The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-09-13
School Trustees.

The Dispatch viii not dispute the equal
rights Of the negro before the law This
admitted, SO far as the right is concerned
the Constitution of the State and the laws
and Constitution Of the United States
would have to be nullified OF modified, be-
fore this right could be denied. The only
practical question, is the policy Of appoint
ing schooltrustees. The object of the real
friends Of the public schools is to make
them as perfect as possible, and therefore
1t would not be wise public policy to COM
NIT the colored schools exclusively to the
colored people until they have advanced to
q higher degree Of educational qualifica-
ton than is now general with them. The
two colored trustees appointed by the
Board of Education for the schools of
Richmond, were not appointed to ''man-
age the schools of that city. Two men
out of nine do not manage the institution
over which they preside. They were APP
| pointed for the purpose of gaining all OBJ
tainable information as to the colored
schools to enable the whole board to dis
| charge the duties incumbent in the inter
est of the highest efficiency attainable
| Gov. Walker, Gov. Kemper, Gov. Holli-
day-good Democratic authority-had IA
vored such appointments, when the ne
groes Of the State were not advanced in
education, by long odds, as they now are
| The Dispatch does not want to argue the
1 IlIx coo1rs
| partizan advantage, and to do what the
| Lynchburg Convention proclaimed that it
did not want to do-raise the race issue
| That is the substance and spirit of it's
twisting and squirming on the question
| We repeat, that the practical operation of
the policy proposed in the Lynchburg res
| olution would be to destroy the colored
| schools, &or the reason that the education.
al advantages of the colored people have
been too limited to qualify them to man
age successfully this great interest. This
does not preclude their appointment as
| trustees as their qualifications may be
demonstrated. 1t would be more candid
and truthful if the Dispatch would man
/
ton of the colored schools, than to seek to
reach direction by indirection." What
the Constitution of the State and what
public policy demands, is that the public
schools shall reach the highest efficiency
| possible, whether it be through the policy
inaugurated by Governors Walker, KEN
per, Holiday, and Sup't of Education
! Ruffner, and adopted by the present Board
OF Education, Oh by any other lawful policy.
| All true friends of the public school sys-
TEN and all true friends of the Common
wealth, desire this, and to realize that both
white and colored children are receiving
the benefits of a common school educa-
ton, as a means Of making them intelli-
gent citizens. And if this were the desire of
the Dispatch there would be no controversy
| between us. We would rather see both
parties, as now organized. sink to rise no
more. than to see the impairment Of the
public shool system, in its operation for
the benefit of both white and colored
children. We do not believe the schools
would be safe under Bourbon administra-
ton. judging from the past. We know
they will be safe under the control of the
party now in power, because of the record
it has made on this question.
This is sufficient for us and for all who
desire to see the public school system ac
| complish it's beneficent mission. The Dis
patch cannot deceive the public mind as to
this matter, nor can it do more than dis
gust many of it's own party by it's perver-
sion of what the VIRGINIAN has said, and
its strained construction for partizan
| ends