The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1898-12-24
- OPPOSED TO PRESENT PLAN OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
4 DISADVANTAGE TO TAXPAYERS
Favors Home Teaching But Is willing to
Help Educate Poor White
Children.

2 l0f they shall not be disappointed" i
} seems impossible to elect Legislature
that will relieve the people from the
oyerburden Of taxation, and hence il
IS good philosophy for us to be recon
clled to what we cannot help. We old
men are back numbers and must acoui-
esce in the modern methods and LEFT tha
procession proceed. But I shall die
IN the faith that it is wrong in nrinci.
pie for us to pay for the education of
children whose parents are better off
than we are, Or to pay pension money
to those who could buy rs out at a
sheriff $ sale. You see, my brethren.
l wasn't raised that way and [ am too
Old now to be raised over again. Nv
private opinion is that some
OF these gentlemen who speak
SO gushlngly about these Door.
dear children, who with ont
stretched arms are pleading and beg
| oiHo -' 0"1IdIiOH, are taking Tor
buncombe and want to be re-eIpcted
or else they haven't got any propertv
to be taxed and don't care q darn
what becomes of the rest Of rs Nv
tax now IS more than one-tenth Of nv
total income and I consider myself an
injured person, for I don't see how T
can pay 1t; and some Of my nabors are
IN the same fix. I have educated our
ten children and paid for it and got no
help and now if the new principle is
right L want the state to refund IF
my part OF the tax went to educate
poor white children only I would saw
amen and amen, but when I see #
gong to educate rich mems children
and to educate negroes for the chain
gang, L am disguised beyond measure.
1t fatlgues my indignation to read
the eush OF those orators who profess
TO be the guardian angels of the chill
dren OF the state. | can form home
syndicate right now in this town who
Will agree to give a common school
education to every child in Carters-
vile whose parents are unable to nav
the ordinary tuition. The Constitution
Is right in calling for constitutional
convention to reconsider the oualif.
cation OF voters and it should reorgan-
lie the school system and REQUIRE all
who are able, both white and black
to pay for the education of their chill.
dren. If the pensions are put upon
the INDECENT basis, why not put the
s $, 1 tell you, my brethren.
this taxation business has got
to stop. Those who are able
to stand it cannot realize what a
burden it is to those who are not. It
IS the straw that breaks the cancels
back. Captain Neal said this morning
that he had paid his city taxes but
could see no prospect of paying for ,
lhe state and county; and hear many '
others talking the same way. There a
Will be more levies by the sheriff this j
year than We're ever known before, and t
many OF us will be in the fix of nv old t
rlend Fort. who said he tried and [
'fled TO sell his house and lot to some- a
BODY SO as to pay his debts, but he d
Couldn't find a buyer, but one dav the 5
sheriff came along and sold it lust as b
'asy. ;.
A great deal of this stuff about Cd. a
lcatlon and the dear children PLEADING v
or 1t Is sentimentalism. They are /,
lot pleading for it around here, but Il
ga rather dodge it and stav at a
ome or hunt persimmons and wal. L
nut or rabbits and black haws or II
hoot sparrows and squirrels. If the u
aren's are any account and love their ia
hlldren they will bel p to educate them II
home. 1 can say with truth that in
got more and better education from II
y father and mother than / ever did it
school, for about all the teacher did 90
as to hear me recite. cc
L reckon these sentiments will sboch r,
lese paternalists who are so crazv sb
bout the public schools and will be he
pecially horrible to the army Of GU
hool teachers, for they are desper- L,
ely in earnest, and like Panl W,
Id to Timothy, 'My son. I la
agnlfy mine Office They are la1
aking bigger thing of our sys- ar
m OF public education than it de- na
rves to be. Public morals are of far clr
ore Importance, and Mr.. Stetson the CIR
atlstician of Massachusetts,, in his ~,
lie report to the legislature, declares
at the system has been tried and F.,
md wanting; that moral training is va
the background and crime is ran tic
y increasing; that public education vii
but frlgld training of the mind. Fr,
llle the heart is neglected and the oic
sons are filed to OVERLOOKING with or