The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-02-28


earnings per mile Of rad rxeeed
Si.js0: and If noa 50 much. then the
hr~s-elass fare may be three cents PR
mile and the second fare tao
aud one-hslf cents per mile, bat only
for those trains which IN operation
do not pay 81 100 passenger earnings
per mile Of road.
Section 1. That all railroads where
the passenger earnings per mile Of
road DO not exceed 81 900. may charge
the rates now in use.
Section ). That the railroad com
panies affected by this act shall put
the passenger traffic rate herein pre-
seribed into operation on July /. 1907.
Section 6. This act shall take ef-
feet from and after its ratification.
Compulsory Education Bill.
The bill providing for compulsory
attendance on public schools 10 weeks
each year under certain conditions
came up for consideration, Dilling,
the author of the bill, spoke in sup
port of it. saying he hoped il would
get the same vote given the bill for
the care II the insane of the State.
that Is unanimous vote. lie de-
clared that in spite of the criticisms
from the North and Fast 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 fiexiable that com
pulosry education would be required
ONLY in counties which saw MT t'
| 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 B0mber or
| children of school age who failed to
| attend schools were Ill the cities or
| larger towns, where tirst-class graded
schools werei sight of their
homes. Statistics showed that last
year there were 10000 children OF
school age who could not read and
write, and IA 900 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 illiterate 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 50 did every country i'll Eu
rope except Turkey and Spain. Ht
referred TO the great need for sucf
a law here and 10 the demands, re
quests and petitions for it from al
over the State, from labor organlZa
tions, from councils Of the Junior
Order. from educators. from heads o.
great manufacturing plants and thei
employees, and these were told of t.
show the urgent demand for mile
law requiring attendance ON tn
schools
} Midyette opposed the bill, sayin!
the grandfather of the. election lay
| and the constitution was sufficient III
centive to compel attendance on th
schools, and that it had done NOR
than anything else to arouse interes
in education and that there was II
sort of trouble in securing attendanc
in eastern North Carolina. Th
theory of compulsory education wa
,, all rioht, but the practical applies
| ton of such law would not do fo
his people. He opposed it as col
centrating too much in boards Of edt
cation, but said, however, that if til
) provision Of the bill whereby ii
5 board of any county could requil
compulsory attendance, in that eoul
;, ty, or in districts only, upon petitio
by certain proportion of the voter
was stricken out and this matter le
. to a vote of the people, he would SUI
Q port the bill.
+ Stevens offered an amendment e
l. empting Union from the operation
n of the law and spoke against the cor
$ pulsory law theory, saying edueatio
2. al enthusiasm had no right to try a,
u enforce such a law down the throa
!. L. Of the people.
. McNeill, supporting the bill. sa
his only objection to it was that
> was not an absolutely compulso
law for the entire State. Gallows
= Of Greene, opposing the bill, deeli
a ed that the proposition to take char
- of the children, even in the matter
"a education. would be bitterly resent'
h and that the effort to force parel
\ would greatly retard the present V
- untary educational progress. Parse
u supported the bill, saving it was
- mild as it could be and was prepaI
y / bv the most conservative of men, e.
n' secrated to the plan of betterlng
~ entire people, men he was not OF
lu' willing to trust with education.
- TO look after any matters. de
dis pressed his Willingness to also tr
- his county board of education.
The Bill Passes.
Further speeches for the bill W
ne ~, made by Manning, Beckett, Kenn'
he and Douglass. the latter read
statistics showing great benefit
'es such a law. In Macon county
on school attendance had increased
oiii per cent and in Raleigh had gres
w increased. without a single prose
4 Il