The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-11-03

In the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum
when he entered the Confederate SER
vice. When this writer visited his
brigade in the spring of 1865, he was
the recipient of many kind attentions
from DIR. Patterson that have been
gratefully remembered during all these
years; and now we tender to him and
to all of the bereaved family our hearty
sympathy in the great loss they have
sustained. They have the memory of
pure and noble life to cheer them.
The Poll Tax Amendment.
State Senator G. L. Jones is the
author of the poll tax amendment to
the constitution now so much discussed,
and which will be voted on Nov. 8. In
a letter to the Jackson correspondent
OF the Commercial Appeal he says:
''The problem of distributing the
school fund. so as to give equal justice
to all the children of the State, has
been difficult one, and every State SUI
perintendent of education since the
adoption of the present constitution
has urged a change of section 206 so
that fairer and more just distribution
may be made.
The densely and thickly settled por-
tions of the State draw more than suf-
ficient money to run their schools be-
yond the required period of four
months; but the sparsely settled coun-
ties can scarcely maintain their schools
the constitutional period, burdening
themselves with an extra heavy tax,
which is added to the fund drawn from
the State. That you may see the exact
status of the workings of the present
system, will give comparison made
by State Superintendent J. II. Preston
in his report in 1895, of ten white coun-
ties and ten black counties, to-wit: The
white counties have 744 schools, for the
support of which they receive from the
State distribution $50, ,4s3, or sl20 for
each school. The mean average OF
schools in these counties is eighty-nine
days for county schools and the average
salary per month for teachers is SELL
The average salary in nine of these
counties is less than ST., and in Ponto-
toe s25. 10, which is the highest. The
, black counties have $50 schools, receive
for each sl9O, have term of Ill days,
and pay in country schools an average
salary of s29.95, the highest being sS4,
in Bolivar county.
"The black counties have 40 per cent
longer terms, and pay 37H per cent
average salaries, but they enrolled only
sixty-four pupils to each school, while
the white counties enrolled fifty-foul
pupils.
1T takes no argument to show thai
, it is unjust and unfair togive the black
counties 40 per cent. longer terms thar
the white counties and pay their teach
ers S715 per cent. better salaries, ant
that, too, when most of them are of in
ferior ability to those of the whit,
counties. And yet, according to tn,
D last enumeration of the educable chill
dren, greater proportion of the schoo
a fund will go to the black counties thi
i year than ever before.
!. ''The principle that was intended Il
1 permeate this great system of free pub
|
j, State should have the same right an,
the same chance before the law; and il
!; the distribution of this common charit,
S among her children no distinction
d should be made. In this section of tn
}; State we do not feel the need of tn
: because we get Chickasaw fund
9 which, added to the State fund, enable
us to run our schools with more ease
But many white counties do not ge
: this fund and they are burdened wit
r extra taxation to run their schools
= The demanded change is just an
. righteous one,- and we hope the peopl
of the State will turn out to the cleo
= tion and vote for the amendment"
|. Senator w. V. Sullivan and Chancel
Il lor Robert Fulton participated in tn
silver jubilee-twenty-fif anniversar
a of Vanderbilt University. They wer
among the speakers of that very in
>. teresting occasion.
Mr.. II. w. Wells, of Peoria, ILL.,,
n anxious to correspond with some men
ber of the family of General Earl Va
II Dorm. He has something of special il
e terest to communicate.
n Realty and personally valuation i
Claiborne county show the handsom
II increase of sllS,024 over the previou
assessments-the realty for 1896 an
!, personally for 1899.
The McComb City Enterprise is !ustl
jubilant in being able to announce tina
it is now printing by steam" Th
:. wonder is that our friend May has nc
; had steam up long since. Anythin
>, less than steam or electricity is to
- slow for McComb City.
$. When the cornerstone of the Stratto
"a Chapel. Natchez, was recently laid, tn
Is the box Of deposits contained, anon
Is manv other apnropriafa records n