The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-01-20
THE SCHOOL rCND-.NO. 3.

the Free Press are concluslyey negatiyed, to wit:
that The building of Tie Stale House created The
STATE deIt and thai that debt is wholly due 10
The School fund, or ''loolish cheat" We will
now examine the next position Of IS viz; "ihat
the school fund is the property of the State" 1t /
is doubtless understood by all that this fund is com
posed Of the avails Of the old State Bank. the in
come arising from pedlars licences and the per
cent paid by the banks on their dividends. These
funds rere the property Of the state until the l7lh
of Nov. 1925, when law passed the Legislature
unanimously granting these funds TO the Iespec-
tive towns in this State for the benefit of commcn
schools, That law says expressly in relation to
these several incomes, -"and the same is hereby
sequesiered and granted, to the respective towns
in this State, for the benefit of common schools
and to no other USE" Now then by the terms Of
this law, whose is the fund! Most certainly if
the state had originally right to these monies, it
had right by her representatives. 10 dispose of
them And suppose they had granted these same
monies to Burlington College, would Mr. S. have
con,endcd that by "a simple act of the Legis-
Ia,ure of lhY SNle'ihe College nor any Giving be-
ing had acquitted any vested lights under that act'"
| believe not, it would be coming TOO near home,
1t has fora long tire been prominent and favor
tic Ithig doctrine, that banking. and other cor,
poalions acquire by "a simple nc, Of the Legislo.
turc" a vested right,-but when the interest OF
town Is concerned and the school fund called in
question there il no vested right. And why? BE-
cause there il no speculation or in other words,
rested riShs are for spectators, not for the poor,
or the children of The poor. Nov will the writer
in question pretend for moment that the legiS-
a,ure has any RICH, 10 recall the appropriations
which have from Time been made to The American
ASYLUM for the Deaf and Dumb the Insane hos
pnl, or the Vermont University, and appropriate
the same 10 the payment Of the State dehG ]
think not, Neither has the Legislature any great
or right to recall an upprop' mlon or grant to u
town, made for the benefit of common schuols
and appropriate the slme TO cover the ex'rava-
gance Of II wing administration, With the same
propriely might the Legislature appropriate the
rents Of the school lands in the several towns for
the payment of the same debt one is aS legitimate
~ the property of the towns as the other, proyi-
dcd they fulfil the conditions Of the grant, and the
Legislature is bound on its part to fulfil ard abide
By all the conditions of the grant also. TO this
poiat we have the decision of the Supreme Court,
10 wit that "thc Legislature are pepGtuaIiy bound
by the conditions Of all grants made Wy them, the
slime as individuals, see VI. Reports, VOL 10 lIc'-
rick vs. Randolph p, 525. Now will any one con-
tend tina, if make donation of 81 10 my neigh
hor, o. TO the town for specified purpose, that
can subsequently sue for and recover back the
same unless it has been misOpp'icd by the donec?
certainly not, nor would any one presume that be-
cause was the strongest, had u rsh, to take il
back by force, Blu. the reasoning Of the whig
papers and writer's on this subject, is really worth
noticing. They ,enaciously asser, tina, this fund
cahno, be applied to the use for which it was de-
signed under 10, 80 or GO years. but with tho
same breath declare that It may be .IOriiwM 0p'
pgoprlated 10 pay the state dpbt,-0n object Io'
which /, was rot designed. VIII some wing let.
Ter writer explain this method Of rcasonirg' Tho
fact is this, the fund is the property Of the towns
and has ever been so considered by the people and
5 by the Legislature, else why did the TREASURE
iorrow il? and why has the auditor from year Il
= year reported it as loaned liom the school fund IL
{ the s,atc' The assertion Of - that this wa
"horowcd BY the slatc,of the state, for the state,
is rather hard rub upOn the wisdom and sagacii!
ola whis Legislature.
If this fluid did, and still does belong 10 th'
state, why has a wing Legislature from time I,
/ time directed the Treasurer 10 borrow money (o
the supper, Of the government, and suffer the scloo
fund TO lay ON loan to individuals But the who
il mere trick OF whis jngs'cry 10 rob the children
Of the poor, conceal the extravaganza Of the pnr
~ in power, and feed the usoless wing office. hold
era. for whom places have been provided, wit
special reference 10 retaining their services in til
party. 1.-THE Treasurer and the Legislature dl
not consider this bona .fde the property Of the town
d then they attended 10 hunLug and deceive III
Il people when they pretended 10 IOrrow it. Ih
= irresistible conclusion is, that the state is indcb'e
: 10 the school fund more Than $50 Geo and lhi
Z effort Of the whig leaders, TO induce til; Lesisa
turc to cancel the debt by declaring This money I
be the property Of the state, is more or less ihn
it an attempt at REPuDrArroN, doctrine at hlc
:, the wing party have pretended the utmost hcnoI
LICURGUS.
TPOur Norwich subscribers will find the
bill, with Gen. Ransom.