The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-04-04


Bo,,rbons. rising up in advocacy of q
ILL TO compel all children. black ~
well rs white, to go to the public schools
rising up In advocacy of the bill and not
sitting down until he had lowered into
denunciation of"the old Bourbons who
are clamorous for the old condition OF
things" One of the old conditions was,
the moral obligation a white man was
under to compel negro children to re-
main out Of school; and, In that day. the
compulsory ignorance OF negroes Was
one Of. the cardinal Democratic virtues. AS
the men now denounced by Mr.. Albright
~ Bourbons understood the virtues OF
Democracy.
In a moment OF rash moral bravery
Mr.. Oberly, Of this city, voted in the
legislature for bill 10 protect colored
children in their right to attend
school, voted to fine any
man who should by threats or violence
prevent q colored child from attending
the schools to which such child had the
right. under the law and the direction OF
the school board togo voted also, to fine
any school officer Who should refuse 10
permit color child To attend school.
Then up rose Albright, with the lire Of
Democratic zeal burning in his eye. and
denounced Oberly a. Radical. ami
promised II the people would elect him,
10 have the "nigger school law" repealed.
Then he might have been represented
In picture a. a man with
4 ciGb in his. hand. standing
! az the door of school house,
driving back with il all negro children
who approach II saying: Lat H. 60 in:
we wish 20 be educated.
Mr.. Albright was elected, aud true 10
hi, promise. attempted 10 have 1.-The
Oberly negro school law a. he termed
it, repealed; bur his repeating bill died
prematurely. lis author could find few
| Democrats who were Bourbonic enough
to consent 70 so back with him TO the
condition OF things that made the neces-
,ity OF enforcing compulsory negro ignor-
ance an essential qualification for mem
bership in their party. Most of the
| Democrat, in the legislature had advanc-
ed away from that sinful position. His
failure TO carry the repeal of the negro
school bill put Mr.. Albright upon
thought. Long he pondered, and oat of
his cogitatIons he emerged changed
man. The scales Of Bourbonism .hadfallen
ion the fact, that the greatest danger OF
the Republic is the influence OF ignor-
| ance. He had arrived at the conclusion
that 1--WE must educate or we must per.
ish;" that the greater the ignorance the
more pressing the necessity for educa
ton that the colored children of th,
, land ought to be educated. and that al
children, white or black, ought to b'
compelled TO attend the public shoots, ol
else be required to procure an educatio,
, equal to common school education
elsewhere. As is usual with men con
, verted to any he became a zealot il
advocacy OF education, and not Statistic,
I with MIR. Oberly's idea that the schoO
: doors should he opened and all VIII
f wished should be allowed to enter with
eat Any enc ~ dRG2s5t aer ID m tdol l9hel
y children in the state, under certai
0 age, 10 attend the schools. A one q
the most ultra advocates OF compul.or,
education he made the speech referred
, to above. lie might now be truth
fully represented in a picture As :
, stern reformer with club in his hano
driving with Il host of ragged anC
dirty white and black children into In.
doors OF the public schools, and saying
: lou must be educated; ignorance mus
be driven out OF the Republic" We can
not go with Mr.. Albright in his compn!
sorry education crusade. We are salts
: fied 10 have condition of affairs II
which violence does not stand al IN,
doors OF school houses and say to il
norance Of any color::."Go back; you can
not enter here" a condition of affair.
: IN which all the children of the state NAV
enter the schools unmolested and not
afraid. A free passage way to the .choo,
house door, and the children OF the state
VIII crowd into it as grea,
army. We want neither the club OF the
Bourbon to drive children away from,
nor tie blud.e0n Ofthe school zealot 10
criNe them into, The schools. Bs, Al.
though We cannot agree with Nj. Al
bright III his advanced position on The
school question, We Beyertheie.. cougrat.
ulaie bin. tie has got out Of ine Egvp,
Of anii-nesrO Bourboni-m. and II he La
'utfun a. AMI got into strange country
lying beiore n. % matter. He Ia.
! come 0t.t II lie darkness AMI I. SHINING
Z Ira