The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-13
WRITER TAKES
A NARR0 |: ] ! u
Attorney General Comments OH
Nortl1erner's References to
New Constitution.
The HAMPTON INSTITUTE II T !.
Anonymous Writer Makes False
Impression Regarding Treat
,nent# Of Negro School.

q Is /. =
An anonymous correspondent Of the New
York Times, III q communication 70 INA .1 :
paper in its issue of April 9th' ent S3l''
champion institute Finances serious
handicap imposed by thenew Constitu''o'' u
Virginia, refers very snrcastlcally 10 the
christianity OF the people Of virginia anu al !
accuses them Of placing q hardship upon
the Hampton Institute. The writer "ho
signs himself "Presbuteros, Troy, n. y,
says in Ills communication in part;
"1n commenting upon the same, 1t should te'llS
no known that that very deficit, winch
= ona time threatened to put the indus
tr,nIi department out of business, was due
"a -the new state Constitution, which was
n,lopted by the Commonwealth OF VI
rin,n. Besides DISTINGUISHING, indiscrimi-
nately, colored electors, right ana ielt'
Tho constitutional Convention OF the COM
mon wealth Of tho State OF Virginia pro
ghiblted the sale Of the products OF ythe
Industrial department Of Hampton lhs 81!
tute. which was the source OF coh sloerap " ie
revenue. SyS 5 Il VI. sS . !, - },
..Now, Hampton Institute cannot cane q
chair, but a. new spok O in n wagon wheel,
mend a shoe, sharpen O. crowbal' or PICK
axe. paint a door panel. or sew a putson
on d pair Of brooches, or clean and press
n coat. for any white or colored cttizcn
of tha town OF Hampton and community
and receive one cent for the same. y ms y
Is one Of the features Oft the ne" w sl. y,
constitutions which the Christians OF y !! II
g,na have adopted as being the pest pes 1rat
can be had. s Is 3asl,, |, !, \
farmer. used to have such work done by
student of the Hampton indus
trial department. This, you see, ela Dlco
the student mechanics to earn q rev pal
try pennies for themselves, which We're were
credited to their account by the schooi,
and at a price which was satisfac Glory 10
the Impoverished farmer, oysternan, or
dray driver. n 81 81 s Z, I, u, /, I
"While the Christian people Of the big
Mother Of Presidents states say to us, as
Christian brethren, that they believe IN
making the colored folk self, .' 9
tney have, by constitutional measure,
prohibited Hampton Institute from being
| the agent in applying this principle. Hence,
there seems to be a hyphenated phonla
against the material advancement OF the
institute in its magnificent work" Il.
Attorney General Replies.
Attorney General William "A. And erson,
a member Of the Constitutional Conven-
| ton. and OF the state Board Of Educa-
| ton, commenting on this letter. stated
\ yesterday afternoon, that the clause IN
4 the Constitution, to which reference Is
+ had, prescribed that such institutions IN
4 order to be exempted from State, taxa
4 ton, are forbidden to do work or sell
their goods or wares in the community
4 In the case Of the Hampton Institutes
i the Constitution has been construed stc
/ mean that pupils from the institute mus
! not work or sell their wares III Hampton
i Phoebus and Elizabeth City county, but
! they may do so in Newport News or more
remote points. He stated further thai
4 tho provision was equally applicable tc
i tho Miller Manual Labor School, an in
i institution for whites, in Albemarle coup.
.I.ty, and to all other schools of the kind
4 other than State institutions.
4 The reason for the Insertion in the Con
i stitution Of this provision was that stu
/! dents OF such manual and Technical
schools who had no expense for living wert
taking tho bread out of the mouths OF thu
mechanics and artisans in similar line:
4 in the communities, in which such schools
are located. In Brunswick county where
there is such a school pupils were shoe
a ing horses at such q low rate that black
q smiths dependent upon their labor, for
livelihood could not i've The pupils o
such schools can do work outside Of thei
I Immediate vicinage, but not in the comm,l
!. nifty. II they do the institutions wit
], which they are connected are made sub
) jcct to taxation. t5
1t appears from this statement that I'll
. law is general, and is not II dlscrmina
ton as the New Yorker would make i
appear, against Hampton Institute. no
+ against the negro. The statement !
about as far from true as that this Stat
has been DISTINGUISHING indlscriminatol
tho negro electors. The negro electors
says the attorney general. have the sam
conditions to meet that tho whites have
no more and no less. u