Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-29
Friday. September 90. 1905.
FREE sCHoOL.BooKsY

The bert indication of a dema.
gogue is in offering something for
nothing, or to produce something
out of nothing. We are prompted
to this remark by q perusal of the
Virginia Republican platform that
IL receiving wide and grstuitous cir.
culation now throughout our section.
We might take it by piece-meal and
In nearly every clause demonstrate
that 1t is the personiication of bum
combe, the limit of demagogy; but
one item alone will suffice to show
how rotten and untenable are the
planks in that structure. This point
is the blatant bid for popularity by
Offering to furnish school books free
to pupils. We would stake our ex-
istence, If necessary. upon the state
ment that IL given control of our
Legislature the Republican party
would not dare to enact such a law.
The leaders of that party know as
we'll as any one that it is unfeasible,
impractical and piece of mere clap
trap.
At notable, but select. gathering
OF political leaders, among whom
was boss Of the q. & o. r. R, a
good man and a Republican
leader, the sign on one of his cars
"This platform is not made to stand
on"-was read out and by tacit con-
sent adopted as the spirit of the
conclaye at the time framing q Do
litical platform. Never was the
subterfuge more apparent than to-
day when one is confronted with the
platform promulgated by Slemp,
Lewis, ct ais, and in no one point
IL the determination not to stand on
the platform more fragrant than that
OF the free school book proposition.
The Tines Dispatch points out that
the Initial movement would cost half
. million dollars more than is al
ready demanded for school purposes.
and at least a quarter of a million
dollars would have to be annually
thereafter appropriated to furnish
the books. Laying aside the fact
that it would open the doors to |
wholesale 'jobbery and Republican |
transportation, such a thing ia
impossible in our financial condi. |
ton. The Democratic party for
twenty years has been struggling to |
raise the public schools out of pov- |
erty and political distress, and year
BY year has seen improved condi-
tons and increased appropriations
for this purpose. TODD as the Repub. /!
licans pretend they would do would |
mean 9 wreck and q stagnation, and |
the work would later have to be all |
begun over again.
Then there is another phase, which |
both white man and the best spirit of |
the blsck man would revolt att
an inequality of tax burdens. Take |
our county, for instance. l. has
been figured by an astute calculator |
that che cost to supply free books to
the negro children here would be
several hundreds of dollars more
than the entire school tax paid into
the treasury by the negro racei No
fair colored man would ask such a
condition to prevail; and we are sure
there is not white man within our
county that would for moment ia.
Vor such q policy. IL there be one
such white man-Repnblican or
Oemocrat-in Lancaster county that
will vote for such proposition, to
supply the negro children with free
books at a cost exceeding the amount
u taxes they pay We would like to
snow him, and offer freely cur COL
INNS in which TO explain his reason.
Vow come up. friend Repa blican-I
andidate, leader or private-and
cts hear from you. If you don't
ay you are willing to do this, then
bandon your platform; if you in {
end to stand on that platform let
ne people of the Northern Neck ,
nov Jon. /
But there Ia no nacasaitr 60. 81 ,