The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-11
FREE BOOK SYSTEM AND
NEGRO QUESTION.

state schools on the issue OF free
school books, he will find his pet
scheme not at all popular in counties
having large negro population. 1t
NAV work satisfactorily in counties
having only one or TWO negro
schools, but in counties like Alachua
it would be a damnable outrage on
the white taxpayers to require them
&c buy school books for negro child
rem. and We would not vote for our
father upon such a platform.
Gainesville Sun.
The above clipping Of the Gaines
Vile Sun does an injustice to Mr..
Russell and the free book system,
which he advocates, unintentionally,
no doubt, but an injustice neverthe-
less.
Mr.. Russell has been and is as true
and loyal to his race and color as
any other Southern man can be. No
man is more insitent upon the domi-
man is more insistent upon the dOmi-
the white race from all others than
he. The inference that he would
make the negro a greater burden to
the white man than he is already,
is therefore an injustice to him. Tn"
negro problem in regard to free
books was satisfactorily solved many
years ago by the people of fernando
working in conjunction with him.
The school board buys at whole
sale prices school books for the
white schools of the county. very
few new books going TO the negro
schools. When the books become OBJ
noXious to the more refined taste of
the white children they are discard
ed and transferred to the negro
schools This is no hardship to the
negroes on account of their habits
and environment, Thus in counties
whore the two populations equal
each other, the books used by ne
eroes are practically of no cost to
the taxpayer because it has been al.
ready covered by their use in white
schools.
On account Of the prepondcranct
OF negro children in its county the
sun declares above that free book:
would be a damnable outrage in Al
achua county. The question arises
would it be to the advantage of the
white tax payers of Alachua count!
TO have free books regardless of thi!
prepondcrancc?
The Star is informed that vas
majority of negro children never &c
beyond the third grade or third read
err This leaves practically out of tn,
twelve grades course nine grades eX
clusivcly the white children, to b,
benefited by free books. The cos
of the individual sets of books in tn,
nine grades is several times create
than those in the first three grades
Therefore in two ways the whit
children have decidedly the advan
tage. Will the Sun contend tina
it is a "damnable outrage" 10 Civ
free books to all the white childrel
of the county. because the ncgr
children get free books i'm the frs
three grades. where the entire Sc
of books of any one of the thre
costs less than one dollar? An
where almost if not quite all tn
books are transferred after use frol
the white schools?
We would ask the Sun to be cor
5 sistent. The wOmens college q
!, Tallahassee and the University q
Gainesville, the just pride and glor
e o. the State. are made possible a,
e eording TO laws by the maintenant
I of State negro school at Tall;
' hassee. To be consistent the Su
would have to demand that the beal
tiful Florida State college for won
g an and the magnificent State Cnive
:. sity at Gainesville be abolished b
e cause a State negro school has to
Y kept up at Tallahassee on accoul
e OF them.
l. Frankly we believe the Sun h
jumped To a conclusion too quick
ard that il would not thoughted
'e recommend to the State or any cou
i irsinuate that Mr.. Russell won
: ty therot a system that would ben
ie fit the negro at the expense OF viii
:" taxpayers.
o. We wish TO assure the Sun a