The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-22
A Sham Law.

A Sham Law.
rho 1'iines-D Dispatch hus frequently
tointed out that the difference between
the North and tic South In dealing With
the negro question is that race separa-
ton In the South is absolute; that the
color line Is we'll defined, and that the
black man knows Just where he stands;
whereas, the North pretends to draw no
B1ine, but does III fact make dstinct ons,
and the black man Is never certain OF
his place
This is well illustrated III the school
law OF New Jersey. In the Southern
stntos our laws prohibit mixed schools
There are schools for the whites and
schools FOR tho blacks, and there are
never complications. But the school law
Of New Jersey provides that no child
between the ages or four annd twenty
years shall be excluded from any public
school on account Of his or her religion,
nationality or COLOR and provides pen
altios for violation Of this provision. The
law Is as plain as It can be written, yet
= the city Of Burlington. has managed Ivy
evasion to keep all the negro children
out Of the white schools, and In school
to themselves. The negroes protested
from time to time, and occasionally they
won out, but 1t would appear from an
article in the April number Of the Arena.
by Linton satterthwait, of Trenton, that
49, y % r,.in1
and have excluded all negro children
f.om the white schools.
Ife tells us that at the close Of the
school year 1909 two negro girls who
were ready for promote ion. from tho col
ored grammar school to the High School
received certificates to that effect from
the negro principal. They were refused
admission, however, and the principal OF
tho colored school was directed to cdu-
cate them in the High School grades.
But he mado "a " fight, and his pupils
we,'o forced into the white school. It
was not long, however, before he re-
ceved notice to quit. and a new princi-
pal, a colored woman, was substituted.
tion's transparent policy of exclusion,
says the Arena writer, was not assign
ed as Il cause for removal, but the new
appointee had abundant notice that her
tenure of office would be secure in pro-
portion to her ac1uiescence in the new
policy Since that time there have been
no applications from pupils Of that school.
for admission to the white schools
In January. 1904, the supervising prin-
clpal oe the city transferred all tho
school children who were attending
white schools to the colored schools.
Among these were two children Of one
James r. Stockton, a taxpayer and real
estate owner Of Burlington. He resent
a lawyer to make the fight for him. We
have not the space to follow the case
from one stage to another, hut it may
be said in general terms that for moro
than 4 year he was made to play shuttle
cock between the Superintendent Of Public
Instruction. the Board Of Education
and the courts, but finally got his APP
peal in legal form before the Supreme
Court, where it Is now quietly resting
or the docket, and the Arena concludes
that no decision is Intended to be made.
Mr., Satterthwait says, IN concluding
his article, that no believes in separate
schools, where there are enough coored
children to warrant their maintenance,
and his article Is directed not against
race separation, but against evasion Of
the law. IT, says he, ut is the public
sense that this provision of the law is
unwise, If 1t Is desired that local boards
of education shall have the power to
compel all colored children to attend the
colored schools, then the Just, the fair
thing to do would be to amend the
statute in the site OF the world
That Is the only honest, straghtfor-
ward view; that Is the only courageous
and sensible course to take. IT is plain
that the New Jersey law is sham and
a pretcnce, and the school authorities,
In thus evnding It, are showing r. con-
tempt OF tho law. which is disgrace
TO those who have In charge the educa-
tion OF children in mind and morals,
How can school children be expected to
respect the law. when the school authori-
ties hold 1t In contempt?
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Save the Boys.
An article recently appearing In this
paper on juvenile criminals found It's