The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-09-16

extent, . matter Of night and neceeei-
~, and Il was done in those cosnties
whether the County Boards Of Edncs-
ton, which had the sppoinsing power.
were Populist, Republican or DeDe-
cratic.
1t 10 no. political question, but .
race question and the conditions 10
many localities demanded ii. There
10 work for him TO do on the commit
tee that white men would not care to
do. The Graded Schools ia many Of
the eastern towns, have negroes on
the school board, and always have had
their appointment was necessary to
assist In the management Of the color
ed schools Of those towns, and
while they may have . legal
right in the management Of the
white schools Of those townr, yet they
have never dared to exercise or claim
that right.
You may ask why. they do not
have separate committees in those
towns, . white committee to manage
the white schools and . colored com-
mittee to manage the cOlored achools.
The reason is that such separate man
agement would be less economical and
and efficient. The township feature
Of the new school law-one committee
for all schools in township-hss come
to stay. 1t supplies long felt want
in this State, and cures the slaring de-
fects Of the old district system. 1t il
less cumbersome and requires fewer
school officers than the old system, and
provides for wiser, better organized
and more efficient supervision. Sepa-
rate committees.fo each race would, to
q great measure, destroy the purposes
and objects for which the new Law was
enacted. -Four hundred and f fly school
committeeman in one county 10 a farce
and absurdity. It meansincompetency
and confusion. Fifteen years expert
ence in this State demonstrates these
facts. The schools were giving res ults
that were unsatisfactory and were
failing through their own unguided
momentum.
II the schools are properly divided
under the new law it will give to the
poor children q the State better and
more efficient schools and longer terms
with the same rate of taxation.
The old school law lost to the State
Of North Carolina not less than $780,
600 each year of wasted, squandered
money. This loss was the result of the
defects in the old district system, and
can be explained by three causes.
!. The constant increase in the nQ %.
Der Of school districts, with constan,
decrease in the average attendance o.
school children.
2. The plan of appropriating thu
school funds by which one-third Of
the total fund was wasted on weak dis.
tricts.
3. Too many school officers, who were
cOSA ANO"RCtChV 0Au "1VuOuV 0uy
ganizati0n. The salaries of the teach.
ers were not fixed according to the
grade of the work required in the
school, for high salaried teachers were
chosen to teach low grade schools and
vice versa. The management lacked
system and uniformity a.: :ile -suit
was Encouragement and extrava-
gance.
The new school law corrects all these
evils and will be 6 at sav'rs TO the
State.
This new school law, and especially
the feature Of having one central com
mittee for all the schools in a town.
ship, will give us larger aud better
public schools, without any extra local
taxation or incr eased taxation of any
kind. When the people see how much
better their schools are managed un-
der the new law they will be ready to
make these still better by voting the
local tax where it is needed.