The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-10-02
From the People.

The following extract from a private
letter, received at the VIReINIAN Office,
we take the liberty of giving to our read
ers. 1t is from gentleman who has seen
much of life in Virginia, and has personal
knowledge of what he writes. 1t alludes
to the contrast presented in the speech .ot
the Republican nominee for Congress in
this district, between the system of pop
ular education which prevailed in Vir-
ginia before the war, of Democratic origin,
ndsthatyMhieh. was incorporated into the
Constitution 81 the State, by the Republi-
cans aftaf tliexskarT 1t more especially re-
fers to the law as it applied to the poor
children of the Commonwealth. Before
they could get the benefit of the school
fund they had to be registered as pqupefs,
and the teacher, before he could collect the
money for their tuition, had to make Aft
davit that he had taught this Oh that
paa.per child, giving the name, and thus
placing upon record as paapers, every child
that was aided in it's education by the
State. The writer says:
In your speech at Madison, Amherst
county, on the night Of the 18th inst, l
heard you forcibly and eloquently present
the objections and inefficiency sof our
former school system with regard to pau
per children. | felt at the time that
could offer an amendment to what you had
said, OF rather an additional objection, but
would not interrupt you at the time
About the years of 1843 and IA, was en-
gagged in teaching school, and was required
to keep correct account of the number
of days each pauper child attended school,
and on presenting my account qualified to.
was allowed one dollar per month per
scholar, and not 81 so as stated by you in
your speech. Perhaps that amount, $1.50,
may have been allowed in corporate cities
and towns. but it was not allowed in coun-
ties. But the additional objection alluded
to above was, that children of parents who
owned any realty (no matter of how little
value) were debarred from the privileges
of pauper children. 1t was about the
year 1843 the free school system of the
North was attempted Ia Wing move) to
be established in Virginia. [ was then
less than twenty-one years old. but engaged
in teaching school. There lived in sight
of my school-house family of five chill
dren who ought to have attended school,
but because their father was the owner of
the home at which he lived lone on which
he could not raise one-fourth enough bread
to feed his family, he was debarred by
law from sending his children to school,
except at his own expense, which he was
not able to meet, consequently his chill
dren were uneducated. And strange to
say that father, because he was a Demo
GRAFT and the Democratic party was opposed
to the free schools, voted against free
schools which would have enabled him to
educate his children, and could not be in
duced to vote otherwise, which | tried to
get him to do myself for the sake of his
children.
The following is aletter from a patriotic
and level-headed freshman, addressed to
fellow Irishman of Staunton. 1t is dated
at Goshen, Va, and will sufficiently ex-
plain itself:
The reading matter I received at your
hands is highly appreciated l can assure
you.
/ would have written sooner, but have
been busy refining Victoria Furnace.
am not politician. but I do sincerely
hope that free-trade will be buried forever
in this campaign. 1t is of the utmost i'm
portance to me in politics. Outside of
this | am not at all interested, and / shall
never cast a vote that is in my opinion
detrimental to my own welfare, nor can I
cast a vote for a man who has slurred my
present and former employers for simply
employment and good wages to
their employees, developing the mineral
wealth of his own native State. ca, no
none of this for me. Why is it that Vir-
ginians do not favor these industries
40 NJ fhoi, Nov
and make work for the laboring man?
have received $4.00 per day from the
Firmstones when wages in my line of
business was only $3.50 per day in Staun-
ton, and have done as well at Lowmoor
therefore, [ cannot vote for Mr.. Tucker
and continue in the employment of these
gentlemen.