Evening star., 1925-11-08

to the District whose vastness is only
just beginning TO be appreciated. For
while Andrew Johnson held to the
very letter of Lincoln's reconstruction
policy in SO far as it had been formu-
lated, the very rightly of his ad-
herence was his undoing-and the un-
doing of the South and Washington
as we'll.
THE two jor elements Of John
sons stubbornly held reconstruc-
ton policy We're: Readmission of the
seeding states to the Union without
penalty as soon as there should be
a loyal nucleus to request admission.
each State to determine for itself
whether 1t would admit the negroes
to the suffrage. Whether, even had
Johnson not conceived It his sole
duty to enforce the principle his great
predecessor had laid down. his nature
would have allowed him to compro-
mise as Lincoln would undoubtedly
have done-yield a small issue to gain
great one-one cannot say. But,
with respect to the District as to the
seeding States, his unwillingness to
force negro suffrage on the District
which had gone overwhelmingly
against it-6,591 to 35-merely pre-
The question of negro education
then became the storm center. To
the negro population, always large,
were being added colored refugees from
all over the South and Southwest
f1ocking as to sanctuary to the Capital,
where Father Abraham had made them
free All attempts to distribute them
over the country failed. While some
of the more fortunate Of their own
90 nfT orfE- nfI hntD nn
burden of their support and control
and training was thrown upon the
white people of what was still little
more than a large southern town.
That 1t was not only advisable, but
essential. that these people should
have training to fit them for citizen
ship is past discussion. Not being
individually responsible for the bills
for that education. Congressman were
free to grasp the loftier principles.
Influenced by the negroes too op-
timistic estimate of their own wealth,
Congress demanded that the District
furnish schools and instruction for
colored children proportionate in cost
to the taxes upon this hypothetical
property. The District authorities
countered with proof that the actual
| assessable property of the negroes was
but a small fraction of the congress
cioiAc,h SceiAiolSb 1Aiu liiehl A. was SAAJaSI
that a white population already i'm
poverished by the war should have
this additional burden laid upon them.
Congress retaliated by making an ap-
preparation for building two negro
schools, but imposing upon the Dis
trict the cost of maintaining a num-
ber Of teachers proportionate to the
colored pupils. A second appropria-
ton of ten thousand for school build
ings for colored was added later.
This was the first direct appropria-
ton ever made by Congress for the
District schools.
1t is one of the constantly recurring
ironieS of existence that 1t was in or
der to secure it's own way that Con-
gress at last assumed a share of the
financial responsibilities Of the Dis
trict schools. For this appropriation
made a precedent which 1t would be
impossible in the future to disregard.
But there was no statement as to the
ratio Of responsibility. And just as
an Individual cannot be considered a
responsible citizen of the community
until he has so recognized and adjust
ed the relation between his just obli-
cations and his resources as to be in
dependent of all save the laws Of that
community, so the community itself
cannot be considered a city until it has
organized itself upon a definitely rec
ognized balance between obligations
and resources.