The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-01-23

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require thet similar solutions bs establish.
ed here. 4 we mnst have paper currency,
il is infinitely better that il should be issued
and secured and redeemed at home, upde,
our own laws, than that it should b issued
under laws of which " are ignorant, and
controlled By men with whom " have "a
community OF Interest. 1, " - - z',.F
The Cpnstitution authorizes the General
Assembly TO establish, With the subsequent
approval Of the people: .ssst
]. "A State Bank with branches, TO be
founded upon an actual specie basis, and the
branches to be mutually liable for each 9TH
er's issues. .5. ,s9.s s. s4
2. a general free banking law With the
restrictions and limitations imposed BY Art.
8, Sec Of the Constitution. q -
In acting upon this subject, II win doubt.
less be ever borne in mind by the General
Assembly, that banks are to bs established
to secure the pubic ueltdrs, and not to pro-
mote the purposes Of stockholders and cap
italists; Ind that il i far better that banks
should realise, small profits, than that the
public should be liable to injury BY their
suspension or failure. ~ .E III II
COMMON SCHOOLS. ,ss-.aSfs
The system Of commen school Organise
ton contemplated BY the new Constitution,
will, no doubt, result to the advantage Of
! the State, il fully and properly carried into
execution. Under this system, the members
Of the board Of education are to be elected
in the several judicial districts Of the State.
It 10 to be presumed that they will be selected
on account, of their peculiar fitness for the
positions they are to occupy. They will
bring to the board their experience AZ edu-
cationists, and they will be able to represent
the true condition and wants of every part
Of the State. They will stimulate the zeal of
the people in their several districts in behalf
tof edacation;-they will instruct the subor-
[dinate school officers in the discharge of
their duties, and thus. secure the uniform
execution Of the school laws throughout the
commonwealth. = e., y,Eges. q gs,, r,..,,,,,,.
II would be very desirable that the mem.
bers Of the board Of education should have
general supervision of the acts Of the
county school fund commissioners, with
authority to require additional or new Official
bonds when deemed necessary, and with
power Of substitution in cases Of mnlfeasance
or incompetency on the part of the incum.
bents. The fact il notorious, that many of
the school fund commissioners lack the cler-
ical ability to properly discharge the duties
Of their olice. The affairs Of some of these
Offices are in almost inextricable confusion,
and reform must be effected in their man
agement or considerable loss will be sus-
tanned BY the State. al .,.ysst v..- w.
.,,,..-.....-,.,. SCHOOL FUND. ID. 9 q. s-.-. o. -
In compliance with the provisions Of an
act entitled San act concerning school mon
ies," approved January 2Sth, 1857, l ap-
pointed agents to examine "the books ,vouch-
ers, securities and other documents" of sew
eral of the county school fund commission
ers, selecting for the most part, those Offices
to be examined where it had been reported
that the business had been loosely done, or
where the officer had charge of the proceeds
grant, )" as well ~ of the sssixteenth section
grant" The reports show that in amajor-
ity of cases the books were tolerably well
kept, and that there is NO immediate danger
of loss, though there 10 suspended debt in
nearly every county. In some counties, how
ever, the fund commissioners have accepted
as security for money lent, mortgages upon
land not within the county, and in some in
stances upon ideal tracts Of land. In many
instances, mortgages are improperly drawn
and acknowledged, and in some cases they
stand as the second or third encumbrances.
Some of the commissioners accepted the re-
cords and papers belonging to their Office
from their predecessors, without inquiring
into their character or correctness, and such
is the confusion Of the records, and so lim-
tied is the knowledge of these officers of ac-
counts and titles, that it is impossible for
them to render an intelligible report Of the
conditions of the school lands and monies
under their control. The agents were, in
some counties, compelled to make complete
abstracts of title to all lands in the county
that had originally been school lands, in Or
der to ascertain what tracts had been sold
and what remained unsold. IL the members
of the board of education are required by
law to make annually thorough personal
examination of each school fund commits
sioner's transactions, uniform system of
doing business will, in little time be es-
tablished, and the school fund will be pre-
served. -rrsE 71 al .'Hn:H r.. r-."- -
An agent was also appointed to examine
into the pretended loans of school monies
made by the late Superintendent of Public
secure a. far q possible, the future payment
L.
Fort Madison, has been indefatigable in his
efforts in this behalf, and has succeeded in
securing q large amount of doubtful indebt-
edness. The exact condition of these trans
actions Of the late Superintendent, will be
learned from the report Of the agent, which
herewith transmit for your consideration.
It will be observed that the deficit will prob
ably amount to forty six thousand four hun
dred aud three-eighiy one hundredth dollars,
for the payment of which recourse must be
had to the Official bonds Of Mr.. Eads. 1"F
SCHOOL LAWS. f~sn9v-l at "A
I again call your attention to the revision
Of the school laws Of the State, as prepared
and submitted to the last General Assembly
BY Messrs. Horace Mann and Amos Dean.
1t can safely be said, that the general pro-
visions Of that report met the approval of
the friends of education in the State. In
deed, the report was acceptable to large
majority Of the members Of the last General
Assembly; but failed to be enacted into a
law for reasons not connected with the mer-
its Of the report itself. The obstacles then
in the way OF its adoption have since been
removed BY the adoption Of the new Consti-
tuition, and know no reason why it should
not now be considered and enacted into
law. a' 4't"a q f'''
! l cannot forbear repeating the opinion
expressed to the General Assembly three
years ago, ''that the public schools should
be supported by the taxation of property,
and that the present rate system, or per cap
itd tax upon scholars, should be abolished"
l have seen no reason to change my opinion
on this subject, but, on the contrary, l have
been every day more and more strengthened
in the conviction that it is the only wise and
polite method Of educating the people. The
pct capita system il based upon the idea
that education is a personal benefit for which
those who receive it should pay, whilst the
true theory Of popular education il that it