The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-03-01
AGAINST ILLITERACY.

AGAINST lLLlTERACY. |
THE PROPOSED DISTRIBUTION
OF THE SURPLUS MONEY
Among the States in Proportion to the
Mum ber of Ignorant for Educational
Purposes.
Special Correspondence of The Chronicle.
WASHINGTON, February 26.-Tariff or
no tariff, constitutional or not, I can only
report that Southern members and South
ern men, as a rule, are in favor of Mr..
representing the Louisville, Ky, districD
for national aid to education. It is conf
IDENTIFY expected to pass
Mr.. Willis's bill ''To aid temporarily in
the support of common schools provides
that for ten years after its passage there
shall be annually appropriated For the
first year $40, 900, 900; for the second year
SO, 900, 900; for the third year SO, 600, 900;
for the fourth year 81, 900, 900; and so on,
diminishing the amount each year by one
million dollars, until the tenth year, in
elusive, at which time appropriations shall
cease.
That the Secretary of the Treasury shall
apportion these amounts among the sew
the number Of thei2respective populations
of ten years old and upward, as shown by
the last preceding census, who cannot
read and write; and the sums apportioned
he shall pay over to the Superintendent Of
Public instruction, or to such other officer
or officers thereof now exercising control
over the common schools thereof, or who
shall hereafter be authorized to receive the
same, it being the intention of the act to
leave to each State and Territory the full
control and disbursement of the fund ac-
cording to its own educational methods,
and under its own laws but no State or
Terrytory, after the second appropriation
under this act, shall receive under it's pro-
visions greater sum than such State or
Territory shall have expended during the
previous year for purposes of public in
struction from moneys raised in said year
by State Or Territorial and local taxation
That before any State or Territory shall
be entitled to receive its share, it shall
have provided by laws, either general or
local, for the free common-schOOl educa-
ton of all its children of school age, with
out distinction of color, for at least three
months in the year: prouitle1, that sepa-
rate schools for white and colored children
shall not be considered distinction of
color ; that no part of said fund, nor the
interest thereon, shall be expended, di-
rectly nor indirectly, under any pretense
whatever, for buildings or grounds, or in
paying the salary Of any public officer not
engaged in teaching.
That an amount not exceeding five per
centuna Of the sum apportioned to each
State and Territory may be used by them
for the education of teachers in normal
schools, teachers Institutes, or otherwise.
The bill specifies also the making Of
complete reports by every State, and makes
continuation of the appropriation de-
pendent on the proper compliance with the
conditions.
Mr.. Willis has prepared statement of
the extent of illiteracy in the United
States, of which the following is a sum-
! mary. In the thirty eight States there are
in five can write his name in the Southern
States The illiterate voters in South
Carolina are more than one-half. In Ala
bama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, North
Carolina and Virginia one in two can
write. Missouri, with one in nine, pre-
sents the best record. In the Presidential
election of 1876 New York, New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana,
! California, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Wiscon-
sin, Illinois, Rhode Island, Michigan and
Pennsylvania were ranged on the side of
| illiteracy In the last Presidential contest
| thirty of the States of the Union, with 29S
! electoral votes were again within the de-
nomination of foreigners who could not
| read the very character of their liberties.
| The majorities which they gave could have
| been overthrown by the combined vote of
their illiterate voters, even if those ma
! jorities had been five times as great as
they were. 1n-1876 Tilden's majority of
the popular vote was 157, 1894. In 1880
Garfelds majority was only 3,O33. In
1876 sixty of our seventy-six Senators
three-fifths of the whole, and $50 of 292
Representatives were in the grasp of illit-
eracy In 1880 fifly-eight of our seventy
six Senators and 292 of our 235 Repre-
sentatives were in States and districts
where illiterate voters held the balance OF
power.