New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-12-16


oouI dsd by Noticeable lines Those ~ho remem-
Der The uncertainty, and confusion. and wofldof law
suits which have existed IN the Atlantic SAFES ey
reason OF uncertain boundaries, may discern tao
vaNe oil this provision.
The second was the Prohibition ofiaVolan,ary ser
vtuce or In o:her words. OF negro slavery. IN all
| tsis CONAN The immense Importance o.. tbs pro-
yison Is now Universally admitted. and us Vtlus no
human mind can estimate and no human tongue can
| tell.
The third was the provision setting spar, the 18Th
| containing Gao acres, for the support of Comnoa
| Schools. Every township has thus a school Iuai-
something TO bes1 uTtA and although THIS fund Is
seldom never sufficient Tor the entire support OF
| Con mon Schools and was not intended 10 be sos
vet It Is enough g. give the new settlers me means
| for establishing these institutions. To most Oh We
new corners rom abroad II serves 10 impsr Tor the
krst time knowledge Of the existence of soca In
| stltunons. co not propose to eXpsifaIe uooa NE
value of hts provision OF the ordinance OF 81 my
| remarks are not supposed TO be addressed To any
| who doubt or deny the value of Common SCHOOLS.
and those Who admit this will generally be disposed
10 ADMIT the value Of this provision, which secures
the introduction and partial support OF this nsiiss-
| ton.
Now the ordinance OF Isl did not extend 10 the
State OF Iowa. which was not then portion Of the
United States. but the acts OF Congress OF ls3 AND
called the organic law OF the state reenscIed
| very provisions alnos. ~ to.iler7 verbs.
By these acts the 18Th central section IN every
township Is appropriated for the support OF Commsa
schools for the use Of the inhabitants Of the State
and II Is estimated tina. the state OF loss aeoat
lCeOo acres OF land are thus set apart for this pu
pose.
Ii would be useful to know the history Of the leg.
lssiion II the North western States ia regard 10 tbs
use and disposition of the 10Th section and OF the
management of the fund derived from It. ! suspect
that there have been mistakes and frauis bad ssts-
lallOn IN the nrst instance, and bad Administrator
| In the next Mr Benton states, I'm the Report !
have before alluded To. In the state OF ONO.
millions or money were long since reported from
authentic sources TO have been lost from the
School Fund" In that State the loss was sup
posed to have arisen from giving 10 The =" inhso,-
taIts of the township" the rights and powers OF Q
landlord TO the management and sale OF the prop
erty. This system being also adopted in Indiana
and Illinois, II is said " the same dihcuteS have
arisen, aud legislation IN all these ; ates could not
So frame and guarc the laws but defects existed TO
weaken the sources of accumulation 10 thu fund
Benfea's Biennial Report, p. 81.
In the State OF Michigan, understand this defect
has been remedied. by vestng the night 10 dispose
OF the property IN other hands. However this may
be, think that authe nr history Of the lessla-
ton IN these several states as 10 the disposition OF
the School Fund section aud of Its proceeds, AID OF
the cOuseQuent results, would be a valuable docu-
ment. both for their people and for the inhabt
tants OF the other new states. And would sugseN
whether It would not be we'll for the Press TO attract
the attention of Congress to the subject so that
SEINE committee or public otiicer may at least DC Ia
truCed To collect the materials for some such docu-
ment At present my business Is with the CoMaos
SCHOOL FUND OF Iowa. magnificent donation from
the people of the whole Union to one OF its young
est members.
According to Mr. Benton's Report. this fund con-
ssts IN the first place of the sirfssnh secfion which
he estimates VIII amount 10 one mhlon acTeS.--h<'
port, p a.
By the laws OF iowa, an officer called the School
Fund Commissioner, rs elected once IN TWO years IN
each County IN the State and he Is obliged 10 exc
cute bond, with sufficient sufeues and with largo
penalty, to the State for the faithful performance oil
the duties OF his office. The trustees OF each town.
ship are bound % apprase the value of the ION sec-
ton therein. and to return this apprasement to tue
School Fund Commissioner, ailotting the ssno IN
parcels for convenient sale the Commissioner Is
then authorized TO advertise ana sell any portion OF
this land to the highest bidder, at any price not loss
than the appraised value and TO INV 81 the pro-
coeds upon landed security at ten per cent pc!
annum. These provisions are considered suihcism
90 secure the attainment of the Two gfeN P1ins
Fret that the land shall not be updervalued ana
second that the proceeds shall be safely invested.
The next great educational fund IN Iowa, Is the
grant to the state by Congress OF oOo Ooo acres o.
land 10 be selected IN any part OF the state out 81
the unappropriated lands OF the General Govern
ment. For this purpose the State appointed an
agent in each If the three Land Districts OF iowa.
to select these lands and nearly the whoio ha'e
now been selected with great care ID luig,nch.
The minimum price of these lands Is VI 20 per
acre but beng early cued OUT OF inc mnS1 p"O"s ~
that they are OF much greater value In fact should
! suppose that this half million Of selected lands rs
worth more money than the entire million. srbitrs-
ry desIgnated in me 10Th OF each township.
Besides these two immense grants OF land the
State of Iowa is also entllltd 10 nVe per cent
borders Congress originally designed that thus
grant should be for purposes Of Internal la
provsment but the People of Iowa preferred
that the proceeds of this donation also should go TO
the support of their Common Schools, and Congress
cheerfully assentsd 10 the arrangement Gy yr.de
of this grant, the Superintendent OF Public instrue-
ton had received S3 23b for the three Yeas tern-
mating In Isf9. He has probably received no very
large sum ia addition and Will not receive much
for some time 10 como. seeing that tno purchasers
of public lands now generally buy the Military Land
granted these
shall be exhausted, large sum M cash Will annual.
" find as way into the general Common school
Fund
These items 90 to form this benefcent Fund az Is
invested upon good security at lOper cent interest
The aggregate grand total Of these items must ior
the present be a matter OF CONJECTURE MI benton
estimates the amount al tirO mitaOn fUs huDfref
hoBsaHd dollars, and am disposed 10 believe tha'
he has Rot OyeTTaied IT.
The People OF Iowa have thus indicated wise
and iar.sighied sagacity IN angmentlng their means
for establishing Common Schools, and TO guard
against the waste and dilaladation OF the funds 80
entrusted 10 them.
A brief exposition OF their Common School system
Will show hom careful Iowa is that It's entire pops
laon should share IN the benefits Of this insttuuoa
In the first place, they have An officer elected fi-
ennlally whose duties are 10 svpernend the estaD-
IsLmfut OF SchOOs-cOnier with school Oihcefs-
lecture In the school Districts, and 10 perform gen
orally such duties as may tend 10 advance inc inter-
ests OF ecucailOn."
Next are the County " School Fund Commission
ers hose Gutes are mainly 10 look after the sales
the land 10 invest ther proceeds dhd 'o ussIous'
the interest Lastly are the school Dlsuict omcefs.
Their business Is to prepare list OF pupils rom 70
y years Of age, ana 10 report the same 70 lhe upu
Commissioners, forming the basis for tho ol'tnDu
| tor o. the School Fund 10 examine and appoihs
Teachers to visit the schools - app0rtion ana see
10 the collection Of taxes besldes othef hlhoi do
ne II viii thus be seen thai the miami state OF
| Iowa has established more scientific and complets
system for the foundation and government OF nee
schools than most Of the states OF the Confedescy.
Ia add ,op 10 all this, she has established three
Normal Schools for the education OF Ieachers ann
a niyeTsity endowed with the townships OF lana
BY the nied States WIN tNo pfAnch.s az III,
uayts of lie state which are 20 be ~ tact two aodi-
| tonal Universities. 49,.
no state IA tie Union has laid such deep and broad
fcuLcatons for the Instruction oil youth aho nose
hes such ample IN proportion 10 us ~eai'h Ok
| to rs population. .,.,,.A,. ,.h,o.