The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-25

the children win get much better ad-
vantases in, this way than under the
old order. This is our position, ard we
mean 10 stick 10 1t. If it must come to
a fight in the courts, We are ready for
thai also, and will carry it 10 the court
OF last resort.
That is an explanation 50 thin that a
coach and four could be driven through
it, it is neither honest tor ingenious.
The grading IN schools can never be
done on the color line.
The colored people have issued a
statement which defines their position
as follows:
We have had reasons TO believe fer
some time that it was the intention Of
the board Of education 70 separate the
cclored Children from the white. Being
citizens. We knew that 1t could net be
| lawfully done, but still they have labcr-
ed for months to arrange some scheme
to bring about the separation We, as
citizens intend to abide by the laws OF
the sta,e. but Will not abide by any
| Illegal scheme arranged by the board
/ Of education.
They claim the schools are too crowd
ed. Taen we invite tala beard to read
( section 4, article l6, Of tie Illinois schocl
/ law. and they will see that it is their
| duty to provide in their respective lu
J risdiction schools for the education of
all children, ana are prohibited from
( excluding, directly or indirectly, any
| SUCH child from school on acGcant Of
! the color of such child. If the schools
! are crowded, why would they take
children west OF State street and send
( them way over to the Douglass schCOI
| when children living east Of STATE street
/ 60 TO No. l school? And We find ri the
! same way in middle town.
! We ask no favor Of the beard; al We
demand is cur rights and what is due
us.
! We feel somewhat surprised over the
matter to think tcat this affair has oc-
! CURED when the city is under a Repub-
! Iican administration. But politics enters
only for small consideration in this
! matter. MIR. Finloe informed the COM
mittee that waited on him this after
| noon that he thought the colored peo-
pie wanted the separate schools. He
was advised by l. II Kelley that the
colored people wanted separate schools,
and that Mr.. Kelley was in a position
10 give the sentiments of the coIored
people. Ii Mr.. Kelley made such a
statement to Mr.. Finke he is totally
ignorant of the wishes oG his people
and IS representing them.
The scheme Of separating was tried
at Quincy and at Galesburg, and when
it went before the courts of this state
the move was declared Illegal and the
work ef tho0Shtless persons. | have
been authorized by the colOred citizens
to state that they viii rot stand the
discrimination, and VIII not attend the
schools that have been built for that
purpose and We will contest the case
IN the highest courts, and are confident
that we shall be as successful as our
friends at Quincy and Galesburg.
H. 3. COATS. President.
Cases similar to the Alton case have
arisen in Illinois before, one in the city
OF Alton itself and another in the case
of Quincy, and in both cases the at
tempt to draw the color line in the
schools was defeated. The present case
will be carried to the supreme court
of Illinois and possibly to the supreme
court of the United States.
Alton should be ashamed of its ac-
{ ton in this matter, for it brings vividlS
to mind the fact that that was the towr
in which Lovejoy lost mis- life half g
century and more ago for advocating
; the doctrine of abolition. A note
worthy fact in the present case is that
the Alton school board is Republican.
which shows that race prejudice is no
a matter of politics.