The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-11-09
Casio vs.. EaunI Rights.

TOPEKA, KAs.. Oct, 1882.
Editor CHEZ knowing the reputation which
your ably edited paper bears for fairness and liber
atty to every class Of Kansans, have ventured to
write for your columns some impressions received
while visiting your County, and White Cloud par
tieularly, last week.
Doniphsn County i, certainly highly favored with
all those things essential great in agricul
ture- After seeing its abundance Of timber, its well
vstered and highly cultivated fields, evenly and
fortunately placed through the County, We do not
wonder that its citizens have gro~n veIltodo, gen
erous and progressive in those things which make
the best types of American citizenship. But want
to speak more particularly Of White Cloud. This
town OF about 900 Inhabitants is beautifully loca
ted in the extreme northeast portion Of the County
and state Ii nestles along the wooded slopes Of
several hills, and contains many beautiful houses.
There exists good feeling and fellowship between the
white and colored people in all respects save one,
the matter Of school privileges. That heartless race
prejudice which has already wrecked so many of
our brightest and best hopes is certainly doing great
damage to our school interests there. The eolored
people there who, by the way. number among them
selves many taxpayers. have been taxed las a mat
ter of courseI to help build u splendid school bull
ding, with all the modern improvements and COM
forts, and with everything necessary to facilitate
icArnlns W lille hefr little ones some seventy
more. shut out, and huddled like ontcasts in a
little one-roomed house, lhe white chdren's school
is graded, and promotions at the end of each
year The colored children are all under one lady
teacher. In this room must begin and end their ed.
ucation. The Board say they must the building.
since there is not enough in the large building
for the entire school population. And this is offered
as the only for the great injustice of praeti
cally excluding the coorsd children from all chance
OF n decent education above the first grade.
see no reason why the Board could not make the
little building first grade school, and promote all
above that grade to what they pleased to call the
white schoolbuilding. ThaIwould leave about fifty in
the little building, and certainly no harm could
come Of it, while snch an arrangement would, be-
yond doubt, prove great incentive the colored
pupils
The School Board of White Cloud. or of any city
below first class, has not the shadow OF right at
law to separate the schools. In the case of the
Board of Education of the city of Ottawa 81 al vs.
Leslie Tnnon, by his next friend, Elijah Tiunon,
page !. vol &c, it is expressly laid down. that ci
ties below the first class have right whatever to
establish special colored schools
Somebody is responsible for this outrage at White
Cloud, and the liberal-minded men and women of
that otherwise attractive town ought to that
the responsibility is placed where 1t belongs Color
hating Republicans unit for office as rebels
and should be beheaded the first election that Of
fers the opportunity. E. H. WHITE.