The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-10-18
rue WINSTON Memo SCHOOLS

lew plaln suggestions through the
medium of your paper for the sensible
and conscientious consideration of the
tax payers of this town and country.
When { say Taxpayers [ mean of
course the white people of the country
and town for, as every one must adj
nit, the negro, with few exceptions, is
a tax consumer and not "a tax payer.
The aggregate list of taxable property
of the county shows about six million
dollars of property in this county, OF
which the negroes do not own more
than fifty thousand dollars worth on
which they are taxed.
The white people of this county and
more especially of this town have been
taxing themselves year after year to
educate the negro children. The ne
gro children have had equal advan-
tages in schools with the white chill
dren.
The vast majority of men and tax
payers whose money is thus used, are
Democrats, and are interested in Sc
curing good and economical govern
ment,and as means to that end, hon
est and capable men in office. L do
not mean to say that none of this mon
ey is raised from Republicans. But
the great part, at least nineteen TWEEN
tieths thereof, comes from Democratic
pockets. When 1T was first proposed
to establish a negro graded@school in
this place the argument used was that
if they were educatedsthey would make
better >ervants and better citizens /;
that they would be more intelligent
and better able to discharge their du-
ties as honest and good members OF the
community. Many thought that be-
ing thus educated they would feel some
gratitude to the men who paid the tax
es for that purpose, and that even
while their children were being taught
with white money, sitting by fires
made with white mems money, their
parents would feel like allying them
selves with the people who have done
SO much for them and join them IN
all laudable efforts to secure the bless
ings of good government and honest,
capable men in office. But what has
been the result? The negroes of this
town do not now, and they never will
have the least gratitude to the men
who are taking this load upon them
selves and educating the children that
they are not able to educate, and about
whose education they did not even
have enough intelligence to think or
care a farthing. They have not even
considered who is doing the work Of
educating their children. So far from
the school for their children evoking
any gratitude from them, my opinion
is that they are more bitter in this
town in their hatred of the white Dem
ocrat and his interests than they have
ever been. It has not only made both
sexes of their race worse servants. but
it is making them more bitter aud
corrupt partisans. So far from incul-
eating principles of honor and integ-
rity among their parents, | will vent
nre the assertion that can find plen-
ty of instances among the house keep
ers OF this town where negro cooks
have left their employment without
notice just because the prudent house
wife kept her pantry locked SO that she
could not steal enough to feed two or
three children who were attending the
colored graded school. know of one
insi anee of the kind myself. The ne
gro men, parents of these same chill
dren, are more insolent and lazy.
They will not work, but stand around
the street corners, many of them in
idleness all day, and depend for a liv-
ing upon what they can steal. They
are very active and diligent in regis
tering and voting against their white
benefactors but when it comes to
working or voting for the interests of
the taxpayers who are supporting
them, this negro population that the
people, the white Democratic people
of Winston are feeding, warming and
educating, will be found solidly against
the men and property which is con
ferring such unappreciated opportuni
ties upon them.
They will vote to put such men as
Staunton, league and that crowd into
position to handle county funds, fnan
ces, etc, in place of true and tried
men.
They will send their children to
school to warm by nice cal fires and
sit in fine building erected by Dem
ocratic money, and on election day,
with grinning, monkeyish and devil
ish grimaces will stab their b-nefac-
tors to the heart.
How long are the white people of
this community proposing to stand this
treatment There is no charity or
christianity which enjoins this tame
submission to savage and ignorant in
gratitude. Many of US said from the
inception of this movement for negro
schools that It would not do well
among the class of negroes we have
here. With some exceptions, the me-
gro population of this town are the
scourings of the filth eff crime and deg
radiation of many cities, such as Dam
vile. Richmond, s&c. Macy of them
are fugitives from justice from 9TH
er states. They are a shifting, moving,
justice-dodging lot that never stay
long in one place. If a negro was
even capable of a high order of intel
lectual development they move from
one place to another SO that even if
they imbibed good influences they
would soon be efaced. Of course
there may be exceptions to this rule.
What benefit is it to a negro child to 60
to school and return at night to see his
or her father or mother come home
and deposit before their eyes the evi
dence of their dishonesty and theft.
The negro population Of this town
is the most ungratefu1, bitter and IN