Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-02-05
I" See first Page.
AFFAIR PROSPECT OF SOMETHING FOR COMMON
rGs SCHOOLS.


The Senate yesterday passed bill to establish
system of common schools in this State on its third
and last reading in that body. 1t had been under
discussion in that body two days, and several
amendments had been offered and debated. The
preyious question was yesterday called and sustain
ed and the bill as reported by the select committee
passed, with but single Notwithstanding the
noIl tax to twenty-five cents. The bill, which we
nublish below, is the one introduced by Gen. POLK
amended by striking out the provision for super
intendent of public instruction, and in some other
unimportant particulars:
4 BILL TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM OF COMMON SCHOOLS
IN THIS STATE.
SEC. l. Be Il enacted By The General Assembly of
The STATE of Tennessee That tax oftwenty cents
on the polls and two and half cents the one hun
bred dollars of all the taxable property Of the
State shall be levied for Common Schools and shall
be collected by the same officers who now collect
the State tax, and under the same regulations and
restrictions TO which they now subject in col
lectng such tlxes and shall be paid over to the
Treasurer OF the State as State taxes now paid
over.
: SEC 3 The moneys collected under the provis
sions of this Act and one hundred thousand dollars
now distributed annually for school purposes, shall
TO the scholastic population of each.
SEC g. The different county courts ofthis State,
two-thirds of the Justices being present. shall have
the power annually to levy and cause TO be collect
ed after the of levying and collecting coun-
fy taxes on all the property polls, and privileges
fable to taxation in their respective counties, sum
of money not less than the amount said county
would receive under the lst sec. of this act and to
apportion the among the several School Dis
tricts of their several counties in the
that the school fund is now distributed and said
fund when collected shall be paid over to the CouH-
ty Trustee TO be applied for Common School pur
poses il the same manner that the common school
funds in his hands from the State are applied.
Preceded That if two-hrds of all the Justices of the
county not IN favor of evying such tax, then it
shall be the duty Of said county court to order an
election TO be held to ascertain the wishes Of the
majority ofthe voters in the county as to leyying
said tax and it must appear that majority of those
voting, are in favor of said tax, before the same
shall be levied by the county. And it is hereby
made the duty OF the sherifs of the different
ties in this State to open and hold such election so
ordered by the county court in each civil district
Of their respective counties, at the usual place OF
holding elections, the first Saturday IN March in
each and every year Should the county court not
vote the tax as above provided and make return
thereof TO the April Term of the county court then
next ensuing; at which term, if it shall appear that
majority OF al the votes poled are in favor of
such tax, then the county court shall proceed to
levy the same in the manner provided for in the
lst section of this Act.
SEC 4. In determining the election provided for
in the Sd section of this Act the ballots to be de-
posted in the balot-box, shall be in the following
form Those cast in favor Of levying the tax, shall
contain the following words "For the School
Those cast against levying the tax, shall contain the
following words "A gainst the School," and the
ballots shall be canvassed and return made thereof
haf.ra ID orle Ill, .l-al11 ao
Quoted in the same that elections for Gov
ernor and Members of the General Assembly are
conducted
SEC g. It shall be duty of the tax collector in
each county, to collect such school tax if levied in
the same manner he collects State and county taxes
and to pay over such moneys by him collected to
the Trustee of the county, on or before the first
day Of November in each year, and he shall be al
lowed for such collections per centum. He shall
give TO thecounty court bond with approved securi
" payable TO the chairman ofsad court conditioned
that he VIII use due diligence in collecting and
faithfully pay over all the school moneys collected
by him, to wit: the moneys collected in pursuance
of the tax levied by the county court or by vote
efthe people to the Trustee ofthe county as above
provided aud the money collected in pursuance of
the State tax as other taxes paid over, which
bond shall be received and judgmentby motion for
breach of the conditions, thereof, may be taken
gainst all the obgors on other official bonds ex-
ecuted by him.
The vote on the passage of this bill was
follows
AYEs-Messrs. Bell, Benton Bewley, Bowles,
Carriger, Cook, Dunlap, of Henry, Hall, Havron
Moore, Nelson, Northcutt, Perkins, Reagan, Reid
and Mr. Speaker Polk-I6
NoEs.-Messrs. Davis, Dunlap, Of Shelby, Far
quharson, Frazer Jones, Nave, Nixon, Robertson
and Rogers.
1t is proper to say, that the gentlemen whovoted
against this bill are earnest advocates of system Of
common schools. but were dissatisfied with the de-
tails of this bill Some of them thought the coun-
ties should be compelled to raise an amount equal
to that distributed by the State tax before recev-
ing any portion of that fund and others preferred
a system OF county taxation exclusively. The bill
as it passed was a compromise, and adopted as SUCH
As such too, earnestly hope it may pass the
House of Representatives. The fact that no bill
materially differing from this can pass the Senate
has been tested, and we hope this consideration
will have its weight with the true friends of popu-
lar education in the House. They may not think
the bill the best which could have been devised,
but they must admit that it is much better than
none.
The largest portion OF the debate IN the Senate
was upon motion to amend by providing for a
Superintendent of public instruction. which motion
failed; and upon the motion to amend by COMPEL
ing the counties TO tax themselves instead of leav-
ing it optional with them to vote the tax or not
Upon these motions and upon the merits of the
BILL most of the Senators spoke. Wehave not at
tempted sketch Of the debate; but we may re-
hat la e IL, d,
exhibited zeal for the of popular education
and a willingness to make any reasonable compro-
mise to secure its success, which entities him to the
thanks of the people Of the State.
Thefate of the cause Of education is now in the |
hands Of the House. May they meet the question |
IS becomes the representatives of the people
BOARD or DREcToRs--Gov. JOHNSON has ap- t