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249
July 23

Mr. Luke Deskins, for Committee

Dear Sir: The communications from your committee in the month of May, as also yours of July 11, have been read and have had attention. I will try to show you that you have not been "badly treated" as you seem to think. In the first place you should understand two points: 1st The Bureau has no power to support teachers, and has never had the liberty to expend a dollar for that purpose. All the teachers are sent out and supported by private voluntary associations at the north, and have established schools wherever they found what they thought were the best fields of usefulness. For the last six months no additional teachers have been sent (although they have asked for from thousands of pleas throughout the south) because these associations could not raise the necessary means -- all they could raise being required to keep in the field the teachers already at work. 2d The Bureau by law cannot assist in creating a school house, until the support of a teach[[er]] is provided for;-- otherwise we should be build[[ing]] school-houses to stand empty.

When, therefore, and application like yours is ma[[de]]

Transcription Notes:
An informative summary of how this schools system works