Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-12
The National Convention at
st. Paul Ended.
The Various Departments Com
plete Their Work.
An Interesting Discussion of the Race
Problem.
Able Argument by a Southern Jurist in
Favor of Restricting the Right
of Suffrage.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

ST. PAUL, July 11.-During this after
noon the various departments of the
national educational convention met for
the last time this year. The kinder
garten department elected as president
for the year Mrs. Eudora Hailman, OF
Laporte, Indiana. H. S. Jones, of Penn
sylvania, was elected president of the
department of elementary schools. The
general topic of the high school as fin
ishing school was considered by the Sec
ondary education department. H. Lee
Sellers, of Texas, and James H. Baker,
OF Colorado, read papers on the general
topic, and others followed. The college
department considered the question
of college administration on the
matter of raising the standard
of colleges in general. Committee
reports were heard by the department
OF industrial education and manual
training. Louis McLouth, of South
Dakota, was elected president. Hon
Aaron Cove, of Denver, read paper be.
fore the music department, advocating
music as regular part OF required
school work, and the placing of it on the
same ground with arithmetic and all
other branches.
At the last session, tonight, Prof.
Baker, of Colorado, presented report
of resolutions. They favor moral train
ing in the public schools; recommend
an investigation of the White
Cross League literature; endorse
the American Humanitarian Society !;
advocate the teaching of the ethics of
politics; approve compulsory education
to limited extent; commend United
States Commissioner Morgan's plans for
Indian school lands; endorse the land
grants for colleges; demand the repeal
OF all duties on books.
A resolution regarding spelling reform
was referred to special committee to
report next year.
The race problem was the subject for
the evening, and the first address was
by Judge Gumby, OF Louisiana.
He said the subject concerns
not only the south but the whole coun-
try. 1t will not settle itself. 1t must
not be let alone. 1t demands brave
thought and determined action to solve
it by bloodless revolution. All the
trouble in the south arises from the po-
litical jealousyof the negroes, and from
the fear of the whites that negro
rule will be restored, and utterly
destroy the newborn progress Of
the south. The true solution of
the race problem on just basis,
lies in the restriction of suffrage, and
the only just restriction is an educational
qualification. Ii the negro was enabled
to exercise the right of suffrage intelli-
gently, all danger and apprehension OF
race trouble would cease. This qualif-
cation should be adopted by the general
government, and the same government
should give the negroes the means oi
education to qualify them fo1
the burdens and responsibilities
of citizenship which the gov
ernment placed on them, to
subserve its own ends. Public educa-
ton is the peculiar and grandest dis
tinction of the American nation, and it
ought to be put into the national consti-
tuition. The press should cease to he
partisan in the presence of this grave
issue. Statesmen should throw aside
all temporary expedients end adjust the
question on basis just and fair and safe
to both races.
President j. G. Price, of Livin gstone
college, Salisbury, n. c., next delivered
an address on Education and the Race
Problem" President Price is a negro
and an eloquent one. He argued that
negro freedom would never be complete
until the negro became educated. The
solution of the problem is granting to
the negro all the civil rights to
which he is entitled as a member of
the human family. The race problem
is the natural outcome of environment,
and change must be made in the
character Of that environment. While
educating the poor negroes, the poor
whites in the south should not be
neglected.
President Garfield made a brief clos
ing talk, turning over the gavel to the
new president, w. R. Garret, who spoke
few moments and then the thirty
fourth annual convention ofthe National
Educational Association was adjourned.