Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-04-24
THE JoHN =. sUarRR FUND.

John F. Slater, the donor of the fund
for the education of the freedmen of the
Southern States, is man of large wealth
and the owner Of the finest estate in
Norwich, Connecticut. He settled in
that city in 1910, has resided there ever
since, and has always taken an active
part in and been thoroughly identified
with The development of its
commercial and industrial inter-
ests. He was always foremost
in giving encouragement to public en-
terprises of general utility, more partic-
ularly the Free Academy and the Park
Congregational church at Norwich. He
has large cotton mill at Jersey City; is
director of the Washburne 81 Moen
Manufacturing company at Worcester,
Mass, and also a director of several
banking and railroad enterprises, as well
as president of the Pormaha Manufac-
turing company, which operates one of
the largest mills in this country.
The father of John F, Slater came to
this country in 1903 from Derbyshire,
Eng, and with Samuel Slater, his broth
or, who came TO this country in 1889, es-
tablished the town of Statewide, Rhode
Island, in 1905. John, in 1923, bought
the Jewett City mill property, and put
1t in charge of his son, the subject of
this sketch. After his fathers death
John, in connection with his brother
William, bought the Statewide property
and Jointly conducted the bus
mess with great success until 1872,
when the brothers DIVIDED their property,
William Slater taking the Statewide
property in Rhode Island, and John F.
Slater taking the Jewett City mills.
The munifcent fund Mr.. Slater has
seen fit to contribute towards the eman-
cipation of the freedmen of the South
from the bonds of illlteracy, is the first
step towards the contamination
Of the important work of fitting
them for the responsibilities incident to
full American citizenship. No people
can enjoy the full benefits of the free in
situations Of this country who are denied
the right of the elective franchise, and
on the other hand it is equally true that
no free government can long survive the
defects Of representative system I'M
guarded by the wholesome influences of
the school and church. 1t was this truth
which, more than anything else, tenn
pered popular indignation at the extra
ordinary exercise of the Federal author
ity in clothing four millions of ignorant
slaves with the responsibility of putting
IN successful operation the machinery
of the State governments of the South.
History furnishes no instance where an
enlightened government ever before
mode ignorance the depository of such
vast powers; nor where those powers
were ever welded by so much ignorance
with such favorable results to the morals
and civilization of nation.
The problem with which the emanci.
patton of these people has confronted the
best craftsmanship and civilization
OF the country can only
DC solved through The agencies
which Mr.. Slater's fund is intended to
invoke. On the education of the ig-
norance which to-day forms so large
share of the governing power of the
South, depends in no small degree the
future integrity and peace of the coun-
try. The Peabody fund is doing great
werk in rehabilitating the educational
institutions and interests that were de-
stroyed in the South during the war.
The object OF the donor cannot
be too highly appreciated either
by the benefciaries or the people of. the
country at large. The purposes had in
view by MIR. Slater. however, go to So
cial conditions which not only endanger
our whole social fabric, but even the in
tegrity Of the government itself. There
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