The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-23
THE SCHOOL LAW AND SCHOOL
TAX.

the imprisonment law IoT idiiuie '"
nay taxes early and by a given time.
They are both important and well cal
culated to arrest the attention OF the
ue,ple-the tax burden bearers. They
ure the work of radical-populist legls-
uaf;on. Mr.. w. A.. Dunn, OF Scotland
Neck. a leading lawyer Of that section,
writes US:
Elm your leading editorial of the
rsfh. "rhe Present School Law you
nav the school law adopted by the last
Jerislature is not rightly construed by
Superintendent Of Public instruction
Mebane.'
think you are correct in this state
mart. So much of that act as says
Fiat the supervisor must be a practl-
r.I school teacher at the time or MS
eiex lion or has had at least one years
exD, rience in teaching school Is uh-
cOT.etitutional.
TIE right to hold office is regulated
Inv section 4 Of article s, Of the consti-
tution: Every voter, except as hereln-
after provided, shall be eligible to Of
nee The legislature cannot impose ad-
.dItieral qualifications; therefore any
vote is eligible to the office of super
visor. If any authority was necessary
to support this proposition. reference
might be made to Lee VS.. Dunn, ~ N.
C., r., 595."
This is timely. So much is being
said and published concerning the law
that it is we'll to understand n the
law is, how it works, what it provides
for. Mr.. Dunn is doubtless correct.
The last Legislature had no constitu-
: tional power to set aside the constitu-
ton. A fool will grant that. So the
legislature could not d~isqualify any
citizen not disqualified by the organic
law. "Any voter is eligible to the Of
ice of SUPERVISOR" The people of
North Carolina are specially appealed
to now to arouse themselves unwon-
tedly in behalf Of popular education.
They are asked to cooperate as never
before to remove the stigma of ignor-
ance, and to give the children long
terms and better education which
means better teachers. The ~reproaches
against North Carolina are many, and
her ~nakedness is uncovered eagerly
by her sons, and they do not even go
backwards as they seek to throw a
mantle over her, but parade 1t with
loud hurrahs and swing. 1t is an old
story with us, this cause of popular
education. 1t would fill pages Of The
Messenger to contain all we have writ
ten about it, beginning in 1866. The
Messenger favors heartily the move
ment for more education for the chill
dren and Of a better quality-the bet
ter the more desirable and lasting.
The educational question is a vital
question, is a foremost question, as we
have long held. People in a republic
who vote should understand what they
are doing. They should be able to read
for themselves If we were TO Judge
of the actual blessings Of education,
however, by what we see-by results
In the last five years in North Carroll
ma, we would not be hopeful or en-
fhusiastic. Seeing how the negroes
who can read nave voted invariably,
what of men they have chosen
as public officials, what measures they
had favored and still favor, we would
be compelled to say that such educa-
ytion as they have received by the tax
alton of the whites had proved a dead
failure, and the fruits were bitter and
e~xecrable.
And yet if they are to vote they must
have education. After awhile they
may cease to vote through the inspi-
ration and blinded impulses Of preju-
dice and ignorance and learn more
and more to identify themselves in
principles and plans with the true in
terests of their state M with the white
men of the more worthy, intelligent
and truly patriotic and honorable
classes.
The Messenger is not opposed to the
new school law out and out, however
defective it is unquestionably. The
Messenger is not opposed to the spe-
cial school tax to be soon voted upon
by the people in the different town
ships on certain conditions. It is op-
posed, however, most determinedly to
some wrong ruling or some very un-
wise selections of officials or some Sc
rious abuses of the law as the case
may be in this or that township.
While we do not believe the $50, 900
would work the wonders the euthusi-
asts claim for it, that sum would help
NO little when properly and wisely and
honestly expended. The law is defec-
tive-the whole school law is so more
d less-the legislature made in this
and other attempted law making a
blunder of ignorance.
Not only is the law badly drawn.
but it offers ignorance and malice op-
portunities for linguistic jugglery and
Eegal ~quibbling ans suggests perhaps
a way of playing the usurper on a
small scale. Whenever the usurpa-
don, by false construction, or other
sUise, is attempted, it is to be hoped it