New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-10

conceived that the same system may be applleu
with far more justice toward the support oil an
institution designed for the diffusion OF virtue anu
Intelligence, and in consequence for the suppress
sion OF crime and immortality. In this conectloh'
your Committee may well be pardOned for INTRO,
ducing an extract from the remarks o. Dlnlol
Webster in Convention 70 revise the c5ussl'-'
tion Of Massachusetts, in 1921.
"For the purpc-c ofpubHc Instruction. said that eminent
statesman We hold every nan subject 10 tsNa13a ~ Pr
portion 10 bis property; and we look not 10 me q5s
yghefber he himself have have not children 20 De hee
flied by The education FOR " tlce he pays W Ie-a
wise ard liberal system OF police bg which pro cry 81
life and the peace Of society are secured We seek .. Pr
mote ln some the extension o. me pelal c9
Inspiring sautary and conservative principle OF VI 5 go
Of knowledge n On early age. Ey general llslfl- 11
seek es far rs possible. 10 ruriy the whole moral AMI
srbrre TO keep good senment4 upperm0s ana 20 turn t
he fe,- irr1urs ifv and crime And krl
iro hat our Government directly the pubic Will
thst vre NAV preserve H. euceayOr 10 give SAFE an1
rraper direction 10 The pubic will II every poor mans
urCeuhed birLrlhf 70 II Dis s0Gce l he, ana wen may
he M consolation in der d. that be county stands pe1ged
bv Ire fsiih " ch has p hied 10 all It's citizens, 10 pro-
iect his chi dren from ignorance, barbarian and wee
By this system Of taxation, tits to be expected,
as all classes OF the people will contribute IN pro-
portion to their substance, that universal inter
est will be felt in the cause OF education through.
out the State. And that In consequence, the cha
racter of cur Common Schools will be elevated,
ano the children Of wealth will be induced . en-
terand enjoy their advantages, and thus be brought
10 mingle in the early years otthelr life, when the
kindly feelings of the heart are most active, upon
terms Of equality with the equally deserving but
more unfortunate children of want-and thus may
be partially obterated the distinctions OF fortune,
by investing wealth with the spirit Of kindness
ard humility, and inspiring poverty with feeling
OF honor and manly independence
IL is expected by your Committee, that much
opposition will be manifested against this pro-
vision Of the bill. Il will be objected b. those
who desire & return 70 the old system OF the rate
bill that parent should not be compelled % con-
tribute toward the support Of school, without
lie desires its instruction for his child and that
the childless and those who have already educa
ted their children should be exempt IRON the bur-
den Of supporting q schoOl-Or 10 other words,
that citizens of the State, who share IN It's pros
peritv and glory and who derive an advantage
from the universal diffusion OF knowledge, by the
safeguards it resrs against vice and immortality,
will desire TO participate in the benefit without
sharing the cost.
These objections may be answered in the ap-
proprate language OF friend to humanity
" But sometimes, the rich farmer, the Opulent
manufacturer, or the capitalist, when sorely
pressed with his natural and moral obligation to
contribute portion Of his means for the educa-
ton OF the young, replies either in form or IN
spirit; IT,
mine; may Dot DO what VIII with my own =" there
suppos6be and only where this argument
would have piGusibity II il were made by an Isolated
solitary being-s being having no relations to community
around him having no ancestors 70 Whon ne haI Deen IN
for ninenne pars in hundred OF all he pos
sesses, and expecting to have no poseliy sier mint
mig not be easy TO answer H. II there were bat one lam
iy Ia this Western Hemisphere and only one ia the East
EN- Hemisphere and these families bore civil and
social relations TO each Oher and were To ne Tue s and
last The whole II ht be difficult except on high
and almost usnscendcnt grounds for either Of them 10
show good csute WHY me Oter shouq c0h9uts 10 heP
educate children not bis Bit is this the reiI01 Which
aay among sutGrs 10 his JeioU The society Of
which necessarily constitute part, must be preserved
ard In order preserve IT, we must not look merely 10
vgha one individual family needs but 10 what the
whole community needsi D0l merely 10 what one genera
lion needs but TO the wants OF succession Of generations
By the third section of the Bill, the State
Superintendent is directed to ascertain the portion
of said tax to be assessed and collected in each Of
the counties of the State. by dividing the sum
among the several counties according to the vaua
ton Of the real and personal estate therein, as
shall appear by the assessment of the year pre-
ceding the one in which such sum is 10 be raised
Your Committee are fully aware that serious
objections will be raised against this provision of
the BILL by reason OF the great inequality existing
in the present mode of assessment, and that in
consequence thereof several of the cOunties in the
State will be obliged to contribute an undue
amount toward the support of education; but it
is respectfully suggested by your Committee that
they have performed the duty enjOined upon them
by reporting what is deemed in their opnion)
the best plan for the support of the Common
Schools OF the State. 1t will devolve upon the
especial reference to the consideration OF the sub
ject Of an equalization Of assessments to devise
some remedy and it is confidently expected that
some plan will be adopted by which general
satisfaction will be afforded to the people Of the
State.
The 4th section of the bill provides for the ao-
pointment and division OF one fourth the amount
raised by tax, and one fourth Of all other moneys
appropriated to the support OF Common Schools,
EQUALLY among the several school districts of the
State, and On appOrtiOnment Of 80 cents for each
child, but not 10 exceed in the aggregate the sum
of S2l, is directed TO be paid to each separate
neighborhood in the State. lit is proper to re-
mark that this term is used to designate those
parts Of school districts, some or in number,
adjacent to the borders Of the States of Pennsyl-
vania and Massachusetts, The provisions OF this
section were made with particular reference to
the sparsely populated districts of the State,
which, without such equal distribution would be
unable to sustain a good and efficient public
school. Your Committee could not reconcile IL
with a sense Of Justice to the larger districts
forming majority in the State to recommend the
equal distribution of any greater sum.
By the 9Th section of the bill, the remaining
one-iourth Of the amount raised by State tax,
together with threefourths Of all moneys appro
priated by the State for the support OF Common
Schools, is apportoned according TO the number
of children between the ages of and 2l years
OF age, residing in said district. 1t is also en-
joined that tne SCHOOLS snall De Kept open during
8 months OF the year. by duly qualified teacher
1t is expected by your Committee that the
amount to be raised by the State tax, to wit
$780, in addition to the appropriation from the in.
come ofthe Common School Fund, may be increas.
ed by $500 900, thus making the total sum of ST.
100, 900 for the payment of teachers wages, which
will be sufficient to support the Common Schools
for period Of months. But in case there should
be de6ciency-or if it were deemed advisable
by the Trustees TO continue the schools for a
longer period, then it is required by the 9th sec
ton OF the bill that the balance to be raised in any
school district for the payment of teachers wages
beyond the amount provided by the previous sec
ton o. the bill, shall be raised by poll tao to be
levied by the Trustees upon each resident Of the
district entitled to vote at the school district meet.
ings, of such an amount as will make up such bal.