Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-10-16
THAr NEGRO SCHOOL BIN.
Editor RrinciIicy OF tho "rViIight,'
Relates IIssstaIenIents and Cites
aaNI

| llcsns concerning their traltorlsm toward
oolored citizens IN 1889. The Daily Repub.
! lican OF last Saturday made editorially the
| following intimldatlng statement bidding
| for colored votes:
| II don't take mitch to knock out the asser-
| tons oil the De dleGre TiDpigh. A correspond
| ent from this city 10 the New York az, truo
colored peoples paper. did II in very few
words found in our local columns.
To begin with, the colored people natur-
ally wonder why the editor OF the Republic
can did not do this easy job ? l charge the
Republican pnrty with not urging the pas
sage Of the bill referred to, neither by tnelr
voice or their journals. II the editor OF the
Republican will produce one single article
he published on our educational behalf
during the sitting of the legislative body In
80, l Will yield the point.
The eolored voters will be guided By
what they think true. They will pursue
different course In this election. Therefore
l am not surprised at the Republicans
struggling to retain their weakening grasp.
"a drowning man will grasp straw"
have no apology to make to the party nor
to my people for the course 1 take at this
critical time. am gratified that the oppor-
tuulty presents itself when the oolofed peo-
pie may at least begin to understand some
OF the reasons why oppose the party as It
now figures. II IL merely the rotten end of
the once grand old Republican party. 1t Is
In ignorance OF true citizenship, preferrlng
to use our people as dupes and fools, az the
following item will show:
THE TWILIGHT KNOCKED OUT.
The New Yori; 1gs, published by colored
people, contains tho following from the Dlia-
Vdrs TiriigM: "ihe colored men voted solidly
for the Republican party In 1857. Legislators
then elected constituted the General Assembly
oil So The Republicans ruled the House Of
| tepr sen.atiyes by Il hnndsome majority.
Colored mon held state conventions at Dover;
during their sitting thoy drew up u reasonable
and consistent petition and presented II to tue
Repu Dlcan House, 81 ply asking another step
toward better rolOred schools in the rural dis
tricts. A question every freeman asks is, what
became OF that petition left In the hands OF
our supposed best friends? As Il mhtter OF
fuct, We are forced 10 say that bill never
became q law. Is theto Il Hepubllcan now
claiming negro votes whU at any time raised
hts voice ami appealed TO tile bar OF pubic
opinion in favor OF that right and lu bill"
Your CORES pendent wa a member OF the
State convention that Editorinrlnckley speaks
about, and which lie left Wilmington to attend
two days before the convention convened aud
did not get there until after II had AdIJurne7,.
l desire 10 say that the petition was received
by the committee on education, ma tho JOINT
committee Of the Sengte and House heard by
Prof. 4. II. Snowdcn aud others in advocacy Of
the !nstuess. The Republican members OF
the committee Of the House were in favor OF
granting tho petition IN full, for tl2O01. but the
Democratic senators would not hear of 1t, and
u t;1mprolnis @ was mad . $4,000.
Mr. II. q. Conrad OF this city drew UP bill
and it was introd iced in the House by tho Hon.
M D. Downham Oh tuesday, March 20 h, 1889,
and passed the House Friday, March .lth,
1854 1t was sent to the Senate Tor concurrence,
and the reason that 10 did not become law is
that tho Dem cratic senators won d not touch
II. / know of Republicans who went to Dover
several times expressly 10 urge the senate TO
pass this bill, but they would not hear OF II.
These Democratic senators ar the kind OF
men that the ediioro the 2iriight would have
Afro-Auerlcans vote for this fall. Senator
Dunahoe was one of them We al remember
what he said saturday night when he kicked
that white lady on In rd street lie thought It
was a GUlored womani This is Il far ample Of
the Democratic State senator that Mr.. Drinck-
log wants the colOred people to vote for.
Tho respectable and Intelligent oolored
people need no further Information con-
corning the truth of the above statements
than, Asbury o. Sterling corresponds fol
The Age But there are some things con-
necteu with the transaction OF the matter
referred to, they will be surprised o learn.
Sterling received letter from the man he
calls the Hon. M. Downham come few
days ago, telling him Just what heproves to
have no more brains than to spread before
tho public. Sterling showed me Downham's
letter and cautioned him not accept 1t as
authority. Since then the boss politicians
have harnessed him as a kicker against
my charges-hence he PUSHES out like an
ass flu blind Bride endeavoring to conceal
his identity.
The convention referred to was called by
colored men in the lower part OF this State.
Oiti1sn5 here responded. l was elected
chairman of delegates. / proposed pre-
senting our claim for moro educational
facilities In the form OF bill to the Senate;
which was Democratic by majority; thus
relieving the Republican House OF any I'M
necessary embarTassme It or lntensifying
bitter feeling against our people by the
opposite party.
The Republican politicians were informed
OF p1y course and finally prevented It. The
delegates, OF which was chairman. were
elected by the citizens In public meeting.
Afterward the men were influenced to
consult lawyers. Hon. Senator Higgins and
Fl. @. Conrad, ESD, were selected and
and their views were freely given. Asbury
Sterling, A. b. McPherson johnson and
myself were the committee which called
upon the gentlemen for advice. Mr.
Higgins simply sympathized with the de-
ploTable condition of our schools and
promised better things II the Republican
party should ever get into power. mir.
Conrad was requested to prepare All esti-
mate for the amount OF money necessary to
run schools six or eight months the rural
districts. That gentleman reluctantly sub
mitted slip OF paper containing lew
figures a day or two before the convention
convened. MIR. Conrad promised us faith
would enable colored m to vote for MEM
Ders OF the Board OF Education In this city.
l suppose he either forgot 1t or recalled TO
mind his alleged stand against striking the
word "white" out Of the city charter when
he was a member OF the City Council, about
SO.
Mr.. d. p. Hamilton, who was elected
alternate ut the citizens meeting, changed
hts position and was made a delegate In q
private meeting held in Bethel Church
fsw days before the convention came OF.
There were also several other delegates
made at the same clandestine meeting and
sent to Dover for the purpose OF opposing
mo II attempted to carry out the ideas
given them In our private delegate com
mittee meeting. The boss politicians
worked their full point except lghting me
In that convention. i did not meet the
body. / detected clear, clean. cut bargains
to sell the terests OF our race, to enable
before their white constituents
committed on educating our people.
The bill was sneaked through the
House few days bsforc the Legislature
adjourned. amblguously worded and full
OF errors, by this same man Sterling calls
the Hon. NJ. Downham. l do not purpose
to attempt defending any guilty Democrat
or consuming any innocent Republican.
But when Sterling says the Democrats
would not touch the bill he utters false
hood, or the legislative records lie. There
were two Republicans In the Senate, Messrs.
Moore and Rlchardson-fa father OF the pres
emit candidate on the Republican ticket for
governor. The fact lie that bill went to the
Senate with a string tied to 1t. Itseems that
both OF the Republican senators had their
hands tied also, for fail to ind one single
recorded motion they made TO have 1t con.
sidered. Yet the bill was read three times
In the Senate and laid on the table about |
day before the Legislature adjourned.
This is no buncombe, but plain facts, |
which any citizen can verify by looking at