Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-29
LOCAL INTELLIGRNCR.
DIRECTOR MARTIN.


He Rises to Explain Certain Rumors Re-
garding School Matters.
EDS. RECORD UNION In your article OF
this morning regarding the city schools
the inference is drawn thai one of the Di-
rectors desires to close tie colored school
because of a disagreement between the
teacher of that school and himself Such
is not the case. am the Director who
bought the clock and wanted to know why
the city should pay at the rate of $40 per
annum per capita to educate the colored
children, when it only cost SIG per annum
to educate the white children. As / under
stand, there are about seventy-five colored
children in this city of which only twenty
five go TO the colored school, and the other
fifty go to the other schools. When |
learned these facts naturally, as a School
Director, and as business Proposition, de-
sired to know why we should maintain a
school under those circumstances. l be-
ieve that all the colored children should
either be compelled to go to the colored
school (if il must be maiutained) or all
sent to the other schools, for l don't see
any business or sense in paying $40 per an
mum per capita to educate part of the
children, and only SIC for others,
when the schools are of the same standard
and so far as the school lot not reverting
back to its former owner is concerned, the
lot at most is not worth more than 81 500,
and how long, al $24 per pupil, will it
take to pay for such q lot, and then own it
for any purpose the School Board needs -?
Why, just three years, and then for all
time on would not have this unjust and
unreasonable amount to pay extra for the
privilege of colored school.
Also, several of my friends asked me why
| introduced petition TO provide fog the
Chinese children a separate school. In re-
gard thereto, l don't want my child to go to
school with Chinese children, aud as | IN
derstand Section 1865 of the Political Code,
the Board of Education must do one of two
things, either admit them in the other
schools or furnish a separate school, and /
am not in favor of compelling others to
send their children to a mixed school when
l would not do it myself, and the only way
that can see out of The difficulty IS to give
them separate school, and there can be
no objections thereto on political grounds,
for the law was passed by Democratic SEN
ate and signed by Democratic Governor
(See amendments to Political Code, 1884 81,
and, further, there are equities in favor OF
giving them separate school. The County
Assessor OF this county informs me that
between S4, 600 and 81 200 each year is col
lected from the Cinnamon for poll taxes,
which would be enough to maintain at
least four separate schools.
The Chinese children are also entitled TO
their portion of the school money under
the census the same as white children. and
may attend the schools. See Ward VS..
Flood, as Cal. 36, wherein the colored
children were excluded from the schools,
which case was argued by John w. Dwi.
nell, one of the sblest lawyers in the State,
and the decision was rendered by Judge
w. T. Wallace, Chief Justice, and one OF
the ablest Judges of our Supreme Court,
and Democrat, and was concurred in by
all the other Judges except Justice Rhodes,
who did not express an opinion.
There being eighty-three Chinese child
ren entitled to attend schools in this county
as per last census OF 1888, tn ~ would be
entitled to an apportionment of S760 from
the State and county, and if twenty five
children attended the school, which would
only be fair average out of eighty three
entitled to attend school, then they would
received S125 additional for their pro rata
of attendance. So the Chinese pay 81, ,20O
TO support the schools in poll-taxes and
also draw $760 from the State as appor-
toned, and are census children and enti.
tied to school, and as long as the Chinese
pay for it, and the law says that they shall
have it, am in favor of obeying the law
! am respectfully, ED. NJ. MARTIN.
Sacramento, November IS. 1888.