The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1901-05-16

necessarily have included those Tor
colored children-thouGh little was
said of that. Our present Governor,
who led the campaign, all the whilei
proclaimed the necessity of unive-ea!
education His adjective was peculiar
ly fortunate.
The party of the amendment came
into power early in January, 1901.
Tie General Assembly, elected in the
campaign for the amendment, was
overwhelmingly Democratic. In that
body few weeks ago a prominent
member OF the House from the eastern
part of the State, where the negro
population is large, proposed an
amendment to the Constitution requir
ing the division of school funds to the
races according to the property OF the
races, the negroes to receive the
amount Of their school taxes, the white
people to receive theirs. This proposal
| was suppressed; but not until a score
Or more of members had made known
their desire to vote for it. Shortly
thereafter substitute was proposed by
more prominent Senator providing
that, while the present clause of the
Constitution requiring four months
schools for either race should remain,
| either race might vote tax upon it.
self exclusively for the schools of its
| children. This struck many of us
favorably. We we're aware that the
general tax could never be adequate.
We were, therefore, persuaded that we
must have local tax. But we knew
that 1t would at best be many years
before the people would vote local
tax whose benefits vii! be shared by
the negroes. It is, indeed, true that in
perhaps thirty towns in the State we
have local taxes SO shared but to
bring the rural townships to this point
is quite another matter. A few towns
have refused on this account to take a
vote on the question OF levying the
tax necessary to establish graded
schools. In view of these facts, many
of us were disposed to urge this bill as
the most practicable solution OF the
free-school questson. But Governor
Aycock made known his opposition to
it and to him, have no doubt, is
: owed its sudden loss of advocates
The Governors motives were the
very highest. He argued that If such
a provision should be enacted, an early
General Assembly would reduce the
general tax from eighteen cents to ten
cents, and another from ten cents to
five cents, and in a little while the
negroes should have no schools, and it
should be question if the white peo-
pie in many communities would haye
any. Of course the reader recalls that
this is to argue that the clause. of the
Constitution requiring four months
schools would be disregarded. But
why not argue that a clause that
has been disregarded ever since it wal
: written may remain of no force The
Governors position, may say, is that
the two races are bound together il
this matter, ana that they both .mus1
have schools. There are many OF vi
who believe that not few people ir
I North Carolina would be indifferent t.
the education OF the white children i
J they should be assured that the negroes
}. should not be educated. It is against
: these that the Governor now declares
that he stands, as he has stood, fo
! "universal education"
!. In him and in his position rest
largely the hope of good schools for TIT
: colered people. And yet he was elect
ed on the platform-indeed, he made
possible the platform and the amend
: Misunderstanding the suffrage. So
then, here is one man who, Though
very much in favor of depriylng thu
llliterate negro OF the suffrage, i
equally strong in his demand that til,
negro shall have schools maintained a
long as those of the whites. And hi
position appears to rest upon convic
ton that there must be universal edu
cation or none. It is my opinion tina
he will hold off every effort to re-adjus
the division of the funds. Whethe
any one will be in position to oppos,
tsuch an effort five years hence is ope1
to question, but think by that TIM
. the poorer white people Will haye per
: ceived that hope of schools for thel
= own children lies in maintaining th,
present article of the Constitution ant
: the present basis of dividing the funds
/ have stated that many of the NOR,
intelli4 1t white citizens are Opposes
to the use OF money derived from thl
!, common taxes to maintain schools TO
: negroes. Il is desirable to ex plain tha
this opposition does not by any mean
rest solely upon the knowledge that t,
educate the negroes will enfranchls