The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-10

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 ous controversy. The only point tt decide Is. Is it's exercise necessary?
 Inere are some occasions, when facts
 simply must be told and the trutf
 spoken. know 1t comes hard. but ir
 the midst of self-congratulation ana self praise. in the midst of self glori.
 ncation. let us not forget the danger of self-deception!
 II We all know that our State is greai ! --tne greatest In the world. We al
 know that our soil Is fertile---the most tertile In the world. We all know that our climate is good---the best ir the world. We all know that our wo- men are beautiful-the most beautiful in the world.
 But there are some things which we may not know or at least which we are not in the habit of emphasizing. For in- stance. 1t may possibly be information 10 some that Alabama spends on educa- non less gum par capita for each pupil m actual attendance than any State in tho Union. We are all aware, of course. tnat we spend less than the rich and wealthy States of the North. but some nay. perhaps hear for the first time, that Alabama, upon which v-e are all accustomed to look as the richest State h point of mineral resources and min era- development in the, South and one of l l other Southern State, many of which are actually as we'll as relatively poorer than We are. in the sum appropriated to pub lie education.
 l. may be said that a comparison be- tween this State and some of the States ef the North would be unfair, but cer- tainly 1t will be no injustice to compare Alabama's record on that subject with Tennessee on the north, Georgia in the east, Florida on the south and with Mis- sissippi and Louisiana and Texas on the west. The average expenditure per cap ita for each pupil in Tennessee is $5.17; in Mississippi -s6.4S; in Georgia s6.sS: in Florida. $1oH; in Louisiana. sS.S2; in Tex as s9.95; while in Alabama 1t is only A.A. Not another State in the Union. rich or poor. old or young spends as lit- tie. Several of the State here quoted cannot compare with Alabama in natural wealth. in natural resources in climate or in natural advantages. Let us carry the illustration step further.
 l. Is a remarkable fact that the per centage of illiterate among the while l males twenty-one years of age and up- wards In the State of Alabama Is greater than it was in 1860, 1850 and 1S4O The pioneers who came to this State when it was practically wilderness and laid the foundation for it's future greatness brought more education and culture with | them than has descended to their grand children and great grandchildren who | live here today. But, stranger still than this with all our boasted progress, while there has been some reduction in the per- centage of illiteracy since 1870, yet the actual number of illiterate white voters is now largely more than 1t was thirty years ago. The increase of male Hitter ates of twenty-one years and upwards in the war decade from 1860 to ls70 was | ordy 3.443 but in the thirty years of peace from 1870 to 1900 the actual num- Der of white male illiterates over twenty one years of age increased from 17,429 to 3l.614. an actual gain of 141s5. There were more white illiterates over twenty one years in 1880 than in 1870; more in 1890 than in 1880; more in 1900 than in 1s90 The percentage of illiterates among the white males over twenty-one years ir 1S40 was 11.9; in 1860 1t was 1922; in | 1900 13.6. So also has the total number of illiterates of both races over ten years of age increased in every decade of this State since 1870. Tn Alabama in 1870 there were 3S3,012 illiterates over ten years of age; in 1900 445,590. an increase of 6O.57S; in 1870. s2,- 05e white illiterates in Alabama over ten years of age. In 1900, 104,SSS, an increase of 1894.
 Compare this with Georgia, which has during the same period reduced Its white illiteracy from 124,939 to 1O1, ,264. Compare it with Mississippi. which has reduced it from 4S,02S to 36,S44; compare it with Ten nessee. which has reduced her white H. literacy from 17s,727 to 159OS6.
 These are unpleasant facts, but if any dependence Is to be put upon the records as published by the Census Bureau they state the simple truth.
 Is 1t the part of wisdom or statesman ship to ignore these conditions or shall we. to quote the words of the immortal bard take up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them?' Ii you send for a physician, suffering from dangerous malady. would you want him to prescribe a remedy before he had diagnosed the case. or would you want him to diagnose the case before he prescribed a remedy? The question comes home to us in the midst of all oul hoasting. why is all this? What expla- nation have we to make? Fortunately the answer is plain, simple and easy of demonstration. There is no chance to fail in the diagnosis
 Alone of all the States in the American Union. Alabama has denied to every minor | civil subdivision in the State the right | of local taxation for public schools and |
 
 decayed. The only aid which our public | school system derives in our rural com l munities. which hold nine-tenths of our | population, Is from the State Treasury. l In our municipalities provision Is made | by law for municipal aid or supplement | to the State fund.
 When We turn from a contemplation of | the facts which we have just presented | as applicable to the whole State to the case as made with reference to the muni- | cipahties which have. and exercise the | right of local taxation or local appropria- ! ton from municipal treasuries in aid of | public education, the change presents an | inspiring and hopeful record. The total l percentage of illiteracy among the whites over ten years of age in all of the cities In the Union, having over four thousand | is eight-tenths of one per cent. In the South and in Alabama it is only one and one-half per cent In the North and West 1t is six-tenths of one per cent
 Now the difference between the illit- eracy of the cities In the North and South is so small as to almost amount | to neglible quantity It is prac- tically non-existent. except as 1t Is created by the tide of immigration