Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-07-23
WHY SHOULD We HAVE A C0NSTITU-
Il0MAl CONVENTION?

On the 31st day of August the
people OF this, and every other par
ish OF the State, will be called upon
to vote on the proposition of hold
ing a Constitutional Convention. and
we urge the people of this parish to
vote against the proposition.
As an evidence of the great harm
that can be done us by the holding
Of Convention, we quote the fol-
lowing from the report of Hon.
Thos. M. Wade, Superintendent of
Education of Tensas parish, made
to~the School Board at its meeting
last Tuesday:
Ifeel it my duty to call your attention
to grave danger threatening the board
In the near future. As you are aware, the
Legislature has submitted the question to
the voters OF the state whether there
shall be constitutional convention or
not. 1t majority of the voters of the
State declare for convention, this par
ish, as all parishes similarly situated,
will likely lose go per cent of the appor-
tionment of the current school fund now
received. The apportionmenti is now made
In proportion to the number of educable
I'M
children in all the parishes between the
ages OF six and eighteen years. Under
this apportionment this parish has re-
; ceived from ten to twelve thousand dol
lars per year for the last four years.
There Is sentiment growing i'm the
cities to change the basis of apportion-
ment OF this current school fund. Supt.
I. II. Harris is in favor of change Of
apportionment. He wrote me that he
would recommend to the proposed con-
ventitn that one half of this current
school fund be divided among the par
ishes in proportion to the average attend
ance OF all the pupils based upon a nine
months session, and the other hall be di-
vided among the parishes in proportion
to the number Of teachers employed null
uplled by the number of days taught.
Ii this apportionment or a similar one
II adopted by the proposed convention,
TINS parish, and all parishes similarly
situated, will get, probably, not forty per
cent OF the present apportionment.
In view of the possibility of the adop-
ton OF this new plan of apportionmen,
OF the current school funds, | am con-
strained to recommend that you pass suit
able resolutions as notice to the teach
ers OF the parish of the possibility of a
seven and half or eight months session
1t is not my purpose to recommend that
you reduce the length of the session un-
less this move is forced upon us by the
reduction OF revenue to such an extent |
that this move will be imperative.
From the above it will be seen that
the holding Of a Constitutional Con- |
vention may be serious menace
to the public school system of this
and other parishes where there is
a preponderence of negro popula-
ton, or where the proportion of
white and negroes are nearly equal.
The parishes which would benefit
oy this proposed apportionment will
be the rich and powerful parishes,
which are amply able to help them
selves, but it will be the poor par
ishes which will suffer. The very
principal upon which the public
school system is founded is the
principal OF letting the strong help
the weak, the rich the poor, SO that
the proposition advocated by Mr..
Harris is destructive of the founda-
ton principal of public education.
During the past few years the
public schools of our parish have
made wonderful improvement. The F,
modest one-room school houses i'm {
the three towns of our parish have
disappeared before the onward march !
OF education and been replaced by !
and imposing structures G
that are an ornament to each COM +
and with a faculty and cur t
riculum second to no country town t
In this section of the State. In short i
The educational system of Tensas
parish is to-day the pride of our 1
people. Can We afford now to see e
The pendulum swing backward? a
A vote against the Convention is n
! vote in favor of continuing the
public school system as it is to. dav
We suggest that the people all n
,ver the State take up and debate e