The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1900-12-13
A MELANGE OF
LIVE TOPICS
Penned for Journal Readers
by a Local Scribe,
The Bell Bill.

LIE Dell bile
A committee of colored ministers
have memorialized the Legislature pro-
testing against the passage of the Bell
bill, which seeks to amend the consti-
tuition SO as to devote to the negro
schools of the state only the amount of
taxes relied from property owned and
poll taxes by members of that race.
1t seems to me that these ministers
approach the matter in the wrong spirit,
for they begin by assuming that they
are legally and morally entitled to their
pro rata share (based l suppose upon
numbers of the public school fund.
This is a great mistake. While the
constitution of our state makes provis-
ion for public schools, it does not do so
on the same principle that it establish
es courts of justice for the protection
of.life and property. 1t is the right of
every citizen to have recourse to the
courts for the redress of grievances
Society is founded upon this principle.
The public schools are, however,
pure gratuity, gift from the people
collectively to the people Individually,
and being such the people have the per-
feet right to prescribe the manner in
which they shall operate. Suppose
there were no rublic school system in
this state Ga fact thirty years ago.
could the colored people complain if
the whites should agree among them
selves to establish such schools for the
white children, to be supported exclu-
sively by taxation of the whites? How
would they be injured thereby? Could
not they do the same thing themselves?
When these ministers claim that negro
schools are entitled to proportionate
share, based upon numbers, of the pub
lie school fund of the state, they in eff
feet contend that it is AS duty to sup
port BIS family. The Bell bill provides
that every cent of taxes realized from
negro property and polls shall be de-
voted to the negro schools, relieving
that race entirely from the burdens of
government. When it is considered
how much the colored people cost the
state through the courts, almshouses,
etc, this is tremendous. concession to
them. The Bell bill is not repugnant
to the constitution of the United States
for THE last three amendments to that
instrument guarantees to the negro
only the elective franchise and the
equal protection of the laws
This committee of ministers allege
that to make distinction in the distri-
button of the public school fund as
against the negro, would be as invid-
ious rs to make it against the Hebrew,
the German or the Frenchman. To
quote former President Cleveland's
maxim, 1T isa condition that confronts
us and not a theory" Under the con-
stitution of the United States, the
source of all the rights which negroes
possess, they are citizens only to the
CAbCLS Va having Vic ClSCGlhc lIduCIllS6
and the equal protection of the laws.
1t is outside of the scope of any govern
ment to interfere with the social rela-
tions of its citizens. The Hebrew, the
German and the Frenchman are all as
simulated with their brethren of the
same race in America. The negro is
not. Hence what may be desirable in
the latter case is not so in tie former.
The Bell bill has been tableCSfor this
session butt is likely to come up again
and in event that each county is re-
quired to raise certain amount for
school purposes before being allowed
to participate in the distribution of the
state fund it will probably pass, per-
haps allowing colored schools proper
tionate share from other sources.
RADIUS VICTOR.