children.[47]

The greatest problem of the Negroes, however, was one of education.
There were more persons interested in furnishing them facilities of
education than in repealing the prohibitive measures, feeling that the
other matters would adjust themselves after giving them adequate
training. But it required some time and effort yet before much could be
effected in Cincinnati because of the sympathizers with the South. The
mere passing of the law of 1849 did not prove to be altogether a
victory. Complying with the provisions of this act the Negroes elected
trustees, organized a system, and employed teachers, relying on the
money allotted them by the law on the basis of a per capita division of
the school fund received by the board of education. So great was the
prejudice of people of the city that the school officials refused to
turn over the required funds on the grounds that the colored trustees
were not electors and, therefore, could not be office-holders, qualified
to receive and disburse funds. Under the leadership of John I. Gaines,
therefore, the trustees called an indignation meeting and raised
sufficient money to employ Flamen Ball, an attorney, to secure a writ of
mandamus. The case was contested by the city officials, even in the
Supreme Court, which decided against the officious whites.[48]

This decision did not solve the whole problem in Cincinnati. The amount
raised was small and even had it been adequate to employ teachers, they
were handicapped by another decision that no portion of it could be used
for building schoolhouses. After a short period of accomplishing
practically nothing the law was amended in 1853[49] so as to transfer
the control of such schools to the managers of the white system. This
was taken as a reflection on the blacks of the city and tended to make
them refuse to cooperate with the white board. On account of the failure