The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-01


party or Virginia on the school question,
I1'bey now find themselves ronfronted
with ~ record Of school thanas cement q rd
school progress that is not short of fe.
trnnrkalAe. Md they 4 find \ themselves
hoist between heaven and enr t \, n Will ~, j
their free book folly. ]s3l h gi;5s
What have the Democrats Of Virginia
demo fots the schuols Z Il They have from
the beginning given freely Of Y heir means
for their support they Shavc alWnys en- en- I
Outraged their growth; and at no time
when they have bcet in power have they
shown anything but an earnest desire,
practically expressed, 10 enlarge ind ii1 I'm
prove the educa tional opport unit lies Of
the children, Z. 81. ~ schools Gof Virginia
were started Under d Democratic admin
filtration, when William Henry Ruffncr
was made tho first state superintendent,
nrd presented to the peopleEof Virginia q
school system which Is recognized by all
Intelligent men MS being especially strong
In preserving an even balance between
Stntc, county and district taxation for
schools, titus onJthc one hand preventing
tho local communities from Imposing on
tho State, and OH the other hand foster.
ing tho true ideal of Democracy, each
for all and MI for each. Il y Il5
y AS soon Us tho school system was
started in; 1870, many communities in the
state erected school buildings and pre-
scented them to the State. xtra taxes
were voted although the poverty Of v, the
people were extreme, nnd#ln many To-
calltles the only considerable opposition
came from the negroes, who derived all
tho benefits and paid no#taxes' There
was slow, but steady growth Of the
system under Democratic management
Until tch Court OF Appeals decided that
coupons were receivable forN.taSes, and
the school fund, along withScve other
fund In tho State was crippled. ii It was
the Henkel BILL q Democratic measure,
that saved the schools at&this critical
juncturc, and helped to carry them for
ward to still greater usefulness. One
or the most fruitful measures ever pass
cd in behalf Of tho schools was the Wat
son bill, Introduced and pressed by q
Democrat / Is enabled boards %of super
visors to levy additional taxes from rail-
roads for county and district funds This
law alone, has added millions Of dollars
to the school funds, most Of which has
gone to the country schools. N Ts6
For thirteen years Democratic Legls-
laturcs have appropriated directly from
the treasury the sum Of 100000 annually
to The state school fund for the common
schools, The Republicans claim In their
platform that "the Democratic party has
never awaited itself of the opportunity to
increase tho State support Of the
Schools" but has "hcld such support
down to the minimum REQUIRED by the
Constitution" This statement of tho Re-
'publicnns Is just as accurate as their
ether statements aboN tho Democratic
larty and the schools. How about this
10000 appropriations? II is not obliga-
tory and Its regular appropriation by
Democratic Legislatures shows the prac-
3tical interest OF the party III the public
schools. And how about the State train rain
ir.g schools? a
The State Female Normal School a t
Earmville was started ny Democratic
Legislation, and has been upheld and
strengthened until now there are 700 stu
dents in attendance and It's annual in
como from the State Is $4,000. The Vir-
ginin Polytechnic Institute at Blacks :
burg. under Democratic legislation. has
grown into one of the most important
institutions OF It's kind in this country.
Its benefit to the boys OF Virginia is In
scalculablc. Last year 1t received from
Il Democratic Legislature $l65.00O for
building purposes. and SAG 100 for main
5tenance. 1T was under Democratic aus
pices that old William and Mary was
revived It's normal department enables
the boys Of the State at small cost to
train themselves to become teachers in
our public schools. It receives SIS. 900
annually. The Virginia Military Instl-
atute tho West Point Of tho South, re-
ceivcs $4,000 a year, and the University
of Virginia $4,000, upon condition that
Virginia students receive instruction free
of charge. Summer normal schools have
leen encouraged, that teachers may have
tho opportunity to improve themselves
at small cost.
What have the Democrats done for the
rcgroesc In addition to the fact that
free schools are open to them through
cut tho state the Virginia Normal and
Industrial Institute at Petersburg has
been treated literally by Democratic
Legislatures. The sum OF S5o5,0oo has
heen given this school since Its founda-
ton. 1t should be remembered that tnts
u,opnx, hoc co,,at vpry n runlv from 1 ho