The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-12

&u. 1900.
The grammar school question has
been suthciently ventilated. The Bill
In this particular, merely provides that
the schools OF the District shall remain
organized as they are.
And now in regard to the fifth point
of objection, 1 desire to add a remark
or two to what has already been so we'll
said by ' A. b. C." Section 11th of the
Bill, as IL was framed, provided that
| the Board should have no power to
borrow momey.-Mr Pratt, member
from Centre township, suggested that
1t would be necessary for the Board to
have this power for limited period OF
time in order to make provision to meet
outstanding obligations as they ma
ture, since no provision can in time, be
made to meet said obligations by taxa
tion. The Board, somewhat he8itating-
| Iy agreed that authority to borrow
money might be extended for two wears,
and that only for the purpose OF meet.
ing liabilities already incurred. The
present Liabilities for money borrowed
| amount to $1,000. And to meet the
outstanding notes for this amount,
would the Board be authorized to bor-
/ row, should this law 20 into effect, and
nothing beyond. But let us INQUIRE
what fare The powers of the Board in
this particular under the existing law.
If bound by the act OF 1868, as ono legal
1
the valuation of the property OF the
district to be seven millions OF dollars,
| the Board might borrow on the credit
OF the building fund, the sum OF
$4,000, just the amount which has
been been elready borrowed; The loan
must De made upon the credit of
the building fund, but cannot exceed
what the proceeds of said fund for five
years, would be sufficient to liquidate, -
| which, according To the law of '63,
would be as stated, Sl7, 500. Now,
inquire, if this law prevail, what can
De done during the ensuing five years
In this School District of Wheeling. for
building purposes, and in way of I'M
nrovements of school property. TIE
Board can only assess three thousand
hve hundred dollars per annum, for
such purposes, every dollar of which
must apply to the debt; and even then,
the debt would not be Cancelled at the
expiration of said five years, since the
principal alone would cover the entire
| assessment. Hence, If this be the law
for the District, the necessity for revi-
sion Is evident. Suppose, as others
claim, that the law of '65 is applicable
10 this District. Then it is clear that
enty thoussnd dollars, since an assess
ment of twenty cents on the hundred
dollars valuation would give fourteen
thousand per anDum, or seventy thou
sand in five years. But suppose. as
there are still others who claim, that
the State law of '66 is applicable in this
particular, to Wheeling District, then
evidently have the Board power to bor.
row the handsome sum of two hundred
and forty-hve thousand dollars, and to
compel the Taxpayers of the District
to pay it.
1t is not disputed that one of these
acts, so far as relates to taxation for
building nnFnnSRS iS ann1ira 81.
District of Wheeling. There seems to
be difference of opinion among legal
men as TO which does apply. And here
Is one important matter, with regard to
which the Board of Education have
been in a quandary, and which has led
School Law.
A word with regard to the manner by
which the bill now pending before the
Legislature was prepared, may not be
amiss. The subject was referred by
the Board, to a committee of three
with instructions to report. The com
mittee devoted very considerable time
to the subject. They took the State law.
and carefully examined il, section by
section, and separated therefrom such
sections as, in their Judgment, could
reasonably be made to apply to the city
of Wheeling. These were Incorporated
with certain provisions of the Wheel
ing law as it now is. A few new Sec
uons were added, and some of the old
ones modified. The whole were print
ed, and printed copies distributed
among the members of the Board. Nm
merous citizens, who interest them
selves in school matters, were also fur
nished with copies. The very parties
who have led in this opposition, were
fully apprised of what was trans
piring. The papers made fire.
quSnt mention of it. The COM
met frequently during "a number of
weeks, and discussed the whole sub
ject, section by section. Several sec
lions were modified, one rejected, and
one or two added. 1t was finally passed
as whole in its modified form, without
a dissenting voice. A manuscript copy
was ordered TO be prepared and pre-
sented to the Legislature. This has
been done. The Bill is now before that
honorable body, and it is presumed
that in response to the wishes of the
friends of education in Wheeling, by
which is meant very large majority
of the citizens, the Bill will be made
the law OF the District.
The foregoing was, in the main, pre-
pared before the publication OF the
"Remonstrance" which appeared in the
1STELLIGESCER of Saturday. The
RefnonstrdHcer against the passage Of
the Bill, have been fully met. I have,
however, something to say with refer
ence to it. And first, charge that it
emanated from, or was prepared by a
legal gentleman of this city, one of the
old school, who has ever been regarded \
as an aVowed enemy of public schools.
This would be evident from the pro-
duction itself, were there no
other evidence of tie fact The
marks OF the beast" are all over it.
All his positions are intended to bear
quite as heavily against the present
school law OF the city, the State school
law, and all systems of public instruc-
tion everywhere, as against the Bill
now pending before the Legislature.
may further remark that the author of
the production is one of the original
thirty, or thePeabouts, who, under the
old law of Virginia, voted against the
establishment OF system of public
schools In Ohio county. When men
who claim to be friends of free schools,
thus join hands with one who is their
avowed enemy, in a bold and desperate
attempt to check the progress of Edu-
cation, not only here in the city of
republic of West Virginia and else
where, we may well question their
fidelity to the cause for which they
profess friendship. YERTTAs.
ETrdtd.-In ruy article of Saturday
am made to say that under the old
system, the pupils OF the I'd Ward
school Were ''at all times" required to
pay tuition. The word tIall" was not
in the manuscript. Again am made
to use the expression 'Efactitious idea -
1t should read "felicitous idea."
YERTTAs.
DR- ATKINSON, President of Hamp-
den and Sydney College, Virginia, is
vigorously combating the position
taken by the late Southern Presbyteri-
an Assembly, in relation 10 the blacks.
The Assembly sends forth an opinion