Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-05-31
BLACK VS.. WHITE.

to Get the Board on It's Record, But tn
Members Couldn't See 1t, and sit DOW
Upon Them Every Time-A Very Interest
ing Communication.
To Tie Editor Of he Register
In preparing this communication 90 .
for the purpose Of setting myself right be
fore the public in the stand have taken IN
opposition to the seeming purpose OF IN.
Board of Education to ignorea provision o.
lawintended to keep separate tae white anc
colored pupils in our city schools in then
various departments, whether OF higher Oh
lower grade; and in doing so ! make nc
apology for myself, but simply ask the read
er to give nv communication and the mat
ter it treats fair and impartial constdera'
ton. .,l,
In you, issue of the 9th Of March lest,
the SUPERINTENDENT OF city schools IN rs.er'
/ ring to a statement which appeared a coy
| or two before in your columns, that colored
nnn;ls had Seen admitted to the Fourth
| ward public schoolin explanation stated The
| rumor probably gained currency from the
| following fact: Wednesday afternoon the
| annual examination of pupils who are can
didates for graduation took place at the
Union Fourth ward) School, and as a mat.
ter of course, pupils were pressat from all
the schools in the city, and among them
four colored pupils. The examination OF
the latter in conjunction with the others
was commented on by some of the scholars,
and ! suppose in relating it to their
parents, they conveyed the impression that
The colored children had been admitted as
regular pupils. 1t is the first time colored
children have been admitted to the g-saust-
ing class, and the fact that there were four
candidates, is much to their credit"
This, being the first intimation ha'd OF
ANYTHING OF the kind, | interrogated' the
Superintendent on the subject, and he iu-
formed me he was acting by authority oS!he
Board. then made some further irqrify
as TO the course to be adopted st the COM
ing commencement exercises IN June,
and learned that it was in con-
temptation to bring the white and
cclered graduates together at that time.
Believing that the granting OF such authority
On the part Of the board, either expressly or
by implication, to be in direct conformation
Of the law defining its powers and duties IN
he premises, | took occasion, at its first
monthly meeting thereafter, 10 bring the mat.
erio The attention Of the board. lreduced
20 writing and embodied in the shape OF q
resolution, the points wished to present
prepared it very hastily, a1moniShed by the
evident Impotence of the members, after
lad acquainted them with my purpose, and
submitted it. The resolution is as follows:
ReSolrc3, That it is the opinion of this
board, that section 20 Of the school law OF
he Independent School District of Wheel
ing, precludes the mingling Of white and
colored graduates upon the occasion OF the
annual school commencements.
This resolution received but one vote
my Own,-the other members present voting
so!idy against il. TO use the expressive
al guage of q member in speaking OF the
nh, er Afterwards The board %Ot down
.o:Glv on White and his resolution
Now, what is the meaning Of this action?
Ler us see. The Daily lntelhsencer, in its
rerart OF the proceedings, next morning,
sets forth in staring headlines:
"COiorcd PWpitS MT Disseminated
.igqja>ihy Hc Ro"d IF EiUcuiion-V
Eoe is Gea@di Commencement. the
CoIored Graduates wiz be on Ha~d.'
4 gain. | say, let us sac. We have some
law in our state-be it right or wrong-be
it in consopance with our notions or not,
and believe it will be conceded that all
acts, whether of the Board Ct Education or
spy other board, are only valid and binding
so long as they are made or done in pursu.
snce of the law which created them and
gave them their powers.
But, let us see still little further. At
the next regular meeting Of the Board, held
Nav 2lst, 1885, with the purpose of setting
all doubt at rest and procuring a fall ex.
pre- sion ofnpinioa, introduced the following
resolutions designed to cover every aspect
Of the case; but which, as will be seen BY
the published proceedings, were either voted
down or referred to some committee where
they will, | think, never be heard from, but
will sleep the sleep that knows no waking.
These resolutions, however, | desire to
embllm with "the art preservatiTe, the
printers art,-and therefore ] reproduce
them here, in the order in which they were
presented viz:
ReSolred, That the commencement ex.
ercises OF the graduating class Of each
school district shall be held in their respect
i've school buildings.
This resolution was intended to meet the
requirements of the law, and bridge over the
difficulty, but it was quickly referred to the
Committee on Rules and Regulations. The
next was
RcSoiccd, That the Superintendent be,
and he is hereby instructed to hold the COM
mCncement exercises Of the white and
co!Ored graduates separate and apart from
each other.
This was introduced TO cover exactly the
law IN the case. AS the question was just
Oh he point Of bsirg pat, and, as they
lhcughI, would be d,f1aiei and disposed of
without any more trouble, | asked that the
aye and nots be taken. which call baiag
sus,:ined, one II mber, seaing they were
utc,t 10 be placed in a pos ton 70 ba spotted
~ rfeir Constituents, moved to lay the reso-
luton On TIE table. called the ayes aud
ro,s on thai question, which call being not
,u>'aincd. the resolution was lal on the
'ail- by al Overwhelming III ijori,Y | still
,bJl ehi might be enabled to force them
to commit themselves upon the question in
some other way, and submitted the follow
ing:
"Reso1red, That in boiling the com.
menCement exercises Of the graduating
classes Of the different schools of this city,
the Superintendent be, and he is hereby in.
strUCted to make no discrimination on &C.
count Of color, and in pursuance Of this
resolution he is authorized 10 hold the said
exercises at such time and place as he may
deem expedient"
This embodied their avowed intent as
shown BY their instructions to the superin.
tendent, and was intended to procure official
action. When the motion was made to lay
upon the table, l called for the ayes
and noes, which was not sustained, and they
again escaped the consequences which a
disclosure OF their true purpose would inev-
itably entail upon them.
The next and last resolution was one |
introduced to afford to the white graduates
the same advantages as had been accorded
10 the blacks in the matter Of per centage
Of excellence to be gained or acquired be-
4 I q. -