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

state. With al aggregate valuation OF real and
v,ersonal estate amounting to S2c6 OOOO 600, or
more than one third of the entire valuation of the
safe. snd with this property liable 20 be effected
by the legislation Of body elected by the uni
versal sutlrages Of the citizens OF the State, It
would have been mauiiestly unjust that her vote
should have been excluded.
Your Committee have been induced 10 present
their views upon this subject from respect 20 the
large number Of your petitioners who have asked
for tire repeal Of the Free School act, on the
ground that such act would have been repealed
bv the popular vote had the City Of New York
been excluded from any action thereon. lnolud'
inc this vote however, the expression OF the
populsr will Of the State is emphatic IN favor Oh
the prineiDle Of Free Education; for no one, It IS
presumed will hazard the opinion that the vote
of New York was cast IN favor of the act OF 1882
Her citizens were unacqueinted with the prectl-
cal operation Of that act, and the inference IS
natural that it was the pysnclple only that was
ratified az the balOt-boy.
Upon this view Of the subject your Committee
entertain the opinion that it was the principle OF
the Free School act only that was sanctioned and
confirmed at the last election by the people os
this State. In obedience to the popular WILL
therefore, they would recommend the retention
of the Free School principle. Bat as II IS admit
ted by al parties interested in the SUBJECT thar
the details Of the act are seriously detective u Is
proposed to make such notifications therein as
will insure greater efficiency 70 the system ana
cause it 70 be more generally approved.
Astbe physician would inquire into the nature
Of the mslady before prescribing for its cure, u IS
proper your Committee point out, Waat tney
deem the defects of the law under considera,lon'
before proposing any modihcations therein. a
prominent objection to the act OF l3a9' Is tne
mode in winch tue School Moneys are required %
be raised. By the I'd section OF that act, 1t IS
made the duty {" Of the several Boards OF Super
yisors at their annual meeting, to cause to DC
levied and collected from their respective coun.
ties, q equal TO the amount OF state school
moneys appOrtICned to sucn counties; ana 10 ap'
portion the same among the towns and cities IN
the same manner rs the moneys received from
the State are apportioned. They shall also cause
70 be levied and collected from each of the towns
in their respective counties a sun equal to the
amount OF State School Moneys apportioned to
said towns respectively" The income OF the
School Fund of the State s distributed among the
different towns in proportion 10 their population
The county and town taxes levied by the Super
visors, are In consequence, tax upon the Oasls
Of population; and its operation 10 therefore, M
Just, unequal and oppressive. A large and PoPu-
lous county may, under this system OF taxation,
be compelled TO raise more money than an al
Joining county with a less population though
with a larger assessed valuation OF real and per-
soma property.
1t is obvious, therefore, that this inequality is
peculiarly burdensome 70 the agricultural inter-
ton is usually larger in proportion to the vaua-
ton of its property, than in the cities or large
towns or villages. This inequality will appear
by glance at the following statement. In l549
the taxable property and the School Moneys lap
portioned on the basis of population in the fol-
lowing counties, were In this proportion;
Taxable property School money.
New Y .Sz56,l97,lf3 S4lbxl y
Albany, l68S957O 8'l?3 ~
eIet hahy'.'s.'' $1,000 49, ~
OGltarbuRus ..s.s...s''ssss oo<t;OJo oooa ~
TIE Counties Of New York and Albany are de-
voted 70 trade and commerce, while Allegheny
and Cattaraugus are purely agricultural counties.
The same inequality will appear from q COMPARE
son Of different rates Of taxation in different
towns. An illustration is afforded by some Of
your petitioners, in the case Of the following
towns in the county Of Genesee, in l549:
NJ Taxable property. School money mon =;
Bstavia... $l,@j5,llO $lt9 X
Stafford. ....s..'.'..''''.'..' 49l,l5S ~ 20
Bethany ....,...,............ 0<o,9%o 81 ~
Numerous instances of the same kind might be
cited, TO show the injustice OF this mode of taxa
tioD, as applied to counties and towns. In the
cities and larger towns are accumulated a vast
amount of Bank and Insurance stocks and other
descriptions Of personal property which, under
this system Of taxing the population, is made to
avoid their propOrtionate contribution for school
purposes, while the poorer agricultural districts
are borne down by the weight Of taxation. This
feature in the act of lSf9 may be accounted one OF
repeal Of the act throughout the central and w est
ern portions of the State But the most serious
objection TO this act, in the estimation of your
Committee, is the plan Of district taxation. BY
Sd section OF the act, it is made the duty Of the
trustees within q specified time ofthe annual dis
trict meeting in each year, to prepare an estimate
of the amount Of money required for teachers
Wages Inclusive of the public moneys OF the dis
trict. and the moneys raised by aud under the I'd
section of the act) and other expenditures for the
year, and submit such statement to the legally
qualified voters of the district, for their approval
or rejection and in following section it is pro-
vded that, In case the voters of the district re-
fuse to raise the estimate presented 10 them, 1t is
enjoined upon the trustees to levy such tax as
may be needed to keep the school open for the
space of four mOnths-and proceed TO collect In the
same manner as other district taxes are collect
ed These two features of the act have wrought
incalculable injury TO the cause of education, by
provoking animOsties and bitter euds among the
inhabitants of the different Notwithstanding the
school houses Of the State, where peace and har-
mony should blend, at each annual meeting q
scene Of strife and dissension. IL would appear
almost incredible that the inhabitants of any dis
rict in this State could be led by the simple act
of being called upon to vote a certain amount for
the education Of the children of the district, to
the exhibition Of such feeling, but the fact though
lamentRble, is nevertheless beyond dispute. Az
srice hath its victims and they are found as often
in the quiet seclusion of the country as in the
busy marts Of commerce.
1t is obvious that any plan which submits the
amount of tax TO be raised for school purposes to
the action OF the voters Of the district is liable to
serious objection. The chlldless and those whose
children have already received their education,
deem it hardship to be obliged to pay for the in
structon Of the children Of their neighbors, aud
consequently vote against any appropriation. The
rich who are assessed upon the valuation of their
estate, ottimes unwilling to contribute to the
support Of a Common School, inasmuch as they
prefer the exclusveness Of select institution for
their children and feeling no interest whatever in
the matter, with short sighted wisdom, they are
often inclined to vote in the same way. This ma
turally produces corresponding feeling OF suspi'
cion and hatred among the poorer classes Of the