Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1864-01-30

There is no subject of local policy in which citi-
zens should feel deeper interest than in the
Common School system of the State 1t is on
ly in the past few years that the matter has be-
come one of Importance. While the population
consisted in the main of only single men, or of
men whose families remained in the Eastern
States, while the husband and father went forth
to seek fortune on the Pacific shore, with no
thought but that of getting back again as quick
as possible, there not the same necessity of
any very extended system of education. But
now that our population is of more permanent
character. and each mountain village contains
its fast growing army of little ones steps should
be taken to secure for each county system of
Free Schools that will reflect honor upon our
people.
No system of education can be successful which
one or two terms in each year, many of the sub
jects of study which familiar to the mind
of the child at the close of the term are forgot
ten during the long vacation, and have to be
| studied anew To overcome this difficulty which
arises solely from the limited means in the hands
of the school officers, and the necessary expense
of securing competent teachers, the Board of Su
pervisors should at the next meeting apportion
the taxes in the different funds, and decide upon
the ratio of taxation for the next fiscal year,
placing the amount assessed for school purposes
at the highest limit of the law. Under the School
| Act of 1860, power given to the different
counties of the State to levy tax for School
| oil ~ ny.
coed twenty-five cents on each one hunded dol
lars valuation. For the last two years the amount
levied for educational purposes has been twenty
cents on each one hundred dollars, and the
amount which should have accrued from this
source in Trinity county during the fiscal year of
l962-'G3 was twenty-five hundred and thirty-one
dollars, of which, however, about fifteen per
cent was returned as delinquent. For the ifs
cal year of ls63-'64 the amount returned is ST.
49, of which, also, portion is not yet paid
The great difference between the two years is
owing in a measure to the depreciation of prop
ertv Surprising the assessment roll TO show the
valuation for the next fiscal year that it does for
the past, with the remaining five per cent. added
to the present levy there would be received about
1870 Add this to the amount already collected,
and W It'll the aid of a very small pro rata tax.
schools could be kept open in the larger districts
for another term in each year.
The State Superintendent of Public Instruc-
ton, in his annual report recommends that tax
of five mills each hundred dollars valua-
ton be levied the incoming fiscal year to provide
State School Fund. Numerous petitions have
been sent to the Legislature in favor of such
measure, Hnd hope it will become law.
There are but few if any who would be found
in opposition to measure intended to forward
the interests of education. Certainly not among
property holders, upon whom the burthen would
fall, could we look for opposition to the measure.
1t would be a suicidal olicy the would prove
"penny wise and pound foolish in the end Ed
ucation is the greatest foe that crime can have
ignorance and vice go hand in hand. 1t is to
the perfect system of Free Schools with which
many of our Eastern States arc blessed that has
paced us in a National point of view. far
ahead. in general education, of those nations
where such system has been adopted On
the Pacific coast we have not the advantages de-
rived from the General Government which bid
fair to establish in time a system in the newly
settled States of the West that will be unsur-
passed. The grants of land for School purposes
arc not as available as there in many cases the
lands specified for that purpose fall upon min
eral districts old Mexican grants 1t there
fore depends upon ourselves to tax such pre-
liminary steps will in the end make our svs-
tenn of education one that will reflect honor upon
ourselves, and confer lasting benefit on those
for whose interest it will be established
Where schools are kept but for one or at most
two terms in year many of the advantages not
only in an educational, but in other points of
view, are lost. Take for instance the Weaver
vile District. There one hundred and eigh-
ty-ninc children between the ages of four and
eighteen years, as appears by the last report of
the School Marshal, but school has been kept
open for only two terms the past year. The tax
able property of the county has decreased over
thirty per cent, while the number of children
within the ages prescribed by law has increased
largely and with each year may look for this
class to increase rather than diminish
We should then, in view of the advantages of
education which the School system has afforded
ourselves, seek to extend the same to the little
ones around us. The trihing amount necessari-
ly incurred should not be thought of for each
dollar paid for education ten will be saved for
courts and crimes. We trust that our citizens
will give the matter their earnest consideration
and take measures ACCORDINGLY
CALIFORNIA; Drunken SENAToR-A citizen
,l.