Evening star., 1905-10-27
FREE SCHOOL BOOKS
Question Brought Into the
Virginia Campaign.
r ACE DISCUSSION
OUTCOME OF IT'S INDUCTION INTO
ADDRESSES.
Whites Claim to Bear Greatest Part Of
Expense in Educational
System.
RACE DIS USSION
pecial From a STAFF Correspondent.

|
| RICHMOND. Va October 1.-THE free
sehool-bock question that has been brought
| into the campaign of Virginia as the lead
| ing Issue. and has developed into A subject
\ for race discussion. is one that has. as II
| was supposed would. appealed to the
| masses of the people very strongly But
! no sooner was the discussion well under
! way than its relation to the negro question
| became pronounced
plank favoring free school books was
| placed in the republican platform. but
| when IL was brought out for discussion the
! democrats reviewed the history of educa-
! tlon in the state and claimed that the pub
lie school system as well as the great uni
versities of the state. have been built up
under democratic rule. and that the people
| may leave the future development of those
| systems of education TO them
| The republicans retorted that the public
| school system mad been authorized in the
| constitution OF the state that was adopted
| during reconstruction days. while the re-
| publican party was in power Before that
they said, no child was educated at public
| expense although there had been a law
! providing that IL any parent should declare
| himself a pauper the education OF his chill
dren might be at public expense. Under
| that law they declare no child was ever
actually provided for to insure its educa-
| ton.
This suggestion only stirred up bad blood
|
| having been connected with the republican
| party since the days of reconstruction. re-
! called memories that are not pleasant to
| the average Virginian. While the demo-
/ cratic leaders declare that they are in favor
| of advancing the interests OF education In
| the state, they say they propose to do II in
| their own time and way. They claim that
! they represent the taxpayers OF the state
and while the, colored people OF the entire
state contribute only $4,000 toward the
| school fund, there is expended for their
nh nAry tirN,, M
| other words, the white taxpayers now pay
$340,000 for the education of the colored
children beside paying everything for tho
| education of their own. They say that if
free school books are provided there will
be an additional tax on the white peoole
| which Is estimated all the way from $50 000
| to S15O.o00 per annum after the system has
been Installed To begin the distribution of
free school books is said to involve ex-
pense of from quarter of a million to half
million dollars.
| Then the political argument crept into
| the situation very readily. While the demo-
| Gratis are taxed to educate the colored chill
| dren they say their money is spent to make
republican voters, because the new constitu-
! ton allows the registration of colored per-
sons who are able to read a paragraph of
the constitution OF the state. They say the
| colored people pay less than 4 per cent of
the taxes of the state and II they want to
| improve their educat tional advantages they
should find sufficient incentive to struggle
to buy their own school books. While they
| pay but per cent of the taxes of the state
| they form 35 per cent of the population.
| The democrats say the position they take
| In the matter of free school books Is the
position of fourteen states of the Union. IN
| which the question of supplying free school
books is left to the local boards of educa-
ton and is paid for from local funds. In
| eleven other states free school books are
| supplied in compliance with a law SO re-
| quiring. but the books are paid for by the
| districts or townships.
In Virginia children of INDECENT parents
must be supplied with school books free OF
| cost according TO state law, the expense
| of which is paid by the local district or
| township The state of Maryland. they
| say. is the only state in which state funds
are used for the purchase OF free school
| books. The republicans proudly point to
| the fact that free school books In Mary
| land were authorized by a republican legis-
| lature in law signed by Gov. Lowndes'
republican. -f-Fra
! ffeE school books. the state requiring the
| districts and townships to furnish the books
[, the children at the expense of the DIS
| trets and townships: Delaware. Idaho,
| Maine. Massachusetts. Nebraska. New
| HAMPSHIRE New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
| Rhode Island. Vermont and wyoming. The
District of Columbia has books that are
supplied from the general appropriations
for the conduct of the schools.
Left to Local Boards.
In the following states IT is left to the 10
ea,- boards or voters to decide whether or
| not free school books shall be supplied at
| the expense of the districts: colorado
| Iowa Kansas Michigan. Minnesota, Moh-
| tara New York North Dakota, South Da-
| kota, Ohio. Utah. West Virginia Wlscon-
In MARYLAND the books ar bought and paid
for by the state from state Iunus. l rs
| argued that In. no instance has state or
town once providing free school DOCKS.
gone back to the old system OF having the
pupils pay for their own BOOKS. III ar,
gued that by buying the books as whole
the cost is very much less than Is the cost
when they are bought individually by pu-
pills.
clare that no such course should be adopted
while the white country schools need bet
ter-paid teachers and longer terms than the
state is now able to provide There Is PAID
for education throughout the entire state
the sum of 81. .136s90 The state pays 10000
annually to the State Female Normal School
at Formville. The Virginia Polytechnic In
stitute at Blackville- last year received
s1O5 coo for building purposes and SAG, $50
for maintenance. The old William and
Mary College receives $4,000 annually from
the state The Virginia Military Institute
receives s25 600 annually, and the Univer-
sity of Virginia $4,000.
For Colored People.
Democrats point 10 the fact that the Nor
NAL and Industrial Institute at Petersburg
for. colored people aas been given $505 900,
| and receives $4,000 annually from the state
for its maintenance. The negro reforma-
male negroes is given $40, 500 a year for its
maintenance They recall that the amount
paid into the state treasury by the colored
people for all purposes is approximately
$4,000, and say that the criminal expense
| incurred each year in the state on account
of the colored people. and the amount paid
for the care of the colored insane, Is, ap-
| proximately, $500 600. The total amount
| paid into the state school fund by the col
| ored people on real and personal property
| just covers the amount paid annually by
| the state to the colored normal school at
Petersburg.
While the republicans accept these figures
| ir a general way indicating the degree
/ of support that is given to coiored instltu-
| tions by both white and colored people,
| they say that the colored normal school at
Petersburg is the result of the energies OF
/ Gen. Malone and the republican party of
! the state, and that regardless of the amount
/ of assistance that the colored people give
| toward the work of advancing education
they are treating the subject in a broad
way with the idea that more educational
advantages will raise the colored people to
| higher level of citizenship. with the re-