The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-05-14
What is the Sentiment of The State

What Is the Sentiment Of The State !
The Nems ami Courier in copying Sen
ator Hamptou's letter has this 10 say in
reply to us:
We have no manner Of doubt, with all
respect to III -Abbcville contcm Porary,
that Senator Iiampton's position Is III
complete accord with the sentiment of the
large majority OF the white citizens OF the
State. Abtov;iic may hr more unturtu-
Hatc, rs regards It's schools, than other
counties, but VIC are not anxious to De-
lievc that i county which is renowned for
its devotion to learning and Its apprcfia-
ton Of knowledge is willing to take from
the children of the poorer people their on
ly means of obtaining 4 ruulinentarS cd
ucation. Oar Abbeville contemporary
seems to forget that the two mill tax for
!school purposes Is laid upon property.
They who have no property pay no tax.
To repeal it wnIld be Il step backward.
and be II denial to the children of tho
State Of the advantages and opportunities
which it IS the pleaSure OF every onmn-
nitv in a free country to give them.
What chance would there lie to repeal the
provision for the two mill tax? It would
require two.thirdS vote. in the first IN
stance, in the Legislatures, to be oll"wed
by q majority vote 1T a general election,
with a ratification by Il two-thirds vote ny
the succeeding General Assembly. The
w%ell-to-do people are, us such, in tho MI
noritv; but they are, We believe, ready to
pay the school tax, and glad to pay 1t, tor
the benefit of the people of the State-the
whole people, white and co!ored. we tall
to see any evidence that any considerable
NUM- Der of persons is opposed to the free
49,, 4 Il. .t,@J, l.t ,,n al, ,,,l,oSjfQfinJIV
that VIC arc ready to 20 to the people
white and rolored-on that issue, If the
rash and heehlc.s course OF our Abberllle
friend should require it.
Ahont tho Blair Bill. 1t will virtually
give to the white people tho whole benefit
of the sum now raised, for educational
purposes, Ivy State taxation. The school
fund is about Sl50,iN0 q year. and there
are more colorrd children in the public
schools than white children. The Blair
hill would give Sonth Carolina. tho first
verr, about Sl5Q, 900. 1t wouhl double the
school fund. AS large an amount as IS
now devoted to the education OF blacks
and whitea would be added to the means
of education. The white children would
have the benefit of as large Il fund as that
which iSnnw divided between whites and
blacks. The colored children would have,
for their " use, ~ large \ fund a. that
which is now shared with the whites. We
want the people of the State 70 realize
what will be los, by the loss of the Blair
bill.
Senator Hampton may be in "complcte
accord with the sentiment Of the large
"maiori:y of the white people Of the
State" and tho Ncws and Courier may
he a fair exponent of their wishes on the
subject Of public education. We have
no data upon which to dispute this point,
but VIC are perfectly certain that Senator
Hampton's letter does not express the
sentiments of half dozen citizens Of Abb
neville county, and that the Ncws and
Courier, with all its Dersistency. SO far as
we can learn, has not won more than two
or three Of its readers in this county, to
it's way Of thinking.
The sentiment Of Ahhrrille county !s
in thoroughbred complete accord with the
vicws expressed by Senator Butler, and
it will take adler arguments and more
silly deductions thar the News and Cou-
rier. has ever produced to change them.
The people arc solid OH that subject. and
'.Abbeville is renowned for its devotion
ITO learning and its appreciation of
Knowledge"
The NewS aud Courier says: 1--WE fail
to see any evidence that any considerable
number Of persons is opposed to the free
Schools" None are so blind as those who
do not want to see.
But that paper also says: I'VE say I'M
"hesita,ingly that we are ready to go to
'the pcoplc-white and colorcd-on that
Tissue, if the rash and needless course Of
Tour Abbeville friend should require"
We thank our friend for the promise, and
hope that he mean no mental reservation
in the saving clause. The News and
Courier is n State paper, and should not
I've the organ Of any particular faction of
our people. For this reason we are pleas
ed to know that it has concluded to rec
ognize the fact that there arc two sides to
the educational question. and that there
exists among our people a division Of
sentiment on this important subject. 1t
is useless for the News and Courier to try
70 laugh the opponents Of public educa-
ton out of court. They arc in earnest,
and if our metropolitan %neighbor will
keep his promise to treat them fairly, We
have no fear of results.
If the county papers wonld discuss the
question, as it has been done in Ahbeville,
the State would be almost a unit in its
opposition to this most s%tupendous frand
commonly called public education. We
thank tho News and Courier for its eS-
preston of a Willingness to submit the
question to the people for more reasons
than one. Besides the value Of it's own
direct influence upon the people by pre-
senting tho subject fairly, its followers in
the country press will, by its example,
feel warranted in entering upon a discus
sion Of this question.
The time has passed when we need to
act falsely to ourselves in order to gain
favor in Northern eyes. We despise
their opinions when they would inter-
NEEDLE with us, and interfere with our
prosperity. We take no stock in the fu-
tile attempts to correct the malicious
falsehoods which are circulated abroad
about us. Conscious Of the rectitude of
our W acts, and perfectly certain of our
honorable intention. political enemies
NAV think of us as they please. The
people of South Carolina are as good as
the people of the best Northern State, and
knowing this fact, we care not what de-
signing politicians may say or think.
Does "Ccnflscation ConfScatc ?-The
Nnarrn TnY