The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-05-27

LoUIsIANA-OsrRAc So-cALLEp.-
Charles Nordhoff, in one of his letters to
the New York Herald, says:
find that in great many parishes,
the; members of the Legislature are mem-
bers of the School Board. AS the latter
Office is not snlaried, / was dull enough
not to see the object of the Senators and
Representatives in holding it until an
intelligent colored man, q Republican
and m office-holder, explained to me
that in this way the public schools nro
made political engines throughout tho
State. The Senators or Representatives
appoint the school teachers, and select
men who are their own political adhe-
rents, and who, living among the colorcd
people, help to keep them in office. sin
this parish" said he to me, 1--WE have II
great many more colored schools than
white, but it is fact that most Of the
teachers are ignorant men or lazy, or
sometimes drunkards. They are np-
pointed by our Senator and Representa-
tives, and their work is not to teach
schools, but to talk up the man who ap-
pointed them. If teacher were the
smartcst man IL the township, and he
went against the man who appointed
him, he would be turned out. But this
is not all; over here there is colored
school, and another one close to it,
There is no need for two so near to-
gether; but neither of them is worth any
thing, for they were both set up for poll
tics, and the teachers are only poll
ticians, and the schools are hardly ever
open"
The colored man who told me this, is
q Republican and an officc-holder. 1
.I,o1 ~ 81.
in which he lives, because 1 don't want
to get him into trouble; but his tcsti-
mony was confirmed to me by many
other men of both colors. The school
report, to which have referred, gives
melancholy picture Of the Louisiana
school system. OF 272,4 children, be-
tween six and twenty-one, only 57,433
were enrolled in tho public schools; and
as my eye runs over the pages, I find
that in one parish the Treasurer of the
School Board has used the funds for his
private purposes and paid the teachers
in scrip to the amount of $4,000; in nn-
other $50, 900 was spent, and the schools
were open less than ycnr-this in n
country parish. In two parishes the
school treasurers chad absconded with
quite large amount Of money belong
ing to the school fund" In another,
"thel money appropriated to establish
schools was invested in private business
and speculation. In yet another, call
the forms Of law which should govern
school affairs have been totally ignored
and disregarded." In the parish of ST.
Martin, the treasurer Of the school fund
was discovered to be defaulter to the
amount of $1,000. In st. james, the
School Board had prudently burned
their records when they left the Office,
and J. w. Hunsnker, President of the
Board, after giving bail of SIS 600 to an
swer to the charge of fraud, left the
State.
Do you wonder, in the fnce of such
things ms these, thnt, according to the
admission Of Marshal Packard himself,
only 1000 white men voted the Republi-
cnn ticket in 1874? That is to say, the
office-holdcrs and their relatives Is it
matter for surprise that but for the fear
of the Federal power the people would
sweep away this State Government in an
hour-thnt, in fact, these rulers would
disappear of themselves if they did not
know that they have the Federal Go
vernment behind them? Doyou wonder
that enterprise languishcs and property
IS valuelcss when men sec n fair election
defeated by fraudulent Returning
Board, and the President Of the United
States appointing to Federal Office the
chief officer of that board-the engineer
of the fraud, which was denounced as
such by two committees Of Congress?
1t is not contempt which the people
here feel for their rulers, but fear. The
man who takes part in the State Govern
ment, even if he should be honest him
| self, gives his influence to public plum
dcrers, and he must expect property
owners to be shy OF him. Did honest
men associnte with the Tnmmnny thieves
in New York? Or, if they did, were
they not, in the public opinion, stnincd
by the contact? "Do you see that MANI"
said citizen in m interior parish to Inc
che is our parish judge; he is rs igno-
rant of law us II horse. During the last
| election heard him openly, md to his
face, charged with theft. Not only that.
but Mt public political meeting where
he was speaking, in his presence. he was
accused of taking bribe of $40 while
he was prosecuting attorney, and the
man who accused him WAS the man who
paid the money. in spite of this, the
colored people were persuaded to elect
him judge. Every decent colorcd man
in the parish will tell you TINT it was an
unfit nomination; but he got on the
ticket, and the whole bnr Of the parish
| firmly believes that he sells justice. He
says ho is ostracised; but can YOU expect
me to invite him to my house? He could
not to-day get invited to the house of
any respectable colorcd man in tho M
rish."
Can you expect us to like people
nj x,,l, ,.1o