The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-06-26
The Fsa,,e,- and Ju.t View or a
Quehtiou.


Quehtiou.
o. Senstnr Terrell's IN MON 20 rrcor-
sider the vet sppropriating $1,000 for
the Alta VISTA normal )lored school
he sookr ~ follows:
Mr.. Prt>idtJst-l am una't ,rabiy Or
posed TO sppropristing one dollar To
the Alta Vista normal school for the
education OF coloTed student. until the
law creating ths; institution Is chsnged.
AT the last regular session the law was
passed, and | believe 5000 were ap-
propriated for that school this year.
We are now asked To give an addition
al $1,000 The law IN its second sec
tion provides that one student may be
taken for each senatorial district aud
three from the Safe at large. These
are the "S's,e students" Further
on it is provide', in section 8 of bill
passed two days ago amending the law
| (sgainst.which I voted almost alone),
that ''thO board may provide for re-
ceivIng such a number OF female stu
dents and such = number Of male
students as in the judgment of said
board the school can best aCc0mmo-
date, and shall require all IS. t stu
denis to sign bond, etc. The bin
provides that the STATE shall provide
for the bosrd, lodging and IN, I -uction
| OF the Students without pecuniary
| charge" Femlle to be admitted to
the school must be sixteen years old.
waive discussion of the bad policy
Of mixing the sexes In such schools.
NJ -. =
defect. No provision has yet been
made or proposed % establish u normal
school at which white females may be
b Darded and educated at the expense
Of the st ite. Uatil this is done never
will | vote one dollar TO a school which
in its privileges discriminates so d.
rectly against my own race. Sir, am
friend of popular education, but al
ways within I he limits which will not
involve an increase of the State debt. |
/ recognize our duty TO aid the un.
fortunate colored race, but never |
to the prt jadice or exclusion of |
our own. We are told 1hat the
law creating the noTmll schools for |
white children does not exclude fe- |
males. BIT, sir. 1t studiously avoids |
any express permission for their adj
mission and fixes sixteen years "a the |
minimum age of the students To be adj
mitted. This practically excludes f.
male students. What complain of is,
that an express provision of the law
exists on the statute hoo k To board and !
educate colored girls ut the expense of
the State, while no such express prvi-
lege ia accorded white girls. What |
Has 1t come To this that in our al To
smellorate the condition of that unfor-
tuus,e race, we will forget our own
We were told the Othe' day by an hon
orsble Senator that the statIstics of
education d sclosed that = vast multi
tude Of white children could not read |
and write; let us then remember TIN |
the oblig ,tion Ia provide for them is |
qpiie as imperative al to provide for |
colored girls. II | am told that the |
law does MT in express terms ,X-
GUIDE white girl from normal |
school when she may be educated |
FIR teacher, | again answer |
that even il the age of sixteen Sid not |
preclude "A mixing of Tie sexes at the |
same school, we should reminder that |
there are many other laws winch do |
not exclude females from public bene-
fits which the stronger sex enjoys and |
still they are excluded. There is no
law TO exclude n female from a clerk
ship in one OF cur State public depart
ments and yet their exclusion from
work there, which they can do quite
as we'll as men, is perfect and complete.
Colored girls are to be- admitted to
your normal schools TO be fed and
taught by the State by express provis-
ion. Make u like express provision for
VIII. te girls before you vote further aid
to that enterprise. Mqrv poor white
widow, who husband Tell in defense
of this country, would Only be too glad
to send her daughter where tie State
would educate and prepare her for the
work of teaching, in which she could
earn her support. II would be grand
and noble act il the State would do this
thing for the white girls of this country.
How many an orphan would escape a
life of shame, II she could recaive, at a
normal school for white girls, the ben
efits which this appropriation is intend
ed to confer on colored girls2
But / have still another objection
The bill changing the normal school
law provides that the State board of
education shall have control Of this
colored normal scho j. That board
consists of the Governor. Comptroller
and Secretary of State. The law as
passed originally placed the school un-
der the supervision of the board of di-
rectors, of the Agrio ultural College.
Now, the Governor. Comptroller and
Secretary of Site have their official
duties to perform, which require their
labor every day In the year, II they do
their duty. go we would h,ve pei
haps forty or fifty colofed youths, over
sixteen years old, and Ike number Of
females over sixteen, all lodged, fed
and taught at the same sch pol, more than
one hundred and fifty miles from the
capital, with no State supeI vision over
their conduct except such as the Gov
ernor and other State officer here could
give. fear, sir, that the experiment
OF thus mixing the sexes at that age is
not likely to prove beneficial to the
improvement of the race you are try
ing to help. I will vote against this
bill, even though l vote solitary and
alone. -.