Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-03-11

the Senate oil the Unlteu StatcS mat ne does
not forget whence he sprang and to whom his
allegiance is justly duc-the peopIe-is mani
fest, indeed, in his consistent labors to accord
to all the friendless and penniless children by
whom he is surrounded here, such opportuni-
ties of education as is due to youth who are,
emphatically, the wards of the General Gov
eminent
Mr.. Brown. from the Committee on the Dis
trict of Columbia, to which Were referred the
memorial Of the Trustees of the Public Schools
Oh ashington and other memorials relating to
the same subject, submitted report, accompa-
MED by bill for the benefit Of public schools In
the city of Washington.
The bill thus reported proposes to surrender
to the sc hool fund Of Washington, for the pur-
pose of building permanent school houses, the
fines and forfeitures hereafter to be collected in
the District of Columbia, and which now accrue
to the United States. until the same reach the
sum Of S5O,UOO; and Ii also proposes to apprO-
pirate 81, 900 per annum from the n itonal trea-
sury, to continue for five years and no IL n yer on
condition that the property holders of the CITY
submit TO a tax of ten cents on each one hundred
dollars worth of taxable property in the corpo-
rate limits of the city. THIS tax to be applied to
the advancement of the public school system in
the city
The committee, in replying to the memorials
which have been presented to Congress on this
subject, say I'm their report
That there are no unSold lots of material value
In the city of Washington, and therefore 1t is
useless to deny or grant 80 much of the prayer of
the petitioners as seeks 4 donation Of these lots
To the public schools of said city.
That the policy Of granting lands in aid of
public schools In the new States and Territories
appears To the committee to have been eminently
w and free from all constitutional objections
hut when il is propose by these MOI ia lists
TO extend that policy To the District of Columbia,
new and grave objections arise. These objections
20 not only to the expediencv, but in the judg
ment Of many to the cOnstitutonality Of the pro-
posed measure. Without discussing the ques
ton, the committee report that, in their opinion
ii Is not proper at this time to make a giant of
public lands to aid the public schools in the city
Of Washington.
That the proposition to appropriate money in
aid of these schools has engaged the attention of
your committee. IL appears, according to the
best data obtainable by your committee that the
Government owns about one half in value of all
the real estate in the city of Washington On
this II pays no taxes. The citizens ale heavily
taxed for the various purposes Of city govern
ment, and the United States makes large appro.
prialons for purposes Of its own within said city
w bile the city appropriates f ON common treas
uTy for the support of schools, the United States
never has appropriated a dollar for that purpose
There are in the city of w ashington more than
five thousand children, between the ages of i've
and eighteen years, who attend no school. OF
these 1t Is believed more than tWo-thirds have
been attracted to this point by the Government
They are the child en- of persons in the service OF
the United States, many Of whom have no tax
able property in this city, and very little any,
where else. OF these live thousand children who
attend no school, one half at least perhaps more,
are the children of parents too poor to bear the
expense of their education. and they must grow
up In ignorance unless educated at the public ex-
pense. 1t would seem hai dly fair to throw them
holders of this city. There are In the public
schools OF the city two thousand and four hundred
pupils, besides three thousand two hund red i'm
the private schools. The public schools are
maintained ma inly out Of the city treasury there
being paid for their support an annual sum vary
ing from twenty to twenty five thousond dollars
The committee find a healthful state Of public
sentiment in the city on the subject of education;
many of the largest property holders not only
consenting to but urging additional special
tax for school purposes. The assessed value of
property in the city is fraction over twenty-sx
millions Of dollars, yielding a revenue, accord
ing to the present rate of TAXATION of one hundred
and ninetyfve thousand dollars about nine per
cent Of which is appropriated to the support of
pubic schools The city has permanent school
fund invested which yields three thousand dol
lars per annum, and tue pOll-tax, amounting to
about five thousand five hundred dollars an
nually, goes also into the school fund tits now
proposed to levy an additional tax OF ten cents in
the bundled dollars for the special purpose of
aiding the schools. This will raise per annum
about twenty-six thousand dOlas, which added
to the present sum paid, will he equal say TO
fifty thousand dollars year. If the CITY was
well supplied with school houses this sum would
60 very far towards meeting the desired object
of placing school within the reach of every
child in the city; but there is, unfortunately a
great deficiency in school accommodations.
II expedient for Congress to pass act surren-
dering to the school fund Of the city the fines and
foTfeitures in the District Courts and hereafter
to be collected until the sum shall reach fifty
thousand dollars; the money to be applied to
the erection OF permanent chool houses The
ndes and forfetures vary in amount per annum
accoid ding to the number and magnitude of Of
fences against the criminal laws. In the wears
$50 and l-51 the total of foTfeituTes was 50 J 80
and Of fines 81 552 50. fthese sums only 81 All
apP.ar 10 have been collected. BY surrendering
lS to fl1r ~ H. 4.
ated an additional incentive to more rigid collec-
tons in future, and thus the double benefit of
aiding the schools and Furnishing the Offenders
with more certainty will be obtained In addi-
ton 10 this the committee propose annual ap-
preparation from the national treasury Of twenty
thousand dollars for five yeas, OH the condition
that the citizsns submit to the tax above alluded
10 that Is, tax of about 81 600 ia the aggre-
gate for the special purposes ofthe public schools
and this 10 be in addition to the sums now paid
by them. Thus the Government will pay for a
limited time about one part and the citizens two
parts OF the expense of keeping up the public
schools and ii is hop, d that with this aid these
schools In five years, will be put such solid
foundation that they can be sustained without a:d
from the Government
NIro VIrI's SALE.-This evening" at r.
m, Vito Viii holds his annual auction sale of
works of art-statuary, French china, Bohe-
milan glass ware, &c.-at the hall Of the Acad
envy OF Music, corner of Pennsylvania avenue
(north side) and Eleventh street. We notice
the fact thus prominently, because the former
sales of this gentleman here have done much
to improve and expand the taste not only Of
this community, but of the country at large,
for genuine works of art. He imports from
Europe vases, statuary, &c, principally the
work Of living artists ranging in price and
val fynyn Al Al
poorest, to such as can be reasonably purchased
only by the very wealthy. Nearly oil among
US who appreciate the enjoyment legitimately
derivable from the contemplation of exquisite
sculpture, moulding, or cOloring, have already
possessed themselves Of something of the tempt
ing collections be has brought among US As
bis catalogue for the sale to- night embraces a
larger and really more exquisite collection Of
articles in his line than were ever before brought
to the Federal Metropolis, we advise not only
fE