The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-14
UNION QUESTION
 CAUSES TROUBLE. Children of Union and Non- Union Miners Cannot Mix QUESTION OF EDUCATION County Board of Education Has Diff. cult Question to Solve-May Re- quire Extra Schools in Some
 Districts.

County Superintendent of Education l. W. McAdory and the members of the county board of education are facing a serious problem and hardly know which way to turn. What has put them in this quandary is the attitude assumed by union and non-union miners at half a dozen different places in regard to send Ing their children to the same schools.
 While this trouble has been threaten ing for the past year the county board and various district trustees have sue ceeded in smoothing matters over to a degree, but now the aspect has become so serious that something definite must be done and that very soon.
 The gist of the difficulty that eonfronts the county superintendent and the county board is that non-unlon and union miners are refusing to permit their children to attend the same schools and are de- manding separate schools Negro union and non-union men are making the same demand and should the demands of both white and blacks be acceded to 1t would IT can four separate schools In each of those 6istricts where the trouble exists, according to Superintendent McAdory
 Present at Meeting.
 "At the county boards meeting Satur- day" said Professor McAdory. "a com mttee of non-union miners from Re- public presented a petition requesting division of the school fund for that dis trict and the establishment of separate schools for the children of union anG Ecn-union miners. Now the county board has made arrangements for one good white and one negro school there and we have ample funds for this arrangement, but can't see how it will be possible to establish four schools with the funds at our command. We are confronted with practically the same conditions as prevail at Republic at several Other points-Belle Sumpter, Johns, Adger, Sayerton, Graves mines, Blossburg and Murray.
 Last year at Republic the dstric. trustees were elected just before the strike, when everything was pleasant and agreeable between the union men and their employers. 1t happened that two union men and a merchant, who lived on his own ian,. outside the companys ter ritory were elected. The strike came in JuIy DtlDTt StIlODl ODtHtu anu Ine union men elected had to move off the com panys property, which put all three of the trustees outside of the company's territory where the school building was located. The union men were enjoined from trespasslng on the companys land which swas wired ln and Superintendent Strong of the mines, refused under the circumstances to allow the trustees to establish the school in the house where fntse aa,ftf ItnH ported the matter to the county board and asked for instructions. They were told by tAe board t. do the lest In Y could and white school and q negro school were established outside the com panys enclnrre.
 'The result was that the children of the union miners seem to have gotten prac- tically all the benefit of the school fund However, at Sayreton, where the mines are owned by the same company. the school was established on the company's territory with the result that the chll- dren of the non-union miners seem to have received practically all the benefit of the school fund for that district. Under stand, however, that the schools al both Republic and Sayerton were established as they were on the condition that they should be open to all children of the dis trict alike But the trouble Is that where the schools are in non-union territory the union miners will not send their children to them. and the non-union miners will not permit their children to attend school where 1t is on union territory.
 Could Not Mix.
 '"The petition presented to the county board Saturday by the non-union men from Republic stated that the children of union and non-union men would have trouble if they attended the same school, and the fear was that the parents might be drawn into the chidren's disputes and troubles. 1t seems that the feeling be- tween the school children of union and non-union families is as bitter almost as it Is between their parents. The youngsters on one side yell at the others to come and get G square meal while those on the other side yell 'scab' at their adversaries Of courss these taaJnts lead to more bitter ones and thjs rspdcrs rne situation grave ens for tho county board to have to deal with.
 "A negro delegate who came Eopresent- ing the negro non-union mlaers stated to the board that the feeling vas even more bitter between the union and nou-union miners children of his race than between the white children. He said it was dan gerous for the child of non-unfon negro