The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1897-11-06
PUT EDUCA ron M RE
CONSTITUTIONS

The example OF Mississippi in
providing FIRST class common
school education for every child in
the State is one that can be profit
ably copied by Louisiana. The
Mississippians, having resolved a,
every hazard to eliminate from the
polls the dangers of an ignorant suf-
frage, coupled with the election pro-
visions in their new Constitution
such sufficient provision for edu-
cation as has commanded the add
miration of the whole country.
They realized that they owed it to
! the ignorant youth to place it within
their own power to attain a condi-
ton adequate to the constitutional
requirements; and SO thoroughly
did they perform their work that it
is only by violating the spirit of the
Constitution and the very letter OF
the celebrated compromise imbed-
ded therein that they can ever de-
prive the children of the State, who
are in the highest and truest sense
the wards of the State, of "a com
mon school.
Down IN Central America the
other day the people formed ma
tional Constitution, or rather a
compact which will eventuate in a
Constitution, and they declare in it
that no one of their States shall fail
to provide for education, free, nom
sectarian, and compulsory. In
Connecticut recently the people
adopted a constitutional provision
that no one shall vote who cannot
read the Constitution in the English
language The leaven is working
all over the continent, and it will
not be a generation before the polls
on the continent will be closed to
ignorance forever. Everywhere it
is comprehended that the correla-
tive right of the citizen is to have
supplied to him the means Of that
education which the State exacts Of
him. In a word, enlightened suf-
frage and free education are insep-
arabic, and both belong In the
Constitution.
Education is one Of the subjects
which the convention has plenary
power to deal with 1t can make
precisely such provisions as it
chooses to make, and it ought to be
placed out of its power, by the
predispositions Of the people, to
neglect its duty in this behalf. 1t
is impossible to be proud of the
present educational conditional con-
dition of louisiana. There will be
no difficulty in providing the need
full money for reasonable school
ing. The poll tax alone-and there
is going to be a poll tax-ought
to bring in at least quartz
Of a million, after making all
necess ary allowance for those igno-
rant people who would rather keep
their two dollars than possess the
right to vote. Whatever else is
needful should be raised by uni
form State tax on property, and the
whole fund should be paid into the
State treasury and apportioned to
the districts in accordance with
their educable population. Beyond
this, it ought to be provided that
any district or parish which
chooses shall have the right to tax
itself specially for the support OF
the schools for time longer than
at established and subsidized by
the State
We are sorry to see the feeling
which finds expression in the State
press that the convention will dc
nothing for education. 1t is sc
abhorrent to every sense Of RICH,
and equity, SO unjust to the poorer
citizens, and SO unspeakably be-
hind the current progress of the
age to deprive ignorance of the