Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1900-01-19

hb lO require tu6 bof6Tdl UCaru5 Uf Su
pervisors In the state to appoint for
their respective counties Road Com
missioner, to be paid by the county,
who shall give bond for the proper
discharge of his duty and for liabili-
ty to any individual who may sustain
actual damages by reason OF bad roads
or bridges In his county, caused by
his negligence or delay to have said
road or bridge properly repaired. The
said commissioner should be given
general supervision over all roads and
overseers thereof in his county and be
required to give his entire time to
the work and to make report to the
grand jury at each setting thereof Civ
ing information against nil defaultipg
road overseers coming to his knowledge
in the county.
GENERAL PRIMARY EECTION
LAW.
The impor tance OF intelligent supre-
macy iE the government of the stats
is too obvious to admit Of Giscussi on
1t is equally obvious that such supre
macy must depend upon white politi-
cal unity. The result Of general cleo
tions in the state have for number
of years past been practically declared
in advance by nominations made by
the white Democrats. But as tbe
recollection of the political troubles
with the negro prior to 1876 grows old
in the public mind the danger OF re-
currence of such tfcables becomes
less imminent. and as the yenrs go by
the white people become more and
more impatient and displeased with
tho dubious and devious methods OF
she party nominating machinery,
which differs in its procedure accord
ing to the interest and views Of the
party leaders In the different coun.
ties. Such impatence among the
white people, 1t seems to me, furnishes
timely warming, aud, il we would per-
petuate white political union, the time
appears opportune for the passage of
uniform ompulsory primary election
law for the state. with a provision
that only qualified electors shall vote
in the primary elections held thereun-
der. Besides, even though the signs
of the times argue no anger to all in
telligent government, the fact and i'm
portance Of nominations for Office,
which amounts practically to an elec-
tion, as under our present system,
calls justly upon the law makers OF
the stats to give the people primary
elections, to be held in all the coun-
ties on tho same day in the state or
the district where elections are to be
held, thus affording to the voter an
to cast his vote freely,
without let or hindranco from the
party leader, for the man or men OF
his choice.
SCHOOLS.
There il no danger so great to the
affairs Of any republic as an ign norant
factious citizenship, whose tendencies
have always been to overturn social
order, political system, liberty, justice
and right Mississippi's greatest re-
lief from this source Of evi has been
FOR many years found in the efficiency
of her free schools aud her colleges.
The liberality, therefore OF the leg
islatures in the past in providing
funds for their proper maintenancs
as been both wise aud patriotic, and
I heartily commend the continuation
| the same liberal spirit toward all
he states educational interests and
Institutions. The free school fund is
..ow distributed among the counties
per capita of the educable children in
,ach. The relative attendance upon
the free schools in the white is much
greater than in the black counties,
and hence, by reason of the fewer
schools required for the accommoda-
iion of the attending pupils in the
black counties, affords those counties
the use of the funds set apart to the
ron attending children therein; hence,
those counties are enabled from said
fund to extend longer the terms OF
their schools taught and to pay teach
ers better salaries than can the white
counties, where the larger proportion
of the children attend the schools.
Since the manifest purpose OF the law
is to favor equal educational facilities
to all OF the children of the state
alike would commend to the legisla-
ture the aubm ission of an amendment
to section 206 of the constitution,
which requires the state free school
fund to be distributed among the
counties according to their actual at.
tendance upon the schools rath sr than
per capita. There has been some
urgent insistence for the submission
by this legislature of an amendment
to the state constitution to provide foI
the distribution Of the free school
funds between the white and negro
schools of the state, so as to give the
benefits thereof to each race IN pro.
portion to the school taxes which il
pays. Though it may seem little
outside OF the governors expected
prerogative to oppose the matter In
advance OF legislative action on the
subject, shall nevertheless, at the
risk OF being meddlesome, venture to
express the hope that no such amend
ment will find approval at tho hands OF
the legislature. Without stopping here
to discuss the constitutional conflicts
which would be brought about be-
tween the state and Federal constitu-
tions, or IL it be admitted that there
would be no constitutional vice In
such amendment because of it's class
or race distinction, its effect, which
would be- to take school benefits
largely from the negro children, would
lie contrary to that broad and deep
philanthropic spirit that has always
moved the great common heart Of
Christian manhood and womanhood in
Mississippi to love of Justice and
fair play toward the weak aud needy,
4 4.