New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-09
MIR. Lusher and the Caucasian Race.

Being generally without means to patron
ize the Catholic pay schools, the Episce
paiian paroohial schools OF to establish pr
vate schools for their children, the publ
schools Of Louisiana are Of vital import
ance to our colored people. 1t is safe t
safe to say that there are now more col
ored than white of educsble children il
this State depending upon the public
school system for education. To this fac
is attributed much of the Democratic oppo
sition to free schools. 1t is true the publ,
school system finds an enemy in the Catho
lie Church, which calls public schools '.ho
beds Of iniquity," but the opposition
is of creed and not of coIor, as TIN
same hostility is found Gin Northern
States, where the education OF co..
ored children is not opposed by the
! taxpayers. In Louisiana the race question
has unfortunately brought educational
matters more or less into the politics of the
day, and the Republican party has suffered
| disfavor by constantly insisting upon the
education Of the black mans child equally
with the white child. The workers here in
the educational field have had to contend
| first with the old time opposition to all free
schools, and since the war to the more
violent opposition to the establishment of
try parishes cOlored schools have been
broken up, and the teachers maltreated or
driven away from their work. With such q
state OF affairs existing, it becomes the
duty of every colored voter and every lib
eral white man to carefully guard the
school interests at the ballot box, that a
Legislature not inimical to universal educa-
ton may be chosen, and that Superin-
tendent of Public Education may be elected
who has NO prejudice of any sort.
There are now before the people two can
didates for the superintendency. The one
Mr.. Brown, re-nominated as q man who has
proved persistent and devoted friend to
the cause of common school education, and
an impartial administrator of the powers
conferred upon the State Superintendent of
public education. The other, Robert NJ
Lusher. For several years Mr.. Lusher has
been devoted to fostering private schools
and to the care of normal school estab-
liehed by a charity fund. His public record
must be taken up where he laid it down
when he retired to private life. Lest we do
him an unintentional wrong, we let him
speak for himself of his animus toward the
colored race, and select one of the numer.
c,rc h.A i.,l
No. 8, dated New Orleans, June ., 1866, is
addressed to "the respective assessors of
the parishes of louisiana and reads as
follows:
SIR-As you doubtless concur in the
opinion that it is indispensable to the fu-
ture honor and prosperity OF Louisiana,
and to the supremacy Of the Caucasian race
in her councils, that the benefits OF liberal
education should be extended to ere,y ,chite
child within her limits, you are requested
to ascertain, as accurately as possible
while assessing the property in your par
ishl, the number OF educable children, be-
tween six and eighteen years of age, who
have not attended any private school since
January last, and for whose education you
deem it necessary that the State or the par
ish should provide by the establishment of
free schools. Be pleased to learn the mum.
ber in each school district, if practicable;
also, where schools can be most convent
emily established, and whether any compe-
tent and discreet young men or any edu-
Gated ladies of the parish are willing to un-
dertake the instruction Of their friends and
neighb0rs' children for one year or more
from September or October next. The re-
suits OF your inquiries you are requested
to communicate to the president of your
police jury. and to report to this Office, at
your earliest convenience, on the iuclOsed
form. Respectfully yours,
ROBERT NJ. LUSHER.
When this official circular was issued the
constitution of 1864 was in force. That in
strument required provision to be made for
educating "all the children of the State be-
tween the ages of six and eighteen years."
Mr.. Lusher was State Superintendent. His
care seems to have been to discharge only
. part of his duties at that time by provid-
ing for the Caucasian race, not on the
ground that the law required such dis.
tinction, but, as alleged by him, that it
might thereby maintain its supposed su-
His subsequent letters to Mr., B.
Sears, written in his private capacity, and
tor another object, are not decided enough
in their expressions to outweigh his numer
GUS official papers, wherein he takes exact
ly opposite ground, and virtually ignores
the constitution under which he was work
ing.
On the thirtieth day of July, 1866, Mr..
Lusher issued an address to the "presi-
dents and members of the police juries of
the parishes of louisiana" in which he
says:
In the circular of May 30, took the
liberty of suggesting-in consequence o.
the altered circumstances Of our State and
your parish be divided, anew,
in 70 village school districts, acih specia! REFER
ence to the convenience of such white children
as are not attending prir0te schools, and as
can be induced to be present, regularly, in
such public or free schools a. you may
cause to be opened for their benefit. / pro-
pose now to show that you, gentlemen, and
you alone, have ample authority to estab-
lish such village school districts, and that,
by prompt and harmonious action on your
part, a large portion, if not all. of the uhite
children in your parish who, Tor many
and in some instances for several
years, have been deprived OF instruction,
may De brought at an early day under the
influence of the scboolroom.
Mr.. Lusher then happened to be State
of Public Education, and
showed a commendable desire to establish
free schools for the education of white
particularly those who could not
attend private schools. He may not have
been directly opposed to the efforts of COL |
Fo- $ho A. 81
rem, but he tells the police juries that tney