The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-02-28

SO $50 N[.EfTTN~@l
earnings per mile of road exceed
$1,000; and if not so much, then the
hrst-class fare may be three cents per
mile n the second-class fare two
and %one-half cents per mile. but only
Tor those trains which in operation
do not pay $1,000 passenger. earnings
per mile of road.
Section 4, That all railroads where
the passenger earnings per mile of
road do not exceed $1,000, may charge
the rates now In use.
Section s.. That the railroad COM
panles affected by this act shall put
the passenger traffic rate herein pre-
scrlbed into operation ON July /. 1907.
Section 6, This act shall take eff
feet from and after its ratification.
Compulsory Education Bill.
The bill providing for compulsory
attendance on public schools Is weeks
each year under certain conditions
came up for consideration, billing,
the author of the bill, spoke in sup
port of it, saying he hoped it would
get the same vote given the bill for
the care of the insane Of the State.
that is a unanimous vote, He de-
clared that In spite of the criticisms
from the North and East of factory
conditions in the South, the mill men
Of North Carolina had done more and
were willing to, continue to do more
for the betterment of the conditions
of their employees than from any
other class of employers in the State.
Chairman Blount, of the committee
on education, explained the bill, say
ing that it was so fexiable that COM
pulosry education would be required
only III counties which saw fit to
adopt it, upon petition of citizens,
Speaking of the necessity of some
such laws in certain sections of the
State, he declared that Investigations
showed that the largest number of
children of school age who failed to
attend schools we're in the cities or
larger towns, where first-class graded
schools werei n sight of their
homes. Statistics showed that last
verr there were 10000 children of
school age who could not read and
write, and IA, 1000 children of school
age who did not attend the public
school that year. He read other
statistics of the ~illiteracy, showing
that the ratio of decrease was not as
great as it should be. He appealed
in behalf of children whose parents
were iliterate and did not care to
make use of the advantages for edu-
eating their children and urged that
in aid of such children the bill be
passed.
Discussing the principle of COM
.pulsory attendance, Blount said near
.ly every State in the Union had this
law and SO did every countrytin Eu-
rope except Turkey and Spain. He
referred to the great need for such
a law here and to the demands, re-
quests and petitions for it from all
over the State, from labor organiza-
lions, from councils of the Junior
Order, from educators, from heads of
great manufacturing plants and their
employees, and these were told of to
show the urgent demand for a mild
law requiring attendance on the
schools.
Midyette opposed the bill, saying
the grandfather of the election law
and the constitution was sufficient in
centive to compel attendance on the
schools, and that it had done more
than anything else to arouse interest
i'll education and that there was no
sort of trouble in securing attendance
in eastern North Carolina. The
theory of compulsory education was
all riOht, but the practical applica-
ton of such a law would not do for
his people. He opposed it as con-
centrating too much i'll boards of edu-
cation, but said, however, that if the r.
provision of the bill whereby the
board of any county could require
compulsory attendance, i'll that
ty, o + in districts only, upon petition
by a certain proportion of the voters,
was stricken out and this matter left
to a vote of the people, he would sup
port the bill.
Stevens offered an amendment ex-
empting Union from the operations
of the law and spoke against the COM
pulsory law theory, saying education
al enthusiasm had no right to try and
enforce such a law down the threats
of the people.
Mcneil, supporting the bill, said
his only objection to it was that it
was not an absolutely compulsory
law for the entire State. Galloway,
of Greene, opposing the bill, declar-
that the proposition to take charge
~ I'll H. L. - q
education, would be bitterly resented,
and that the effort to force parents
would greatly retard the present vol
educational progress. Parsons
supported the bill, saving it was as
mild as it could be and was prepared
by the most conservative of men, con-
secrated to the plan of lettering the
entire people, men he was not only
to trust with education, but
to look after any matters. He ex-