Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-05-18
NEGROES ON THE RICHMOND
SCHOOL BOARD.

The Richmond School Board was, as
matter Of course, Democratic; so there
were no Coalitionlsts on 1t. The members
were selected from among the most capa-
BILE of the intelligent white tax payers 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
insert enough Malone dynamite to blow
the Democratic Board out of their seats.
They found it. It was an omission Of the
members of the Board to qualify at GER
tain time and in a certain way, Of which
requirement the intelligent white men
seem to have been wofully ignorant-as lg-
norant as the Coalitionists were themselves
before they commenced to hunt for the
crack. If the intelligent white Demo
Gratis had showed half the intelligence
about staying in, that tAe CoaIitionists
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 sue
cessive Democratic Boards have been ex-
cellenrly managed so we'll that the late
distinguished DR.. Sears. Agent of the
Peabody Fund, used to refer to them with
much satisfaction and spoke with COM
mendation of the spirit of the citizens that
had made them. These citizens deserved
those good words; for at a time when Rich
mond was far from being the rich city she
is now, they took up the burden Of educat-
ing its children and among them the chill
dren Of large non-tax paying population
Of Negroes who hated the whites in their
hearts then, and who hate them to-day, as
much as they did then. In their hatred of
to-day. however, they are joined by good
ly number Of whites. The epithets are
changed somewhat, TOO; sixteen years
ago the Negroes of Richmond called the
whites sRebels''- they call them
"Funders" with equal hatred.
Directly it was discovered that the Dem
ocratic Board did not hold its tenure by
the right string the State Board of Educa-
tion composed Of Gov. VIM. e. Cameron,
Supt. &. r. Farr, and Atty Genr F.
Blair, FASTENED to make good the omis-
sion BY appointing another School Board.
They were not as careful as the Demo
Gratis had been and did not take the
pick of the intelligent white people of
the city. On the contrary, among other
appointees, they put in two Negroes.
One of these Negroes is Capt r. A. Paul.
He is prominent in Coalition politics and
is the messenger at the Governors Man
sion. Our Stanton readers reeollect this
Negro well, for when the Republican State
Convention met here In 1880, he gave them
q sample of parliamentary decorum that
quite surprised them. A sedate and gen.
tiemanly white delegate from Richmond
named DR.. Mills, made statement in the
convention, whereupon Capt. p. rushed to
the front and said, THAT Is lie." This
gentleman, with the other Negro gentle
man and the other Coalition white gentle
men will preside at the commandments
Of tire Richmond schools in June.
The Coalitionists say they will not have
mixed schools where white and Negro
children shall be educated together. Why
no.y 1t the white children's education is
supervised and regulated by Negro trus-
tees, why not the white children them
selves study with Negro children? There
is one thing that the white people may de-
pend on, and that Is that the Negroes for
bsarauce is the only thing that stands be-
tween them and mixed schools. AS soon
as The Negro shall demand mixed schools
and threaten to withhold his vote if he
doesn't get them. then Virginia will have
mixed schools if the Coalition is in power
when the demand is made.
Richmond deserves better. her schools
deserve better. her people deserve better
than to have illiterate Negroes on their
school Board. She has the sympathy OF
nine-tenths of the white people in the
State in this insult-for after all that il
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 fol-
want Of health, and there will also die,
We trust, that miserable apathy in the
Democracy which puts men in position
Who. with ali their other good qualitica.
lions, vet lack enough of political interest
to see that the offices can't be taken away
from them after they are put into them.
The cold snap now prevailing. extends
from Maine to Galveston and at various
co;nta hail stones of half non nd in weight