The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-07-31
Education Of the CoIorcd
People.
IN. o. Tlmes.l.

IN. ". llmes.l
Fortunately for him, and fortunate
ly for all other classes, the curtain
seems about to drop. on the colored
man in his great twenty-act drama of
"The Whangdoodle That Mourneth.' y
Let cur esteemed successors of twenty
thousand years hence decide who was
to blame for tho prolonged hellishness
Of the great American Caboodle. For
our part, let us snatch such meagrc
bliss as we may from the apparantcly
well founded conceit that the Caboo-
die is tottering towards its cold and
silent tomb. Forty millions of people
are standing outside the gate Of the
cemetery waiting to hear the first clods
rattle on the coffin Of Caboodle--fear-
ing least heretofore unsupported
streak of cussedness may yet thrill the
corpse of Caboodle and cause him to,
burst his coffin and change around.
contrary to the peace and dignity Of
the realm. Caboodle is at last reduced
to a mathematical proposition, and
may now be stated, without otfenso
to any class, somewhat as follows;
!. The colored men vote.
2. They ought to know how to
vote intclligently.
8. That can only be accomplished
by education.
A. And that can only be accom-
plished through the assistance Of the
government--what claims responsibili-
ty for the good things following en-
franchisement, and cannot honestly or
honorably shirk either the responsible,
ty or the burden Of tho bad things
following enfranchisement. 4
B. It is the duty of the United
States to complete its contract with
the colored man. II may have prom
ised largely when in distress, and
when the colored man yielded to tho
inducements held out, but nothing was
extorted from it and it ought now to
pay its debt. 1t owes the colored
people the rudiments of m education
and it is shameful for 1t to shift that
debt to the shoulders OF the State.
Tho colored man was citizen OF the
United States when the United States
could use his citizenship to advantage.
But he Is a.citizen of the States when
the duty and burden and care Of his
education come up for liquidation. Ia
not that position unworthy a great
nationY Is itnot intoerably tyrannical
and uninstf Is there not remedy
for itf -
All these qneries must be answered
in the affirmative. A great and good
nation will confess Judgment. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the great
and good nation aforesaid, after con-
Tossing Judgment, will try 10 beat the
plaintiff on the execution. We very
much fear that is exactly what the q.
A. 6. n, is now revolving in Its alleged
mind. But we hope that 1t will un-
be compelled to satisfy the
Judgment by paying for the education
of its wards. Is not the North, or tho
Nation, at last satisfied with its profits
the glory of cash derived from its
victory viii il not, sometimes, con-
fess its debt, and pay it9 Ifnot, let
il dispense with its thanksgivings and
its recommendations to God Almighty
to make the South alone pay for the
education of the colored people. 1t
seems plain'to us that the Nation must
do ona ar two thinps,
/, Help educate the colored man;
2. Or loose its influence with God
Almighty.
We deyoutly trust that il will not
consider tho latter tho cheaper Of tho
Two,