The Placer herald., 1861-03-16
School Land Fund.


On Wednesday, the Assembly, by vote
of 81 to l6 passed bill to consolidate the
Schoo! moneys arising from the sale of the
sixteenth and thr,y.sixth sections, into a
general State school fund, and we are sur
prised to notice that many of the members
of the mining counties voted for the mea-
sure. For years the larger cities Of the State
have been endeavoring to accomplish the
passage Of such BILL and the State Superin-
tendent has exer.ed his entire influence to the
same purpose. judging from the vote in the
House, there is reason to suppose like sue
cess will be obtained in the Senate, and the
bill become law by which magnificent
donation from the General Government is
diverted from its original purpose, and a
burning wrong and outrage is perpetra'ed ed
upon the sparsely settled districts Of the
State.
Unfortunately many of the people of Cal.
ifornia are Indifferent as to the disposition of
these School moneys, or are misinformed
upon the subject, and in fact are playing into
the hands of those who are seeking, without
right, to grasp the benefits to be derived
from the sales Of these lands.
We suppose every one knows that Con
gressional Township is six miles square,
Well, Congress in its lberalily, has granted
the sixteenth and thirty sixth sections, (l2SO
acres) of each of these townships in the State
of California to the townships for the pur
pose of maintaining schools therein. This
was for the purpose Of living thinly settled
districts of the State, tie wherewithal to
maintain their schools, and give the chill
dren an opportunity to obtain the advanta
ces Of Common School education. If for
any reason these sections cannot I've sold
they being occupied previous to the United
States SURVEYS, or are mineral sections-pro-
vision is made for the selection of an equiv
alent amount of land elsewhere; and bv An
existing law of the Stae these lands can be
sold, and the interest arising from the sale
is devoted to the support Of the schools. In
this manner the School Fund Of each Con-
gressiona Township is made distinct; and
the sections in the townships not get settled
would remain unsod, until 10y settlement the
land would he made valuable and bring a
price that would create good fund for the
Township. If in mining district these SEC
tions should embrac. mineral lands that can
not lie sold, the people have the right to Sc,
lect other land TO the same amount, and by
their safe create fund for their schools.
San Francisco, Sacramento, and other
cities, with large populations and great
wealth, are entitled to no more than these
two sections id each Congressional Town
ship they may happen to be situated in; but
desiring to avoid the plain intent of the act
of Congress, they combine to procure the
passage ola law by which these lands shall
all be sold, the moneys consolidated in a
general fund. and the interest arising from
the sale distributed pro rata among all the
children of the State, and thus build up
schools in the cities, where they are more
easily and cheaply maintained, at the expense
of the schools in the ,hinly populated dis
tricts, where of necessity they are more ex
pensive And unfortunately for many of
the mining and agricultural counties their
legislators catch at the bait thus set for them
and are made the instruments of perpetra;ing
a great injustice upon the present and future
of their districts.
We have constantly entered our protest,
from year to year, against the passage of
such law, and time has but strengthened
our convictions Of its wrongiulness. And the
fear that, sooner or later, the Legislature
would sweep this bequest away from them,
has caused the people of a number of town
ships in Placer county to have the lands sold
in the manner now provided by law. The
bill now pending proposes to grab even the
moneys Of lands sold, but we suppose those
who are entitled to the rights they acquired
under the old law will contest the point.
1t is within The power of the Senate to yet
remedy the blunder of the Assembly, by Kill
ling this grab bil"-and they would be en-
titled to the thanks of three fourths of the
people Of the State if they will so decide.
WAGON ROAD TO WAsnoE.-The advan
!ages of Wagon road to Wa>hoe, over the
Dutch Flat divide, are so apparent, that no
argum ent is necessary TO demonstrate it. A
glance at the map shows that the most di
rect route from Sacramento to Virginia is
by this route, and so well apprised of these
facts are the people Of Dutch Flat that they
intend to spare no effort, during the coming
summer, to put the road tn ough. A com
pany organized by a number of our most
enterprizing citizens, has been in existence
for several months, and as soon as the sea