The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-20
|AIllLIAiNl and MARY
NAY YET GET ON
Amendment Placing Her President
on State Board.
WILL CAUSE HEAVY DEBATE.
Many Amendments Rejected on Yesterday.
The EIuca Ion Report May
Be disposed OF
To-Day.

l nc convention yeSleTuay IootN
further considered the report Of the Edu-
catlo2 Committee, but did not Fnally us.
pose OF it. The amendment to strike out
the ulovlso, recurring foul months prim-
airy schooling for ali children, Eefore this
discretion could be exercised, was de-
feated after long debate.
When the question as to the COMPOSE
ton OF the State Board of Education WAS
taken up. an amendment was offered 10
the section which is designed to place
the president OF William and Mary COL
lcge again on the proposed new STATE
Board Pending discussion on the amend
ment the convention at O'CLOCK az
journed. The matter viii come up again
to-day, and WILL no doubt, cause a long
and spirited debate.
DAY S PROCEEDINGS.
The convention met a 1G O'Clock, pray
er by Eev. Dr. Mcllwaine. sixty-tive
members being reported present
Mr.. Turnbull presented Il resolution
providing that committee clerks be paid
during the recess. which was adopted
y great many leaves of absence were
granted.
Memorials relating to sale of liquor
were presented by Mr. Manly Barnes
and Mr.. j. C. Wysor.
a resolution limiting debate in Com
nuttee of the Whole was presented by
Mr.. W. A. Anderson and was ordered
to lie on the table for three days.
The cony ention went into Committee
Of the Whole TO further consider the re-
port on education, Captain Parks IN the
cn;,i
Chairman McIlwainc resumed his
speech begun Wednesday, and said the
striking out of the proviso requiring
four months primary school in every
district Tor white and colored children
before the local boards could use their
own discretion il establishing higher
schools with funds derived from local
taxation was giving sanction to an in
direct violation of the fourteenth amend
mcnt to the Federal Constitution. He
claimed that outside Of its; immortality.
the convention had no right in law to
adopt such an ordinance lie charged
that the effect seemed to be TO take
tho taxes paid by negroes and devote
them to educating white children.
Mr.. Eggeston: I never dreamed of
such q thing, and no other advocate. of
1rly amerdm ever stated or ever
thought OF it. 1t does not require de-
NAL.
DR.. McIlwaine, continuing. said it had
not been SO stated. but insisted that the
logical consequence would be as he had
assorted
SHOULD KEEP FAITH
MI. Goode: Was it not condition Of
our admission to the Union that we
should Keep faith with our pledge to
make no distinction between citizens III
the State, and are we not III conscience
bound to observe that condition?
Mr. w. A Anderson: Does the member
from Bedford pretend to say that Vir-
sina was ,cytE out OF the Union, or that
rbo II VI constitutional.
or that we v ere morally bound by them?
Mr. Goodc: [ only. asked the question
to know whether the constitutionality CT
the matter had been considered by the
committee.
Mr.. Watson read a decision Of the SUI
preme Court involving the question. and
said the matter had been thoroughly
considered by the committee, and he had
no doubt of the constitutionality of the
position taken by. Mr.. ESgleston.
Mr. Turnbuil advocated the amendment
and read the statistics of public schools
and the taxes appropriated to SHOW tEat
the great bulk OF taxes paid by white
people was devoted to the education OF
negroes. He declared that it was more
a matter of equal justice to all children
than one OF special privilege to negro
children He read several decisions TO
show the corstitutionality Of giving dis-
erection TO local boards in distributing To-
cal special taxes on property, according
to their best Judgment.
Mr. Glass said the matter of negro edu-
cation had been thresbed over ana ne
was not here to oppose or defend It. The
simple question before the convention
now was what fundamental principle OF
common school education should De
placed in the organic law.
WAS \ CONCESSION
"a, Of tee
was n concession to the needs OF certain
sections because it reduced the term of
primary schools for all children from
five months SO far as State taxes went,
to four months. After four months pri
mary school to all discretion was left to
local authorities to distribute its local
school taxes as the public welfare would
demand
Judge Hancock said the object OF sol-
eminent was equal justice and equal pre-
lection TO ali, and as ignorance was
danger to the general government, pub
lie education was necessity, and il was
not u local but general question, and
in dealing with it strict local views
could not and should Tot prevail. He
earnestly opposed the amendment, con-
tending that loca! self government had
nothing to do with the subject under con-
sideratIon.
PREPARED ARGUMENT.
Mr. NVadtiilI made an elaborats and
well pre0ared argument in support of the
COMMITTEES report lie read the school
statistics Jf the State and the amount
Of taxes naid by white and colorcd and
contended that the recommendation of
tile committee WAS to correct the present
tendency Of large numbers OF children in
the State growing UP in ignorance.
The motion: to strike out the provlso
was defeatcd-aycs, -; noes, 81.
Mr. l,urubull moved to amend section
: so that local authorities would be au-
thorizeG to levy = capitation tax not ex-
ceeding 81 in addition to the special prop
erty tax.
TIL, amendment was rejcctcd-ayes, p:
noes, 81.
Mr.. Pollard offered az amendment to
-ection SO as to give the Legislature
the power to appropriate such other sums
TO public schools as it might desire. 1t
was accepted by the committee.
TIE amendment was overwhelmingly re-
iected.
Section two, relating to the composi-
ton OF the State Board of Education,
was taken up The amended report OF
~. ,-coornp,npdaG the GOyer-