The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-05-01
School House Fund.

sioner - = $467 ~
And paid out as follows, viz:
I To the Sisters, 1857
Il T. Harron, 1861
! L. Rice, 1867
H. Estes, 5O2S
\ Mrs Carter, 5166
Miss Hunt, 1858
Fl Miss stoddard, 7.s5--$467 OF
WARNER LEWIS, Treas
S. Dis. No. /, Julien T.
April Both, 1850.
To the Voters OF School District No. 1, Ju.
| lien Township.
| FELLOW CITIzENs-On the first Monday O
May, you will be called upon to choose Presi
dent, Secretary, and Treasurer, for this Schoo
District. The term of the present board will
then have expired At the close of our officia
year, we deem it duty incumbent on us to sa,
something relative to our public schools, more
than is embraced in mere financial statement
We will endeavor to compass our remarks into
as small space as possible, and we subjoin then
to the Treasurer S Report. The board believing
knowledge among the people, by educating the
rising generation, is the surest guarantee for the
perpetuity of our Institutions, that the blessings
of civil and religious freedom can be only appre.
ciated by an enlightened nation; that Liberty
can only be preserved, and individual happiness
promoted by virtue and knowledge; they do
therefore recommend the cause of Education to
your cordial support, and earnestly desire that it
may become the great object of public solicitude,
and that for its ultimate success, the people of
| this District shall make sacrifices. The senti-
ment should prevail universally, that every child
in this Republic has Just right to be educated
as he has to a trial by Jury; that the education
of our children is as much public duty as the
preservation of the public peace; and the people
OF these U. States will not have discharged their
duty, until Public Free Schools shall be inter-
woven IN the frame work Of our National and
State Constitutions. This is to be the ultimate
triumph of our Republican Institutions To
bring about the establishment of Public Free
Schools in Dubuque is matter comparatively,
easy to accomplish. The munifcient donations
OF land to Iowa by the U. S. Government. to-
gether with appropriations from our own State.
is accommodating fund, the interest of which, in
few years, will be sufficient to pay all the teach
e!s IN our State. What we have to do is to pro-
vide suitable School Houses for the accommodate
ton of our children.
During the past year, School House Tax
was voted, amounting to ST. 694 OS-of this a.
mount, there has been collected ST. ,4O3 II; and
1t is believed that about $3.50 more will be OBJ
tanned
By referring to the Treasurer's account above,
you will see there is in the hands of that officer
$3.50 IA unappropriated. We have purchased
two Lots, one in the first ward and one in the
third ward. Suitable School Houses can be e.
rected IN each ward, the whole cost estimated at
$4,OOo. They should be two stories hgh-an
apartment above and below, to accommodate 100
children each house. Builders will undertake
to put up these houses, by receiving one half of
the money IN 1850, and the remainder in 1851.
we recommend, therefore, at your next regular
meeting, that Tax be laid Of IS mills on the
$loO, to be collected as soon as the assessment
can be made, and that the School Houses be put
under contract and completed as soon as posi-
bic. Without School Houses, you cannot have
puollc schools;-thc first STEP then, is, to build;
and when your houses are completed, the free
schools will invariably follow.
By reference to the Treasurer's Report, YOU
viii see that the sum of $40 has been received
from the school Fund Commissioner, and paid
over to the Public Teachers These Teachers
were appointed by the Board, acting under the
instruction of the public meeting.
At the time when this meetinr was held. It
seemed to be the public impression, that, in or
der that this District should avail itself of the
Public Fund, Public Schools must be actually
taught IN 1T, and therefore the meeting instruct
ed the board to open those schools. Subse.
quently the board were informed by the Super
lntendent of Public Instruction, that the Dis
trlct has the power to hold over the Teachers
fund from year to year, if thereby the public
good may be subserved.
We are satisfied from careful consideration
of the whole subject, that the only method is to
employ our Teachers at stated salaries by the
year: we therefore recommend that the Teach
ers fund which we shall receive this year. a.
mounting probably to $500, be held over until
the School Houses be completed, say one year,
and that IN the spring Of 1851, Teachers be en-
ploycd at stated salaries, to conduct our public
schools. Our portion of the public fund for 1851
Will probably be $780, We will then have $500
IN hand towards paying Teachers; the balance
necessary to provide will be little over ST. for
each child taught for one year. We unhesita-
tmgly, therefore, recommend and urge upon you
the propriety of School House Tax.
In giving you thus frankly our sentiments,
we know that we will come in for full share of
the public censure; for the most salutarv sup-
gestlons are sometimes unpopular, and bring
down upon the author unmerited obloquy. But
1t is time tor the people to wake up to their in
terest; and if somebody must be sacrificed we
otter ourselves as the victims. 1t is true that
this Tax, like most others, falls heavily upon
the property holders; but it is the duty and in
terest OF the rich to educate the INDECENT it adds
to the value of their property, by making their
" IL lliole seCuEe IL eleVateS the character
OF the community in which they live, and it is
perhaps the best investment they can make Of
their capital. There is an apathy, an unpardon-
able apathy, in the people of Dubuque, to pub
lie matters; public meetings arc neglected,
few act for the many; and when it is too late to
change or resist measure, loud denunciations
are heard on every hand. 1t becomes every man
to identify himself with the public interest; if
this were the case, the county paper would not
be at 81 per cent discount; the City would be
improved; the Harbor would be made; and last,
but not least, our Public Schools would become
an honor aid blessing to the people of Du-
buque. TIMOTHY MASON,
ID President Of Board
Advantageous Effects Of the GaIphin n
Claim. '- 81 .r-, o..
"Observer" the vigiant and accurate correspon-
dent ofthe Philadelphia Ledger, whose letters
may also be relied on, writes as follows:
sIt is reported here that after the decision on
the Galphin claim, which put $4,000, into
the pockets of the Secretary of War, number
of other claims for back interest, which had all
been disallowsd by previous administrations,
have heen nresented and have either n,cuad or