The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-20
Negroes on the Richmond School
RnnrH

The Richmond School Board was, rs a
matter OF course, Democratic; so there
were no Coaiti0niStS OH il. The members
were selected from among the most capable
of the intelligent white taxpayers OF the
city: so there were no negroes among
them. Both of these things put the whites
and negroes Of the Coalition party on the
hunt for LEGAL crack large enough TO in
sert enough Malone dynamite to blow the
Democratic Board out OF their seats. They
found il. Ii was an omission OF the MEM
berS OF the Board to qualify at a certain
time and in certain way, OF which re-
quirement the intelligent white men seem
to have been wOfully ignorant-as ignorant
rs the CoaitioniStS were themselves before
they commenced TO hunt for the crack. Ii
the intelligent white Democrats had showed
half the intelligence about staying i'm that
the CoalitionistS showed about getting
them out they would be there now. On
Friday last the Supreme Court OF Appeals
put the law into effect, blew the Democrats
out, and blew in the Coalition members.
The Richmond schools under the success
sive Democratic boards have been excel
| lently mana@cd--so well that the late dis
tinguiShed DR.. Sears. agent OF the Peabody
| Fund. used to refer 10 them with much
satisfaction, and spoke with commentator
OF the spirit OF the citizens that had made
them. These citizens deserved those good
words; for at time when Richmond was
far from being the rich city she Is nov they
took up the burden OF educating its chill
dren. and among them the children OF
| large non-taX-paying population of negroes
who hated the whites in their hearts then,
and who hate them to-day rs much Is they
| did then. In their hatred Of to-day, how
ever. they are joined by -oodly number
of whites. The epithets are changed some
what, too; sixteen years ago the negroes
OF Richmond called the whites "rebels -
to-day they call them "Funders" with
equal hatred.
Directly it was discovered that the
Democratic Board did not hold its tenure
| by the right string the State Board Of Edu-
catan, composed OF Governor William f.
Cameron, Superintendent Il. II. FAIR, and
/ Attorney-General L. Blair, fastened TO
make good the omission by appointing
another School Board. They were not as
careful as the Democrats had been, and did
not take the pick OF the intelligent white
! PEOPLE OF the city. On the contrary, among
other appontees they put in two negroes.
One OF these negroes is Captain Il. 4. Paul.
| He is prominent in Coalition politics and
| Il the messenger at the Governors man.
sion. Our Staunton readers recollect this
negro well, for when the Republican State
Convention met here i'm 1880 he gave them
a sample OF parliamentary decorum that
quite surprised them. \ sedate and GEN
tlemanlv white delegate from Richmond
(named DR.. Mills made a statement IN the
convention, whereupOn Captain Paul rush.
ed TO the front and said, "That is n lie.v
This gentleman, with the other negro gen.
tleman and the other Coalition white gen.
tlemen, viii preside at the commandments
OF the Richmond schools i'm June.
The CoalitiOnlsts say they will not have
mixed schools, where white and negro
children shall be educated together. Why
nCty IL the white children's education Is
supervised and regulated by negro trus.
tees, why not the white children them
selves study with the negro children
There Is one thing that the white people
may depend on, and that is that the negro's
forbearance is the only thing that stands
between them and mixed schools. As soon
as the negro shall demand mixed schools
and threaten to withhold his vote II he
doesn't get them, then Virginia will have
mixed schools il the Coalition is in power
when the demand Is made
Richmond deserves better. her schools |
deserve better, her people deserve better, |
Than 10 have illiterate negroes on their |
school Board. She has the sympathy OF
nine tenths OF the white people Ina the |
State in this insult--for after all that is |
Just The size OF it--but she must take COM
fort In the reflection that all OF this sort OF
political management must die out for
want OF health, and there will also die, we