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Mobile, June 19th, 1866

Rt Revd R.H. Wilmer

My Dear Sir:
Mr. Jope handed me this morning a letter from Gen'l Wager Swayne to you in reference to a poll tax of eighty cents per capita for educational purposes said by him to be in cause of collection from every adult negro in this county.

I called upon W.G. Clark Esq. Chm'n. Executive Comm'ee of School Commissioners who stated to me that the tax referred to was not now being collected nor had been for some months. That the school Comm'rs. in their attention being called to the subject by Col. Robinson, the then bureau agent at this place, agreed to make the collection from the colored people for the benefit of colored schools and to appropriate the money in that way — but that Col. Robinson insisted that the tax collector should pay over to him personally and take his individual receipt for the money which the collector declined to do and the school comm'rs. declined to collect any tax at all from the negroes. The matter so stands at present.

In regard to the fees of assessor