The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-03-31
InennnIIty of school Taxation.


'''""i -
inequality of School Taxation.
The collection Of the taxes by which
the schools of the State are. supported,
being under the grand levy, and the dis
tribution to the several counties being in
to the number of youth in
each, it follows that some counties receive
more, and others consider
ably less than they contribute. Hamil-
ton County, for instance, pays about
100000 per annum more than she real
ICES out of the common fund-a burden
which, upon any sound principle, is un-
Just and indefcnsiblc. Attempts have
been made in the Legislature to remedy
this inequality, but without success. The
number of receiving counties and dis,
tricts is larger than the number Of paying
ones and interest, which too often OBJ
scures the sense Of right with legislators,
runs the other way. The contributions
of this county have been, up to this time,
about S350,000-a handsome sum of
money, for which, 50 far as appears, no
value has been returned.
During the present session, an attempt
has been made to rectify this irregularity,
by provision that the moneys received
from taxation for school purposes, shall
be expended in the counties where it is
raised, but without success. Men will
vote to keep law upon the statuto-book
which they dare not vote to place there ;
and false measure, rooted in interest, is
exceedingly difficult to eradicate. 1t GER
tainly is not difficult to see the injustice
Of the case Several counties Of the State
actually receive more from the school
fund than they pay into the treasury for
all purposes; as Monroe, 81, ,262; Athens,
s273; Fulton, 81, 40; Henry, 1904. These
things are forcibly set forth in the minor
ity report Of Mr.. WRIGHT, of Hamilton
County, in the House of Representatives,
from the Committee on Common Schools
and which deserves to be read and ex-
tensively circulated.
/. 1t is this general levy and distribu
ton which necessitates Il State organiza
ton of the school system, without which
it would be unnecessary. Our schOo
officers, and consequently school teachers
have favored the present plan, and en-
deGvored to find reason to do away will
its apparent injustice. Mr.. BARNEY, lat
Superintendent, in his report for the yea
1854, is quite elaborate and quite eloquen
upon the subject Giving list of thos
counties which contributed less, and thos
which contribute more than they receive
/ he says:
ut is not proposed to extenuate thcs
iacts-on the contrary, the foregoin
figures are presented as the best con
mentary upon the wisdom and magnanin
ity of the rule recently adopted. Wha
citizen of the wealthy counties last enr
merated will begrudge the aid thereb
extended to districts of the State les
favored by situation, means of commun
cation or by natural features Of the cour
try?'
To notions like these, it is sufficient
reply that government is an instrumer
whose legitimate business is to do iustic
not charity-to be right, not liberal
the superintendent had been addressir
crowd of wealthy citizens in aid of son
phiIanthropic scheme to be carried on /
voluntary donation, this would be we
enough; but no man who remembers tn,
it is labor which pays the taxes-that I'll
dollars which make the treasury SO ric
and officers so liberal and expansive ult
mately come by way of the work of har
hands and the contraction Of sweat
brows-will ever present such an arg
nent. The sixty odd thousand dollal
which Hamilton County annually pays
school the children of Monroe, and AtheI
and Fulton, and Washington and Morga
and other counties, is the product Of labC
at anvils and benches, in shops and fou
dries and factories, not Il drop taken hel
and there from the surplus Of wealth
gentlemen, and all unlelt and unregarde
Let those to whom it falls to cxpcnd the
revenues, trace them back to the pla'
where the minute rivuletS Of which Il
magnificent aggregate is formed, begin
the sinews Of the poor, and rememb
that, in consideration of their origin,
for no other reason, they should be sacrc
from theft, sacred from squanderin
sacred from misapplication.
'Hr,. nb.,. St,ko ,s, c,11