Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1948-01-10

| Jackson, Miss, Jan. 5, (DSN-
Statements from Negro leaders
from all sections of the state
were received by letter and tele-
phone by THE JACKSON ADVO-
| CATE this week expressing the
highest praise, and giving thanks
| to Editor J. o. Emmerich, of
the McComb City Enterprise,
south Mississippi daily, member
of the State Board for Instit-
utions of Higher Learning, serv-
ing on the Alcorn Committee of
that body, for his recently pub
lished statement pointing out the
poor condition of Negro education
in Mississippi.
Typical of the statements re-
ceived was that of DR.. P. W.
Hill, of Clarksdale, widely known
delta and state political and civic
leader, who after the highest
praise and thanks to Editor En-
merich said, now the time for
Negroes to get ready and go
places with this great help COM
ing from some of our best White
people,. And added, II don't
think Mr.. Emmerich could have
said that at a more opportune
time, just previous to the meet
ing of the state Legislature OF
Mississippi.
1t is with pardonable and I'M
derstandable pride that we of
the South resent the presumption
of outside meddlers who try to
tell us how to run our own af-
fairs. But if we are to be right
eous in our Indignation we are
officially compelled to accept the
responsibility of correction OF
some of the evils which we in
our own hearts know to be true.
There are some subjects which
most southerners simply do not
want discussed publicly. In Mis-
sissippi, for example, it is pre-
ferred that little or nothing be
said about negro education. New
spapers are repeatedly asked to
avoid the subject. Political lea
ders live in holy terror of fed
eral suit which would compel us
to improve the educational fac
ilities provided for negroes with
in our state. But silence is no
solution. And getting hot under
the collar" and blowing off pre-
judicial steam every time the sub
ject is mentioned, will do nothing
but postpone consideration of a
proposition which inevitably must
be confronted.
Mississippi is spending more
money on transportation alone
today, of white children to and
from schools, than we are spend
ing on the education of negro
children.
We have in Mississippi $4,000
white and 477,000 colored educa-
BILE children. In 1916 we spent 8
1-2 million dollars transporting
white school children. Fore the
transportation of negro children
we spent $4,000.
We are spending approximately
Is million dollars for instruction
of white boys and girls and IL
million for the instruction of neg
70 boy and girls.
In Mississippi we have rcom-
pulsory education law" Yet we
find that only 269,405 of the
boys andstate's ARTIST educable
NEGRO children are in school. BY
what logic can we ignore this
compulsory education law somply
because 207,752 youngsters in vi
olation are negroes? What can
we hope for our stats furture
when nearly quarter of a mil
lion youths of any race are pre-
mitted to loaf our streets, learn
ing the way of criminals, when
the state should have them in
schools, learning the ways of re-
spectability and reliability?
Immediately we can hear the
retort of some ruffled reader,
who will say, t..But negroes do
not pay as much in taxation as
do the white people, To pur-
sue this argument is to ignore
the basic principle IN Mississippi
education, that principle known
as 'the. equalization law" which
provides a general educational
fund to be distributed to the poor
er counties on the fundamental
basis "of supplying the greatest