American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-09-11
McIGANTowN:
Tnl SCHOOL FUND.

er he meant to be understood as con-
dcmning or approving of our present
school system. In one breath, he de-
tended the school system as something
100 sacred to be attacked, and in the
next, he tells US that he arraigns i'll
That this is not an unjust criticism, the
following extracts will Prove. lie
said:
IF there was anything that he dcsi-
rcd more than another i'll the proceed.
ings Of the convention it is that it will
not assume TO attack the common school
systcm-that it will not assume to at.
tack plan that is the fixed policy of
our State. There is nc object to attack
the primary school system, because it
is fixed by the constitution
In another place, he states that he
did not mean to arraign thcm,' (mcan-
ing the custodians Of the funds 'but
did mean TO eawCigm the system, and he
did mean to say that it is time other
agents were employed; he did mean to
I
vcrsity, the President and faculties of
colleges, the heads of the higher schools
should be entrusted with the funds
Nor is the Governors position much
more clearly defined in regard to the
recipients Of the school quotas. In
attempting to explain away his charge
that the public funds had been appro-
priatcd by senator's end delegates to
the payment Of their own private debts,
he said
lie was informed of the fact Of a
m0@-aPPIication Of .fHn1s to q large a.
mount, and he stated the fact, morco-
ycr, from his individual knowledge
lie said that in some cases debts in banks
were paid out Of the Literary Fund.
lie knew those who had done so were
good men--bUt they were men who
were paying no interest for the funds
which they appropriated to their pri-
vatc uses.
We think it would be difficult for the
Governor to make more impotent
and ludicrOus attempt to escape from
the consequences Of his former decla.
ration than the above. lie forcsaw that
charging senators and delegates with
aprropriatiug the school funds to their
private uses, would be likely to affect
injariousIy his claims for the senator
ship next winter, when some Of these
same senators and delegates will have
voice in the election, and hence VIC
find him, in his explanatory speech,
while admitting the fact that there had
been 'non-appiication of funds to
large amount, charactcrizing the par
ties who thus acted as good and 'hon-
est men,. Now it seems to us the con-
duct Of these senators is either right
or wrong. If they have done nothing
in violation Of law and common homes
ty, then the Governor has done them
gross injustice, and may yet pay for
lis rcCklessncss. But on the contrary,
if they have applied the school funds
to their own private uses, the Governor
has placed himself in the double att-
tudc Of prosecutor and dcfcndcr-thc
dcnounccr and apologist of the same
crime.
Again: In the Governors first
speech before the Educational Convcn-
lion, lie stated that
lie had that morning asccrtaincd for
tho first timc--thc fact having been
withheld from him--that the amount
Of copitation tax for 1856 and 1856
had not been transferred to the Liter
airy Fund, as required by the organic
law Of the State.
We here find tho Governor stating
that the amount of the capitation tax
for 1856 and 1855 had not been trans.
fcrrcd to the Literary Fund as rcqui-
rcd by the organic law Of the State,
and that the fact had been withheld
from him until the morning Of the day
lie spoke. From all which it appears,
according to the Governors own show
ing,
!. That some persons into whose
hands the school funds have passed,
have appropriated them to their own
private uses; and
2. That somo Of the officers Of tho
Government, in the basement Of the
capital perhaps have been very indus
trous in efforts to withhold informa.
ton Of o violation Of the organic law
Of the State from the chief Executive
officer Of the State.
Now, we have already had occasion
20 say, the school fund is usually drawn
at least from counties at distance
from the seat Of government either
ny the delegate from the county or the
sheriff, and as The delegate, the sheriff,
or tho frensnrcr. Of every county in the