The Washington bee., 1909-09-18


| States the additional cost OF Negro
schools above the cost Of teachers IS
as follows: South Carolina, Is per
cent. of total expenditures; Florida
5.3 per cent; Alabama, Is per cent;
Mississippi, az per cent; Texas, 2.2.
Der cent. These figures indicate that
between ? and 3 per cent Of the total
expenditures for public schools in the
South is being devoted to the Negro
schools above the cost of Negro
teachers. This means that about
SoI7,67o IS to be added to the cost Of
Negro teachers to get the entire cost
Of the Negro public schools in the
South. The aggregate cost of the.
Negro public schools is, therefore,
near S4736.375, or I4.8 per cent. of
all expenditures. The significance
of these figures is that, while the Ne
gro race has, at least, 40 per cent. of
the children to educate, not quite IS
per cent of the money expended on
public education is being devoted to
their schools.
Fourth. It IS generally assumed
IN the discussion Of the cost of the
Negro public schools, that the white
race bears all the cost or nearly all;
that the Negroes of the South are
truly the white mans burden when it
comes to paying bills for public edu
cation. Much of this unseasoned
talk reminds me of the North Caro-
lima farmer who was in the habit of
asserting on all occasions that he
could live and get along much better
if it were not for his large and op-
pressive doctor bills. But the doctor
declared at the next term of the
court, on oath, that this chronic COM
palmer had not paid him a cent in
fifteen years, and that he was the
only doctor in the community.
And this brings me directly to the
main inquiry: Is the Negro public
school of the South burden on the
white taxpayer? But here again,
complete data with which to work
cannot be had. However, this ques-
ton can be answered for Virginia,
North Carolina, and Georgia, with
some degree of accuracy.
First Is the Negro public school
j of Virginia a burden on the white
taxpayer of that State? (a) The
State Auditor for 1908 reports the
total assessed value of Virginia prop
erty at $7o2, 5o3,778, divided as fol-
lows; Listed by white, S52I or, ,6z7,
or 74.3 per cent; listed by railroads
and other corporations, $I55,262, ,8I5,
or 22.I per cent; listed by Negroes,
25,628,326, or so per cent. Thus
it will be seen that the State Of Vir-
ginia does not assess 22.I per cent.
Of its property as either white or
black. This is a fact worth remem-
bering in any discussion of this ques-
| tion. On page a. Advanced Sheets,
State Superintendent Report, 1907,
It is said that Virginia raised for
public schools during that year the
sum Of $3,473,o48, of which amount
| $2,855,87I was raised by State and
local taxation, while $4,000 was di-
rectly appropriated out of the State
Treasury. The income of the literary
fund was $6oI27, leaving the sum of
$IO7o5O raised from other sources.
If we assume that the $45O,oOo, di-
rectly appropriated to the schools
was raised by taxation, then Virginia
raised by taxation for schools in
1907, $3,3O5,87I. Bear with me then,
while | set forth what I conceive to
be the part the Negro should have of
this school fund, if we assume that it
is TO be divided on the color line and
not on the basis of the actual needs
of the children to be educated
(b) Property does not raise all
tins Virginia school fund The Ne
groeS pay something like $4,000
school poll taxes, after deducting in
solvents and commissions. It is fair
! to assume that some of the literary
fund income belongs to Negroes. but
what part? This fund is neither
white nor black. 1t was not created
by white property. Negroes consti-
tute SO per cent. OF the population of
Virginia, and | take it they should be
given 80 per cent. of the income of
! the literary fund which amounts 70