Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-07-10

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but l note that twenty-seven did moth
ing and eighteen were preachers.l
Ninety per cent. of the negroes are be-I
tween the ages of fifteen and forty.
and knew nothing OF slavery. Only III
per cent. are the old slaves who are
over sixty years old. Two hundred
and forty four OF them are serving al
second term. Thirty are serving al
third term and a few a fourth and fifth
term. They seem to like 1t. One
thousand and twenty of these convicts
are from three counties-Fulton,
Chatham and Bibb. AS Thomas JEFF
ferson said. The influence of cities is
pestilential to good morals" 1t Is es-
pecially so with negroes. The large
majority OF the negro convicts are
from the cities and large towns.
Twenty years ago there were 1,100
negro convicts and 80 per cent. OF
them were wholly illiterate, could
neither read nor write. Now we have
three thousand negro convicts and 54
per cent. can read and vrte. How IL
that? Does education lesson crime or
increas it? Mr.. Stetson. the State
Btatistician of Massachusetts,, says =
increases crime not little but i'm
mensely,' and he proves it. 1t cer-
tainly does among the negro race in
Georgia.
| 1t is curios to note that we have two
counties in the State-White and Gil
rem-that have ro repres :ECatiy2
among the cony:,ts. There rre fur
counties-Towne. picxcle. banks and
Dawson-that have but one each.
There are three counties Union. Muir
ray and Rabun-that have but two
each How is that for good morals in
our most northern mountain counties.
where the school master has not been
abroad in the land TO any alarming ex-
| tent.
No. the truth is that education of
| itself neither lessons nor increases
crime. II depends on the moral train.
ing that the boy gets either from his
| teacher or his parents or his early as
| sociateS. but II his environments are
bad his education makes him q more
dangerous citizen, for 1t enables him
to cover up and conceal his crime or
! to escape from punishment in some
way. 1t is like throwing pearls be-
fore swine to give the vile and vicious
: an education. but we can't pick them
! beforehand and so all must have q
| chance.
But If | was n lawmaker | would put
some penalties upon bad citizens.
upon the idle and vicious. whether
white or black We do not allow
them to have their names in the jury
box. They cannet try a man for
crime nor set in judgment upon his
civil rights. Why 81 uld such men
be trusted with the ballot? Why not
let the same commission that makes
up the jury box also make up the bal
lot box? If some good negroes got
in and some bad white mcn We're let
out ii would be rewarding merit ani
putting a penalty upon bad citizens.
Alabama and Virginia have this ques-
tion before their conventions and we
hope they will consider 1t wisely and
give encouragement to good citizens,
whether they be white or black. Good
conduct should be the test. 1t is more
important than education or property
Let us purge the ballot box just as
we do the jury box. Purge 1t once a
year. Put such colored men as Gas
sett and Joe Brown and Tribble in
and leave all such white men as Pat
Banks out. Don't shut the door for
ever on good negroes.
BY the way. | wish somebody would
hunt up our cook and send her home
She is not settled oman" and is
1ust gallivanting around till her spell
Is off. / have to get up before | fee
like II and fire up the stove and ther
call the girls and they get a goot
breakfast in half an hour. Biscuit anC
coffee and hominy and fried eggs anC
beef steak are good enough for any
body. but will have to discharge oul
cook and hire her over again anC
leave out the spell privilege.-Bil
Arp in Atlanta Constitution.