The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-10-04
DR.. J. A. JONES
BEGS TO DIFFER
DOES NOT THINK s5,oOo.oo TOO
MUCH.
Educational Assessment Of African
Methodist Defended by President
of Turner coIlege-Takes
issue With Mr.. Bryant
On The Subject.

Dr.. j. A. Jones, president of Tur
ner Normal College at Shelbyyille
does not agree with Mr.. Ira T. Bry
ant IN his position on the educationa
assessment placed on the member
ship for the benefit of Turner College
at Shelbyville. DR., Jones says:
regret very much that my goot
frlend and brother, Prof. Ira T
Bryant, in his fight on Bishop ], H
Jones, has found it necessary to drae
into print the educational assess
ment feature Of our Church in Tennes
see
We are the best of friends, and
even this discussion will not in any
sense, mar that friendship. Mr.
little
Bryant and I, are connectionally
known as bosom friends. But we
see things, sometimes, as friends. in
little different light. have no
thlng whatever, to do with the loren
SIC combat going on between Mr.
Bryant and Bishops of the A. M. e
Church. | suppose they are all old
enough to take care of their own
cases. But it is the reference to the
part that our people are expected to
take in the educational interest of
the state, that | wish to discuss.
| admit that there are quite a nun.
Der of our people, especially the edu.
Gated class, who think with my friend,
Bryant, that $4,000 a year is to much
TO pay into the Golfers of the church.
for educational purposes. And yet
Tor more than forty years, our peo.
pie in Tennessee have been contrib.
uting to the support of other schools
founded by other denominations
-Four years ago, the African Metho-
dlsts of Tennessee, through their
representatives, decided to do some
thing for themselves, as a denomina.
tion, in the way of the education of
our people, by erecting suitable build.
ings and providing proper equipments
for carrying on the work of a college.
they levied an assessment upon the
membership of just $4,000 from a
membership of about $4,000. They
think that 20 cents a year is too
much. Indeed my friend calls it
lynching the church" | grant that
the collection of this 20 cents per
member, for the cause of education,
is a hard job. | know as well as Mr.
Bryant does. that many people re-
gard it a heavy burden, grievous to
be borne. But is it a fact that it is
burdensome?
The majority of men consider the
paying of both property and poll tax,
burden. And yet they know that
somebody ought to pay it,
There are not five men out of a
hundred, who cheerfully pay any
kind of tax. 1t is the most unwill-
ing, and disagreeable debt that the
majority of men pay. They often
make it the very last debt that they
make up their minds to pay; and
then they do it under penalty of the
law.
A man may have the right to ac.
and hold as his own, a mil
lion dollars worth of taxable prop
erty, and we often find him lodging
the tax collector" 1t is no new
thing for people to cry out against
taxation. And this in the face of the
fact that they know full we'll that no
can be built up, no cities
could be maintained, no public school
system could be operated without
taxation.
Now, I grant, also that there are
OF members of the church,
such as old and infirm members. and
children, who might not be "able" to
to pay even the 20 cents per year for
That is always under
stood; but there are scores and hun
1reds of young men and young won-
en-, who are the benefciaries of other
peoples benevolence, who have had
he advantage of the best of educa-
ion, and are now occupying lucrative
positions, as result of this charity
who could, if they would, make up for
his deficit and not be hurt in the
east.
The truth is that the average edu-
,ated, and wealthy Negro hardly ever
sees his own race when it comes to
fitting them up. They give largely
o white institutions, or those operated
~ whites, but when they are asked
o contribute to a real Negro enter
rise or institution, they count it a
burden"
How many well-to-do Negroes have
-Ou ever heard of giving anything at
heir death to a Negro institution?
prominent Negro died a few months
.go in your city, who left $1,000 to
White institution of learning. And
e was a member of this taX-ridden
hurch that my friend is so ably de-
ending
Thousands of dollars are pouring
nto the Golfers of Tuskegee constant
y but Tuskegee is not a Negro insti-
ution. It belongs to another race.
)eny 1t, who viii
The alumni of Fisk, Walden and
very other white institution in the