The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1856-03-06
From the Mississippian.
DEBATE ON THE BILL IN RE-
LATlON TO CHICKASAW
SCHOOL FUND.
IN the H0ass Of Represea.asisss.

the enactlng clause and substituting
a bill reported to the House by Mr..
Baldwin, giving the fund to the coun-
ties interested in it.
Mr.. Thompson said this il a ques-
ton in which all North Mississippi are
deeply interested. There are I64 900
acres of land, constituting the Chicka-
saw School land, situated in certain
counties to which it belongs. This
land, at very poor estimate, is
worth a million and quarter Of dol
lars, and it ought to be distributed
pro rata among the Chickasaw coun-
ties. He wanted gentlemen who
were in favor Of contributing this
fund to railroads to remember that
they had their 10th section, and the
privilege Of dlsposing Of it in their
own way, and all we ask is the priv
ilege Of disposing of our School money
in our own way. This Legislature
ought not to dispose of this money
contrary to the wishes of the people
who have their interest in it. The
Legislature is the mere custodian of
this money--the mere right Of dis
posing of it without any other interest
whatever. He here alluded TO the
position of the Representatives from
the Chickasaw counties, and showed
that while there was % from these
counties in favor of the substitute, s
we're opposed to it. This, he said,
showed what the wish Of the people
to whom this money belonged is, and
now will you force it away from them
to give to the railroad, when you see
from the complexion Of their repre-
sentatior, that that would be contrary
to their wish. He wanted to know
how gentlemen would vote if called
upon for an appropriation Of 5000, 900
for railroads He thought they would
be a little particular how they voted
for a proposition of that kind, and
yet they vote for it eagerly when it
comes up III any other shape. The
vote in his county in the late canvass
was equivalent to a direct vote upon
this question, and he believed 90 in
every hundred were opposed to its
going to railroads. He recited an
anecdote Of king who had immense
herds and tlocks feeding on a thou
sand hills, that killed the only lamb
his poor ncighbor had rather than kill
his own,-and applied the moral to
the case BY saying this fund is the on
ly School money the Chiekasaw coun
ties have, while Mississippi is rich,
and has plenty Of property that could
be taxed for building railroads; but
rather than touch this property with
a tax for this purpose, you compel us,
contrary to our wishes, to give up the
only money we have to educate our
children. lie did not want to be nm
derstood as opposing internal i'm
provemcnt purposes. lie announced
his willingness at an early day of the
season to vote for an appropriation to
internal improvements. lie asked
again if gentlemen would be willing
to put their names on the record in
favor of an appropriation of $500, 900.
He knew of one that would be unwil-
ling to do it meaning himself but
was he in the majority. lfthe railroad
should go down, the owners of this
money had no remedy lie said the
State does not propose to stand be-
tween the ccstus que trust, and the
loss. lie did not believe in the secur-
ity offered (and argued at length to
substantiate his proposition.) lie
said this was an appropriation or
loan of money; or q pledge of the
faith of the State, to pass which the
Constitution required vote of two
thirds. If it was not any Of these,
what was it? But gentlemen say
it is not loan, because this money
was never in the treasury. II it was
not, where was it ltperhaps was
never in there as part of the treasu-
ry, but it goes in as the proceeds OF
the sale Of this land. The State is
the trustee Of this fund, and this act
would certainly be loan. When
Georgia ceded this territory to the
United States, she reserved every 10th
section, not for railroads, but as a
School fund for school purposes. He
then read I'd section of act OF Con
gress of 1896, and made some remarks
thereon.l He was willing to see
Mississippi measure arms with her
mother (Ga. but don't take from a
few counties to do it, what belongs
to them by the ccssion by act of
Congress, By justice and every other
sense of right. lie thoayiut the wish
Of the counties that this money
belonged 10 should be consulted !;
and if they desired to give this money
to railroads, give their Boards Police
power to do it. But some say the
money would be insecure in the hands
of the Boards Of Policies that any
business of tho Legislature? The
money belongs to the counties, and
this matter would be their lookout.
But if you take this money away
from the counties to give It TO the
railroads, the State might be calledto
account for it, The counties will not
be left without remedy; suit could
and would be instituted against the
State in the Superior Coart Of Chan
Gerry by the counties for the recovery
Of this money. - as. g..
Ii he was Southern Mississippian
the wish Of these counties should
n l.