The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-24
Principal of Institution Presents Some Interesting and Pertinent FAcsa for Consideration of
 the Alabama Lawmakers.

I l Marion, Perry County At that time 1t was considered only fair and just that | something should be done for the negro, If all the Federal funds went to Auburn. | In 1886 the Normal School was moved from Marion and is now In Montgomery. | To secure its location in Montgomery, the colored citizens here gave s5,ooo in land and money. '"'
 There was an offer made at that time by a Northern Church to o'establish a col- ored college here, putting $5O0O0 imme- | diately into buildings, but l persuaded | the colored people to give their money | for the State School, and to entrust- their educational interests to the white people l of Alabama.
 II The Board of Trustees has worked pa- triotically and unceasingly to make the | school of the greatest possible service | to the State. Compared with similar in- | stitutions throughout the South, the | amount of funds at their disposal has been very small. The State gave $l6Ooo in 1888 to put up the main building. out of funds collected as incidental fees or tuition from the students five other build ings worth $10,OOO have been erected. The whole property is now valued at $3o,ooo, and belongs to the State. The main building needs a new roof, and other re- pairs are needed.
 The Board of Trustees are of the opin- | ion that these repairs are absolutely nec- essary to save the property, and came | before the Legislature with plain bus mess proposition, to have the State take care of its own property. In four years more the main building will be beyond | repair. Another proposition confronts the Board of Trustees at this time. Fpr great many years this school. along with 1.-the white normal schools of the State, has received aid from the Peabody fund. rJo hoT | withdrawn. as it is understood this fund l will be used in another direction. This was the principal reason for increasing all the white normal school appropria- tions to $10,000 a year.
 With this $500 annually cut off, and buildings suffering for repairs. the out look is certainly discouragfng to the Board of Trustees.
 l These facts are respectfully placed be- | fore the Legislature now, because they were overlooked in the unexpected turn | which the discussion took on the floor of | the House.
 The Board of Trustees and friends of the institution regret that the passage of the bill failed by slight majority, but felt grateful that so many able men | should take a fair and just view of our duty to the negro. We cannot evade re- | sponsibiity for his future. We have elim- mated him from the politics of the State, and can do as we please. Can we af- ford to be otherwise than just and hu- mane with him If any man voted against this bin because he wanted to retard negro education, he was probably mis- taken. He only hampers this institution in the work that it Is doing.
 The education of the negro in Alabama cannot be stopped. Is 1t not wisdom on our part then, to control and direct 1t along what we conceive to be proper lines?
 There are three colored schools other than common schools for colored people reciying State money in Alabama. Tus- kegee gets about 5000 from the school fund and about $150,000 from Northern contributors; Normal, near Huntsville. gets $,OO0 from the school fund and $ll,5OO annually from the Morrill, fund, given by the general Government. Montgomery gets $75OO from the general school fund.
 The State has no colored school fund. Several years ago the per capita system of distribution was abandoned, and the present system adopted to secure a more equitable distribution of the fund be- tween the races" The State Superlh- tendent distributes the school funds per capita among the various townships CT the State. Tn this distribution the white pupil and the negro pupil share alike ana | some townships in the Black Belt get a very large school fund on account Of the large number of negro children.
 The Township Superintendent is requir- ed by law to distribute this fund equit- ably between the races and not per cap ita The school fund Is thus absolutely in the hands of white men. and 1t is their fault if the white children do not get an equitable share of the fund. Owing to this manner of distribution 1t is not like ly that the appropriation of the $500 asked by this bill will rob one white child of cent.
 The above manner of distribution rend- CTS unnecessary any discussion as to the division of school funds according to taxes paid by whites and negroes respect ively.
 1 Moreover, it would be impossible to di- vide the taxes between the races. and say this the white man pays, that, the negro. In addition to what he pays on his farm or home where he owns one, he contributes his share to nearly every | license paid by the saloon keeper, mer- chant, corporation. etc.
 But the public schools were not estab- lished to refund taxes in the shape of tuition. The object Is to make more in- telligent citizens. This suggests the ques- ton. what are the results of negro edu- cation so far? Ignorance and prejudice cannot answer We must get at the truth, and fair and impartial consideration Is asked for the following facts concerning the results so far as the students of the State normal school at Montgomery are concerned. The school makes no pre- ltentions to give "higher education" as 1t is called. It gives thorough elementary education and the students are taught the dignity of labor by precept and ex- ample. It has graduated between 300 and 400. and not one of these, so far as l know, has even been accused of any crime, or has become a loafer. The prop erty owned by these graduates to-day averages $1 900 each. Thousands of stu dents have received more or less instruc- ton in the school during the past fif- teen years. Of these we find only two in the penitentiary.
 Montgomery has its share of lazy. trif- ling loafers. but they are not the pro- duct of this institution. On the contrary its students are to be found in every branch of manual labor in the city and State They are industrious as rule. buying homes, accommodating property We have no negro problem here in Mont gomery. There is no friction between the races Buildings are going up every where throughout the city. and the ne gro is at work as bod carrier. bricklayer' plasterer and carpenter, in perfect har- mony with his brother in white in the same trade. We have a very large negro population with comparatively little crime. In fact the chief of police asserts that Montgomery has less crime than any city of its size in the United States,
 With pride I have recited these facts | ynA hau NytG tGif fn1 q