The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1883-07-06
"A.o. c.'s pe1t paragraph i. a, follows. .

"c"e without nm examinatou-au undoubted
piece OF favoriiism ohthe part Of Mai Towns.
emo, and one that is very unjust and unfair to
o'eer 'eachers.S We know OF two persons teach
,ng a. rms time In one township without any
certificate. In a conversation with one Of them
| Nc informed me that Maj. Townsend told him TO
go ahead. II the trustees were willing, and oome
up IN July to the examination. get o certificate
anu ne would get bis pay oil the same. This
last Is not only q case Of favoritism. but one in
which both the Commissioner and trustees have
consented to squander the free school fund"
think have nlreajy explained sufficiently
In reference to all the Allegations contained in
this paragraph, except that Saatanel in the. .last.
sentence thereof, and that allegation pro noupce
| base, malicious and ,ciiful lie.
His next paragraph is rs follows:
There is regular school within three miles
with an average attendance of, perhaps, ten !.
scholars With teacher at $50 month The
other has m average attendance Of about two
and one.half (23) scholars, the teacher OF which
expects to get n first grade certificate, with cor.
responding pay, no doubt, while one of the trus-
ices wiz require SiO, at least, for the of the
n'eger cabin in which tho lessons are heard"
The precise nature Of the complaint contained
in this paragraph is not well defined. 1t seems
to be sort Of complaint. and ;n-sraer &c cover
the underground in my reply. am compelled
TO write some I6i71asulich otherwise would
When took charge Of this Office (eeAo0t
commissioner in January 1881, 1 saw the ne
cessity Of having better school houses, and more
OF them. In many places the people had never
had tae benefit Of single dollar of the school
fund, although they had been paying heavy taxes
for that purpose for thirteen years. In other
places they had had q school now and then
sometimes in negro house and sometimes in
some other sort Of out house. This was especi-
oily the case IN certain corners of townships,
where. because the children were few in number
and isolated, or from some other cause, they had
been entirely neglected, considered this un-
just, and determined to remedy IL by outing
school houses, SO far rs I was able, within con-
venient reach of every child in the County. I
expected trouble, and had plenty of Il. 1 was
charged with "squandering the public funds"
threatened time and ngaia with lawsuits and
indictments; but II ever he,itated for single
mom:nt in my purpose am not aware Of Il. l.
have built thirty school houses, and there are a
fow more to build and, in the mean time, the
free school School term in Union County has
been steadily increased instead Of diminished.
Now, having said this much to the County in
the township of which A. B. C. speaks--his
own township. There ore only fifty six white
school children in the whole township, and, Of
course, they are scattered all over the township
1t is. therefore. simply impossible to have large
schools, and yet it would be unjust to deprive
the people OF that section Of schools because
the schools are necessarily small. It would be
equally unjust and foolish to say to them, that
they must put up with very cheap teachers be-
cause the schools a,e small. They pay their taxes
aud, In my opinion, have n right to good teach
ers, If they can get them, and the teachers have
right to be paid for their services. Now ga.
BIC mentions twQ schools specially. in his
township. The first he says has an average
attendance Of about ten, and the teacher gets
$50 month. don't know whether he intends
this as compliment or not, but will say here
that during seven months of the free school term
in 1882 the daily average attendance in that
school was 10 81: So that its present average
| Is about its usual average. He mentions ano-
ther school within three miles Of the one jus
mentioned above, in which he says the average
attendance is only two and one.half (24). I
know the locality; and know also that tho
tho school that causes A. b. C. SO much anxiety
and trouble and, no doubt, many sleepless nights
That school was organ lied for the benefit Of
pupils who live in the corner Of the township,
also in the corner Of the County. So far as I
am now informed those people have never before
had public school, notwithstanding the fact
that they are, some Of them, II not all, heavy
tax payers. The trustees did not "squander
the funds" by building them omfortable house,
but allowed them teacher and the uue Of
| negro cabin. II the teacher gets certificate at
the July examination, he will receive such pay
as the trustees think just and proper: IL he gets
no certificate. he will get no pay. This is the
extravagance which so exercises the soul Of ga.
b. C.". He lives near the first mentioned school
house, which is good one, but it chafes his
spirit to think that then o!her PEOPLE should
have the luxury Of q "niggsr cabin and DO
allowed teacher. But probably the greatest
scare of oil is the $40 which that trustee "will
require" for the "nigger cabin" This is YER
liable ghost, and one that will not down at his
bidding. Well, so far as know, that trustee
has never for moment thought Of charging any
rent for that cabin.
The next paragraph Of "a. B. Cs.' article
will omit, as 1t is nothing moro than an exrres-
sion Of his opinion. and word Of advise to all
whom IL may concern. ga. d. c., sonoludsa
the whole matter with this sweeping deelara-
| tion.
"The whole thing is a farce, any way, and
| ought to be ABOLISHED, or the Commissioners sad
irostees DO made to conform to the law govern,
ing them.
This announcement, although divsotsd against
me. will no doubt startls our law makers and,