expecting to find
many irregularities in the proceed
'ings Of the ditteSent Parish Boards,
he was entirely unprepared to meet
such a demoralized, corrupt, and
inefficient class OF men as he found
composing number of the Boards.
In two of the Parishes, the former
treasures had absconded with quite
a large amount Of money belonging