Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-10-14

law S,62S II
Due on penalties not entered 22.S49 9s
S97,Il6 81
Paym since Jan. l, '56 1857 8.
Leaving a balance of SS7 ,249 Il
against the State.
The total amount of the School Fund
on the first day OF January, 1856, was
2,U46,31l %, per report of the School
Commissioners. The number of acres
exclusive of the 10Th sections, sold up to
that time was 476,765, being about 745
sections. The whole number OF 10th
sections in the State, as estimated by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction in
his report for the year 1851, was 1923.
Deducting from this the number sold, and
we have 736 sections unsold, which from
the average price realized from those
heretofore sold, will bring S73S, ,0OO.-
Adding this to the amount of the Fund
as it stood in January last, we have to-
tai of $2,7Sl ,0O0 This falls short of the
estimate made in the report cf the Super-
intendent, before alluded to; which was at
that time considered low one, of two
million five hundred eighteen dollars.
There is no question but that under itl-
dicious, careful and prudent management,
our School Fund would be double what it
is. The people of the State expected
and had a right to expect, that the reve:
nue. belonging to this fund would be care
fully husbanded. They had been led to
believe, from the messages of the Execu-
tive, that there was g evidence of energy
and fidelity in the management of the
educational funds of the State, THAT those
having charge of this great and sacred
interest have been actuated by II sense Of
JUSTICE and by high regard for the du-
ty attendant upon their positions and that
they have sometimes even gone beyond
the strict line of duty aciuated by their
zeal for the welfare of the rising genera
ton, and have ventured to assume such
responsibilities III the premises as the i'm
portance OF their trust seemed to demand,
although from all the information which
the people have gathered from this source,
they may have suspected that even the
Legislature has sometimes manifested a
reckless disregard for these funds of
which we may and do Justly feel proud, y
and which they as the watchful guardi-
ans of the interest of the rising genera,
ton should have carefully protected, yet
I" Notwithstanding this neglect it would
have been gratifying to be able to believe
from all the official reports connected with
these funds, no evidence exists that dol
lar has ever been lost or squandered
whatever may have been the suspicion or
charge to the contrary and % that the
fund granted for the purpose of ensuring
the lasting establishment OF our common
school system is steadily working the ben
eficial results intended" But your Conn
mittee are compelled to say that the result
of this investigation shows that there is
no foundation for such hope Or belief
Tens Of thousands of dollars of this fund
have been embezzled, and hundreds of
thousands g lost and squandred," whatev-
er may have been the hope of every cti-
zen OF this State who loves the sacred
cause of education, to the contrary Grim
lnal negligence, wanton rechlessness, and
utter disregard for the most responsible
duties which could be imposed upon man,
alone has distinguished the management
of this fund. 1t is a melancholy reflection
that this great wrong, thus inflicted upon
the best and highest interest os the State,
does no, end with the mere pecuniary loss
to the school fund, but that it goes further
and innicts a deadly blow upon the con-
fidence of the people in those in whom
they have confded and to whom they
have entrusted their dearest interests. It
goes even beyond this, and becomes a
double crime, for It's tendency is to UNDER
mine and destroy the confidence of the
people IN representative government.
The corruption which such a state of
things engenders, if suffered to continue,
will be felt in our halls of Legislation,
and will soon reach the people, until a
general depravity of public sentiment will
be the result, and the great and true end
of government-ihe moral and intellec-
,ual progress OF man-will be lost sight of
in the conflict of personal interest tha;
would ensue.