True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-04-05

uiatlOn nObeAceeulhg go,AVV,VVV lree Whlte
persons found themselves in possession Of
a territory of near ! 100000 square miles
in extent, being fraction over three in
habitants to thesquare mile. Of this ex-
tent of country, more than $50, 900 square
miles, which has since been formed into
seven States and portion of one territory
was an unbroken wilderness. the title
and jurisdiction to this werei in the United
States. Thus situated the United States
devised system Of subdivision of the
public lands into Townships of six miles
square, which were again subdivided into
Sections of one mile square This sys-
TEN, with few exceptions, principally in
Ohio, has been carried out. As part of
this system one section, section sixteen,
in each Township, being one-thirty-sixth
part of all the public lands, was set apart
and devoted as fund forever for the use Of
the Inhabitants of The TOecnsAip, for the
education of the youth. Congress has
since granted equivalent quantities for the
benefit of those districts of Ohio not in
cluded in this system of surveys, so that
one-thirty-sixth part of the landed surface
of Ohio has thus in the most rolemn man.
ner been devoted to the moral and intel
lectual culture Of the successive rising
generations forever.
Ohio is one of the seven States before
referred to, and its area is about 100000
square miles. This will give about 700,-
900 acres of school lands in the State.
As perpetuity of leasehold estates is con-
trary to the genius Of our institutions and
greatly retards the substantial and perma-
nent improvement of the country, many
of those sections and other lands given in
lieu of them have been sold and the pro-
ceeds loaned to the State as an irredeem-
able fund on which the State pays an an
nual interest of six rer cent to the town
ship to which the land belonged. By the
operation of the laws now in force all
these lands will be sold and the proceeds
be so invested The fund now amounts
to about 100000 on which an annual
interest of $4,000 or near it, was paid
in 1854. This fund and the interest up
on it are constantly increasing. BY a ju-
dicious management of the sales of these
lands this fund might swell to seven or
eight millions of dollars and the annual in
terest to half a million of dollars. This
interest is raised by general tax, which
forms the first item of tax levied for school
purposes.
There was also levied upon the grand
list for the year 1854 for school purposes
one and six-tenths mills on the dollar.
This on grand list of S75O,OOO,0 900
probably not far from the available amount
would give school fund Of. 81 100000.
Interest on irredeemable fund. ..Sl20, 900.
Probable amount of special tax
es for school houses and for
prolonging schools. ls................S $3.50, 900.
Total of school taxes for "a. 81 500, 900.
The above sums levied in 1854 are fol
the service of the year 1856,
According to the census of 1850 the
white population in 1856 between the
ages of five and twenty years cannot be
far from $4,000. The above fund viii
then give about one dollar and seventy
five cents for each child of a suitable agt
to attend school, and under a we'll digest
ed system OF common schools should b
sufficient to Danish ignorance Of the com
mon branches of education from the risin;
generations if persevered in. In 1S4!
the whole amount distributed for the us
of schools except the sums raised by town
ship and district taxes was $293,317
The amounts raised by township and dis
trict taxes that year was no doubt large
but | have no means of even conjecturin
the amount.
In both years there is to be added tn
rents received from unsold school lands.
AN OBSERVER.
For the True American.
THE LIBERTINE.