The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-03-13
Colored School Trustees,

| Every one VINO IfdQ Il6 l6aSG conception
of the needs of the public schools kney
that the resolution adopted by the Bour
bon Convention at Lynchburg, was de
signed to deceive the colored voters init
the support of the candidates of that party
or to destroy the colored schools Of thu
State. The proposition for colored trls
tees for colored schools could have no othel
construction. Every intelligent man knew
this and knows it now, that 1.-THE colored PEG
pie are not sufficiently advanced as class
to take charge of the entire management
of so Important and exacting system Of
education as that of the public schools
Here and there competent persons. Of the
colored race, could have been found tt
properly and successfully administer the
school interests, but to adopt two schoo
systems-one under the whites and the
other under the colored people-would
have been tantamount to the destruction
of the latter. Many enemies of the public
schools desired this. Others, who voted
with the Bourbons and declared for the
platform, did so for the occasion, and in
obedience to party law, but had no faith in
the proposition. The debate on the bill Of
Senator Atkinson shows this. Mr.. Koinel
admitted it. DR.. Norton's pathetic ap.
peal for his race and his earnest protesta.
tiOn against any such ruinous policy as
two separate organizations, must have
made the blush Of shame mantle the
cheeks of the Bourbon advocates of the
Lynchburg resolution. They knew it was
a cruel deception--trifiing with sacred
interest, and that to have attempted to
carry into effect the proposition would be
death to the colored schools. DIR. Norton
knew it too, and his clear and cogent state
ment- of what the effect of the attempt
would be, drove the advocates of the
measure into the retreat Gen. Wickham
luckily suggested to them. One Senator
exposed his cruel cynicism by the remark
that the negro has had the advantage of
the public schools for fifteen years, and he
could not understand why they were not
prepared to take charge of the system.
He did not care to examine into the facts,
we are sure. Should he take into consid-
Grafton the condition of the enfranchised
class in 1S65-their history for two hun
bred years previous to that date-their
poverty-their struggle for the means of
living and providing for their offspring,
after they were thrown out upon theirown
resources, the prejudice they had to en-
counter and all the adverse circumstances
surrounding them to impede their pro-
gress, it is possible he would not have
ventured such an opinion. DR.. Norton un-
derstood the conditions and situation and
SO forcibly presented them, that what he
saidmust have had deep impression upon
his senatorial colleagues. The battle of
Hastings was fought over eight hundred
years ago, and from that time to this the
Anglo Saxon race has been training for it's
present civilization. Could it be expected
that the African could reach it in fifteen
years? 49,
The whole matter of the relation of the
negro to education, to political rights, to
legislative policy, should be considered in
higher light than partisan interests.
There is responsibility resting upon the
white people, in this respect, that cannot
,e evaded, or escaped, and it is their duty |
o meetit like men-to march forward in |
he path blazed by the civilization of the
ge-to advance and improve and en-
ighten, and fit for the full duties of citi-
enship the colored people among us.