The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-30

hQuor that was to be had in the is
| lands. II is gratifying to know that
notwithstanding the hardships of the
soldiers in the Philippines, their lone
Illness and the sufferings from the cll-
mate, their isn't nearly as much drunk
enness among them as there 10 among
the soldiers at army posts in the diff
ferent states.
SEPARATING THE SCHOOL FUND.
In commenting a few days ago on
Mr. Carnegie's gift of 100000 to Book
er Washington's school, we called at
tention to a sentiment noticeable in
various parts of the South in favor Of
| giving to schools for negroes only that
portion of the school fund contributed
by negroes. We did not know at that
time that the sentiment was particu-
larly strong in any state except Mis-
sissippi. 1t seems. however. that it is
remarkably strong in Florida.
A joint resolution introduced into the
lower branch of the Legislature of that
state on Tuesday, providing for an
amendment to the constitution separat-
ing the school fund, giving the negro
schools only the part of the school
fund contributed by the negroes, re-
ceived within two votes of the major
ity necessary to pass 1t.
We venture to say that the people
of the state were surprised at the
strength of this proposition in the
Legislature. If the sentiment in the
state is as strong as it is in the Legis-
lature such a constitutional amendment
would be approved by the people by a
big majority. But is there as strong
a sentiment among the people as the
vote in the lower branch of the Legis-
lature indicated? We doubt if it is,
though we have no facts on which to
base an opinion.
If the negroes were thrown on their
own resources for public school ad-
vantages there would be no public
schools for them. The amount of
taxes they contribute for school pur-
poses is very small-so small that 1t
would not be sufficient to give negro
children a months schooling a year.
The negro children therefore would
grow up in ignorance, and the contri-
button Of the negroes to the criminal
classes would be much larger than it
is. The negroes would sink TO lower
level of civilization and, feeling they
were not being dealt with fairly, would
be more troublesome to get along with
than they are now.
IL tnlr h. i1k, NJ
women Of the North who are giving
money to negro schools which are de-
voted to higher education-not indus
trial education-are making mistake,
because the opportunities for educated
negroes to earn a living are so few,
we also think the white people of the
South would make a mistake if they
should deprive the negroes of the edu-
cation they are able to obtain at the
public schools. The kind of education
the negroes need is that which is to
be obtained at industrial schools and
at the public schools established and
maintained by the state for their bene-
fit.
It may be that on the farms the need
for servants and help that can, read
and write is not felt to such an ex-
tent as it is in the cities. City en-
ployers, however, want negro employees
who know how to read and write. In
the homes the servants are expected to
have sufficient intelligence to receipt for
parcels and to do errands that require
a knowledge of reading and writing.
The same is true of negro employees at
places of business.
Negro schools are of course heavy
burden upon the white people, but the
white people have supported them sue
cessfully for many years. and that, too,
when they were less able to do so than
at present To confine the negroes to
schools supported by themselves would
be to deprive them practically of all
public schools, and to deprive them of
a chance to get the rudiments of an
education would be to bring about a
condition of affairs more unsatisfactory
than that which we have at present.