The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-02-03
THE SCHOOL FUND--NO. 8.

II happens very unfortunately tHal thc WHY c'S-
nayies, who are endeavoring to hoodwink the
people on the subject Of the Slate DEBT and the
school fund have not consulted together and agreed
to tell the same story. Let us look AT their dis
crepancies. The writer in the Free Press says i,
is all an apparition that no State debt ever exist
ed. Mr. Berry in his report 10 the Legislature in
1871, makes the debt $SlGG, Gls,Sl. Mr. Pierce
in his report Oct IL 1912 makes the "halancc Of
would make reduction Of the debt the past year
Of about $40 900, while at the same time the cS-
penses of the State for the same year have exceed
ed the income more than $4,000. How then
has this $4,000 been paid, will Mr. Pierce lie
good enough to inform the people,
The fact il, no one believes Mr. Eerry's state
ment to be correct by more than $40 O0o, and by
comparing the two, child will perceive that Nh
Pierce, is still less correct, Mr. Berry in ls+l re.
ports the State Indebted to the sgfeiy fand $22,-
32O,13, and in 1912 he reports an additional in
debtcdncss 10 that fund Of i,5S3,2l which amounts
to $2G ,0O3,97. But Mr. Pierce in his report of
Oct. IL SAYS the debt due the safety fund from the
State is but sol $50. Ga, slight difference Of over
SIS 600 and still not enough to make up the sum
stated by Mr. Ecry. Now whether these Wing
officers intend 10 conceal the true condition Of
the TrcaS@ry, let the p'eheNns judge. II is ob'l-
Gus ,hA, one Of 'hrce positions must he true, 10
vii, they are either incompetent for The duties Of
their stations or dishonest in The discharge of them
or else they have no accurate d0ta from which 10
make up report Now then let the fact be as it
will this conclusion is irresistible, that it is high
time to en.rust these matters to men uho wW
search out The truth and tell il 10 the peowe.-'
But the manner in which Mr. p. attempts to cajole
ard deceive the people in relation TO the State
debt, and the school fund is worthy Of notice. In
the first place he assumes the position that the
school fund and tic surplus revenue, arc The funds
of the state, aud he might with the same propric-
y have added the sgfeiy fund, for they all loaned
to the State and held only in trust. Gul i, is pre-
sumed the Auditor had the fog Of the cd whig
credit system in his brain, when he rcckoncd up
his capital, and SO after the example Of Paul, calls
it his orn hicd money, und with this he pays of
tho debt Of The State in lrce and hns \ GAP, 49,
Sc borrowed money left in the I'rcasury, enough
to build rail road, almost.
Blu. lie, us follow this dgni,ary n little further,
he says "rhc act constituting this fand provides
that, "unlil the same shalt amount 10 a sum whch
shall yield an annual in,cres, or income, sufficient
To DELAY the current expenses Of Keeping good
free common school in each dls,rc, in the several
towns, for period Of two months, j, shall not he
expended or appropriated to the use Of common
schools" Bat the learned judge viii find on cx.
animation that this same act from which he quotes
provides nlso mat this fund shah be. "ror the ben
eli: ol common schools, and 10 no oMcr use.' and
conclude that it one part Of The act is obligatory,
the other is equally So. But the Judge says, the
'aci may be repealed by the same power which
cSactcd it," suppose it may, does that abolish
the fund already accumulated, or pny the State
debt! It may be remarked too, tia, the rpuuja.
ton Of the Auditors calculation as to the amount
necessary to yield the requisite quanum of inter-
est, is ~ vague AS the data ficm which he calcu
ates the Indebtedness Of the State 10 wit guess
work, and he gucsses the number oc Districts too
many by ubou, !7C0 and The expense of a school
in each, too large, by more than $40, and al this
from his eagerncss 10 cover up The corruption and
extravaganza of his party, and 10 exclude the chill
drcn Of the poor from The benefits Of common
education.
The Auditor says that the commencement and
accumulation Of the fund was, and has been de.
pendant IN dircci i0r0iion, the wriler in the Free
Press and other wing worthless nsscr, the sane
thing, but it is unruc. And it wilI be found on
examination Of the annual reports from 1925 To
the present time. that not an additional dollar Of
tax has been ised in consequence Of The accnmu-
laion Of the school fund but on the contrary,
that, the annual State tax betrayed the annual en-
perdilurcS and left an annual balance IN the treas.
ury for the seven succeeding wears Of more than
~ 900, and tax Of much less than 8 cents ON
the dollar, would have answered every purpose OF
the government even nj this time, bu, for the prof
igncy Of whirgcry.
Blu, The great anxiety Of the whig office holders,
and treasury nurselings is 10 avoid any present in
crease of taxation, les, the people should find by
experience that their assertions Of "no State debt"
was false, and being thereof con, inced, should
take their offices from them and give them TO moro
honest men.
Now lie. us see, which course will mos, ciIec,u.
ally relieve the people from taxation. Let the
school fund accumulate but few more years mot
nan century, and an amount will be distributed
To each town equal 10 35 Of the present school
tay, and thus work a permanent reduction of iha,
amount o!ioScs. But let the fund be abolished
and the present tax is fixed upon the people forev-
er, or the system Of common school education
abandoned. And will here remark tina, this is |