The banner-enterprise., 1884-04-10
"THE NEGRO EDUoA mONAz BILL:

"&@g o. A&4H g. $685. "
The above iss the title given by one
of our contemporaries to the educational
bill now pending in the Congress OF the I'M
ted States. Just why that was selected,
we are unable to state, hut our purpose)is to
show that the bill was 'misnamed. The Ne
grois a~1citizen of this government sHe was
made such while uniettefed; and now that
he has been vested with the elective franchise,
we ask in all candor, is it not the boun-
den duty of the paternal government to
make him as capable a citizen as possible!
The Southern people, immerging from a
devasting war in which the property OF this
whole section was laid waste, have done re-
markably well by supporting such educs-
tional systems as are now extsnt. 4 ss
But our people have shown themselves to
he unequal to the eXigencies of the times.
In short, il must be acknowledged that they
are unable to afford such educational fscili-
ties for the masses as are necessary to u
hcslthful growth ofa republic.
''The South is doing well in curing ILL.,
terscy,n says the Wilmington Star. We
need but glance at the census report OF
1880, to see how we'll the South is doing in
this respect.
OF the voters of North Carolina there
are I45,294 who cannot read. These are di-
vided between the two races as follows:
White voters, 5S,2l8; colored voters 87,OTe;
total population, 1889, $50. Total popula-
ton who cannot read, ten years Of age and
over, 36T 500; percentage of total popula-
ton who cannot read, 1873. Total popnla-
ton who cannot write, 10 years of age and
ever, .463,975; percentage of total population
who cannot write, 48.3. Total white popu-
lation, 1861 ,242. Total white population 10.
years of age and over who cannot write, 1922
O32; percentage of total white population
who cannot write, Bis Total colored popu-
lstion, 532, 500. Total colored population,
10 years of age and over who cannot write.
OIL ,943; percentage of total colored popula-
ton who cannot write, TIA.
The census of 1870 show: Total popula-
ton l,07l 1861. Total population 10 years of
age and over, who could not read, 339,789.
Thus it will be seen that we had in North
Carolina in 1880 more persons 10 years of
age and over who could not read than we
had in 1870 by 2S,10l. This 10 an increase
of i~lliterate persons Of the age mentioned in
the 10 years of per cent. In 1870 we had
s33.ill white voters who could not read. IL
1880 we had 5S,2lS ~illiterate white voters;
an increase in 10 years Of 25,l07; per cent.
ofincrease OF 1873. In 1870 we had $3.50
illiterate colored voters. In 1880 we had
s 1876 i~lliterate colored voters; an increase
in 10 years of / 8,4O7; per cent of increase
26.s. The total i~lliterate voters in 1870 was
l0l,7SO. The total i~lliterate voters in 1880
was l45,294. Increase in 10 years, 43,5l4i
per cent ofincrease, 42,75.
Thee figures show; ISt.) sTAatiiiteraey
has been on the increase for the last ten
years; (2d,1 hat the percentage Of increase
has been 1873 among the whites against
'26.9 among the colored; 3d. that IF the
increase of illiteracy among the eolored had
been as great as it was among the whites,
North Carolina would today be the blacklist
State on the map of the Union; (4th,) that
the colored people saved the State f.om the
disgrace; (5th that the Southern people
are not 'sdoing well in caring il!iteracy 2 the
Wilmington Star to the contrary neverthe
less; 9th that "the Negro Educational
Bill" is, not an appropriate name for the III
before Congress, the object Of which Is TO
tighten the burden OF taxation and ~enlign,,n
the people of the South.
The Star seems to be afraid OF "~pedisogic
consolidation y but nour opinion, the danger
Of the republics becoming a failure as such,
does not appear to lie so much in the doc
trine OF pedigogic consolidation as itdoes in (
that OF State Rights doctrine hat once
neatly caused its dismemberment. p d.
{ Let the appropriation be made. = The
black people will Accept the same and make
good use Of whatever they can get Of The
eaAAus stisW g1ta8~e ~ % a3zsu z8dso n
saAA honoris due TO the patriots and states.
men Vance, lamar Brown, champion, and
others who came to the rescue Of the ignorant
Masses Of the Jsoath by their support ofthis
XIII