The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-01-14

bly, expect in view Or change from system
With which they Mese familiar, 70 one materially
EdiMerent In it, sentiel f>etgrea Objecticrl
II have been maSe % crme NJ ito psDvisiohs btt
n the main, Mappeart 70 I've lfsen se1isfae
I ton. 0 III III o. M
/ The Board II their rsce,sf scssic1 held ID re
ccmber Of last year, made variety Of amend
ments, which they believe viii remove all valit
objections
| Under the provisions Of the Constitution, I'll
laws parsed BY the Board or Education are sub
7 ject to alteration, amendment or repeal BY tht
General Assembly. The law a. amended win b.
laid before you for your consideration and II il
earnestly hoped that You will only make such ad
ditionssto Il a. you may deem essentiall, necessa
n to give Il vitality, without materially changing
it, provisions.
! Repeated and radical changes Iii our school
laws, though sometimes necessary, are always at
| tended with temporary inconvenience and
frequently with serious injury, and hence il
il particularly DESTROYS to avoid them unless
they are indispensable to the prosperity Of our
schools
Popular education is one Of the most impor-
tant interests Of the State A nucl, greater
number Of the people are personally identified
with its failure or success than any other subject
Of legislation. 1t is scarcely necessary, there
fore, that the utmost precaution should be OBJ.
served ~ anything you may deem it your duty to
40 for the promotion Of this great object; and
in this sentiment am fully persuaded that have
your hearty concurrence. 1t il all important
that the school laws should be considered and
acted upon definitely and finally at all early day
OF the session, in order that they may be publish
ed and distributed in time for the school district
elections IN the Spring. Their circulation in
pamphlet form should not be restricted to school
omcers, but should be sent broadcast among the
people, IN order that they may become familiar
with their provisions At least every lead Of a
family should be supplied with copy. We have
over one hundred thousand voters who are inter-
ested IN our school district meetings. and to en-
able them to become familiar with their duties
and obligations, the school laws should be circu-
lated exclusively among them.
The subject Of disseminating the Board Of Edu-
cation has been discussed by some of our public
Journals. While much regret the unfortunate
position in which We are placed by the education
Al provisions of our constitution / should Sc
riousiy question the expediency of such measure
at present. The Board have underworld faith
fully to perform the responsible duties imposed
upon them, but at nearly every step they have
been trammeled by constitutional restrictions
ana hence their legislation has not been such as
II would have been if they had been clothed with
full and exclusive authority to enact all laws for
the government and support of our common
schools.
But it should be remembered also that they
possess, under the constitution the sole power to
originate all laws exclusively educational in their
character.
The constitution provides that the General As
semhly shall bave power to abolish or reorganize
the Board Of Education at any time after the
year 1868, and as another session Of the General
Assembly will transpre before that time any leg
lslation on the subject at present would certainly
be unwise and premature, and would probably
render our whole educational system still more
complicated than before.
FIVE PER CENT FUND-Our admission into the
Federal Union tlanspired in the fall of 1916 At
this time there were very few outstanding militia
~ land warrants. A part or the compact of adj
mission was, that in consideration The govern
ment lands should not be taxed BY US the State
should receive per cent. upon the net sales Of
the lands within her chartered limits Upon the
cash sales We are and have been receiving this
iand but upon all entries made with military
land warrants, the i've per cent. is denied us up-
pom the ground that such entries are mere houn-
ties, and not sales. In February, lS47, three or
four months after our admission into the Union.
congress passed al act o.iorins one quarter see
ton Of land to every private, musician and non
commissioned officer who would enter and serve
a certain given time in the Mexican war The war
closed about the time our best lands were being
brought into market; vast numbers Of these
were issued and were located in this
state, absorbing large proportion Of our best
ands As they formed art of the contract OF
enlistment, they could not have been withheld br
the government without an act Of bad faith, not
70, however, if they were in fact only bounties
But they we're issued in discharge Of consi,leFa-
lion that had been given in the form of military
services, and their subsequent redemption In
and, constituted sale IN tue sense OF the law AZ
we'll as the compact. Suci, is the opinion Of tc
oest jurists in the country have appealed In
'ain to the Secretary OF the Interior for t,c
payment OF the 5 per cent upon these warrants.
NAT now approximate to million of dollar -
IN gong to Washington to institute suit in tie /
curt OF claims, as Twas directed to do b. Joint
esolution adopted at your last General Assem- /
,ly, was strongly dissnadcd from doing SO. for /
he reason that it would be useless expenditure /
y moRey-that the decision OF that court settled /
lothing-that they were d ~ equivalent to re- |
,ort made by COMMITTEES OF either House of /
congress, and were as frequently oveITuled-that
he relief after all must come through Congress.
unjust as is the compartment Of this
urd for the reason assigned Iowa is not the on
party complaining. Other Western States
tand IN the same category, but not SO largely
Implicated. They propose abide their time till
tier the next federal census and apporti 1nment
Ehieh will give the West some IS or 20 additioui
Representatives. My opinion is that we had
etter do the same thing
The payment OF this fund is not q mere favor
hlch we are asking Of the General Government,
mt snbsisting legal right which could be en-
'rced in a court Of justice were there atribu-
al OF this kind clothed with a requisite iurisaic
on.
SCHOOL FUND AND LANDS.
me agents employed to investigate tire affairs
the different School Fuad Commissioners in
le State, found many irlt gularities and abuses
the official discharge Of their duties, and III the
'unties OF Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clarke, De-
ltur, fayette, Jones, Madison sItcli H. Story
ID Wapello, they discovered deialcat ans TO al ,
mount exceeding $4,000. Their reports, how
'er, n some instances, wire not entirely clear
ID satisfactory, and probably may have done |
me OF the officers injustice. The law makes it /,
e duty OF County Judges in all such cases to | ]
ing the matter to the notice Of the District At /,
iney tor the purpose Of institlting legal pro- !
edinss. | am OF the opinion that the interest | !,
the State School Fund would be better sub
rived by authorizing the Auditor of the State | +,
the Secretary OF the Board Of Educa lion (Col.
.ntonl to re-investigate the accounts of the
hooi Fund Commissioners in the counties men.
/ b
rtainty the real facts in each case: This being !,
ne to clothe such officer with full power to ar !
nge amicahly with the defaulting Commission !.
the amount found to be due, BY allowing time i
q good security. II he should fail /, this :,
en- 70 supply the District Attorney with such !.
tement Of facts, that he may proceed with !
ety, and less liability to involve the state il !
=. Indeed, It would be well TO invest some
leer with full discretionary power to settle ali !
n cases in the method that will, with The least !
pense, protect the State against loss. \
had the honor, at your last regular session. !,
communicate to your respective bodies. the !,
nds and abuses alleged to have been practiced i
Iama County in the sale of the l6tl section i
law required that the land should l., offered i
public sales three different times. sS months \
more apart, before they shall be subject ID !,
vate entry. In January, 1857, 5000 acres i
re offered at public sale in said county. fbeng :,
first and only time they were 50 ofIered ana !,
up 70 high figure BY fictitious bidders. as !,
charge was made, TO prevent actual settlers r
N becoming purchasers. After the sale these :
ders privately forfeited their bids-after which &
parties for whom they acted, purchased he /,
ie q private entry at the appraised value !,
re0f. lit this was trna tha gaf.. | -