The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-09

the fallacy of the arguments employed
in its support have, trust, been s1ffi-
GENTLY ventilated; The subject of tax.
alton and other points of objection, :"
| so well handled by ga. B. c., may be
discussed in another article.
8 -.i' .7ii.t : p. r. b. vERrrAs.
I Ea gge A AREMONSTRANCE
OF Citizens OF wheeling against the
Passage of the Bill called "A Bill
Relating TO the School DIstrict of
EWheeIinS."
1t is believed, that not one man in a
hundred of our people, ever heard of
this proposed Bill till it was offered in
the Legislature a few DAYS ago, or that
such Law was in contemplation. AS
we understand the fact to be, the Bill
was prepared and submitted by the
Superintendent and School Commits
4 sioners ofthe Wheeling District, chosen
| under Local Law enacted in 1865, The
| proposed Bill grants most extraordina-
ry powers. 1t is thought to be difficult, If
not impossible, to find charter which
gives such large and unrestricted pow
ers over the subject matter of the incor-
poration as this one does. ga TT7Td
By it, the Board of Education of the
Wheeling District is made Body Cor
pprate, with power to purchase, hold,
sell or convey real and personal pro
| perty; and for the purposes of educa-
tiop,, it is given the authority to deal
IN real and personal property, to any
| extent, and the same to manage and
dispose of, as in its opinion, will best
s6bserve the interests of the
Schools. 1t also gives this body
the power to sue, and to do
other corporate acts-not specifying
what corporate acts, and by cOnse-
quence, any act a corporation can do.
And it is not unworthy of observation,
especially when we consider how little
it is subject to control, Limitation or re-
striction-that while this charter ex-
pressly gives this corporation the right
TO sue, it only by implication, if at all,
gives to others the right to SWe it be.
fore the Courts. eAnd by the
Bill, the power is granted 10
this corporation, annually to levy tax
upon the real and personal property in
Wheeling, to the amount of one per
cent on the assessed value thereof
one-half whereof is for the support of
the schools and ordinary repair and in
cidental expenses; and the other half
called dthe"building fund, ,'is for tie pur-
chase of sites and the building of houses
and making permanent improvements;
with the additional authority, on the
part of the board for NO yea1s, to bor-
row. money at pleasure, on the credit of
the building fund. The building fund
will not probably be less than from
forty to fifty thousand dollars annually.
y
ated on the credit of such fund, and
the more especially as the board would
have thelagal power to borrow at any
rate of interest, corporations not being
restricted with us, to six per cent, and
according to what we call the Hemp
field Railroad cases., decided by the
Court of Appeals of West Virginia, and
other reported cases, the tax-payers
being obliged to meet the negotiable
paper of corporations, which are
authorized to borrow, irrespective of re-
strictions to particular funds or mode
of payment prescribed by law.
But lest all this should not supply
enough, by the last clause of the last
section of the Bill, power is given TO the
citizens (and men, women and children
are citizens) to make special addition
al assessment of taxes for school pur-
poses. As the taxable property of
Wheeling District probably amounts to
eight or ten millions, we are, by this
Bill, subjected in all time to come, to
the annual burden of eighty or a hum
dred thousand dollars for the use of the |
public schools, with the further obliEa-
tion to pay all such sums as may be |
borrowed with any rate of interest this |
corporation may contract, and to the |
payment of all special assessments !
which the citizens of our six several |
townships may annually levy on us, by |
way of n a1Special aSsessmentn 1t also !
gives to this body the right to take the |
residence or dwelling house or ground /
of any person in Wheeling, with no
restraint or Limitation except that of |
paying to the owner such sum as a |
commission of three persons may
assess.
This measure is not asked for by the
people of the Wheeling District, but By
part of the School Commissioners and /
the, Superintendent of the Wheeling
District We respectfully urge that
such local Bill ought not to be enter
tained by the Legislature, except upon
plain and explicit notice to the people,
given weeks before the commencement
OF session. This Bill not only gives
to this corporation the power to take
what lots, grounds or residences il NAV
desire, but also the power to build such
houses and to make such Improvements
as to 1t may seem proper. Also, to paw !
to the Wheeling Superintendent and to
the Teachers and Professors such SaLa-
SteS as in its wisdom is proper; also, at
its pleasure, to make rules and regula-
tions for the reception OF scholars and /
of the schools; to prescribe
what shall be taught and what shall
not be taughti to prescribe what books
shall be used, and to buy for the use of
the schools and the teachers such ap-
paratus, stationery, registers, text
books and books of reference as to the
Board may seem proper; and to exclude
y
GUS to health, or detrimental TO the
morals and discipline of the school;
and generally 10 incur all expenses 1leceS
SGyy Ia the opinion of the Board TO make
the system efficient, and all without ap-
peal or other redress, in cases of par
tiality or other wrong judgment.
Section l5 makes it the duty OF the
Board to establish at least one Gram
mar School in each Township, in addi-
tion to one graded Primary School, ,(and
what graded Primary School is, is not
easy to dehne) and with power on the
part of the Board to establish one High
School, in which are TO be taught "aU
branches Of learning the Superintendent
aud the Board may desiglGte." 1t is
palpable that this gives the Board the
power to establish a College or Uniyer-I
sity of the highest kind, under the
name of High School, and 10 employ
such teachers and other officers with
such salaries as they may prescribe, /
and all at our expense with the addi-'
tional provision, that till the High !
School is established, all such higher
branches Of LenT1ling as may be taught
Grammar School; and with the further I.
provision that no child shall have Nhel
benefit of the Grammar School or High I.
School, unless he has JirSt completed the
prescribed course of the Primary School,
and SO denying to the poor others, the
privilege of a particular branch or
study, unless he can take or pursue the
whole; and section I6 declares that all I.
the children, between six and twenty
one years of age, may be educated at
the PHbtic eLpe1lSe, no matter how rich
the child or parent may be-with no
Limitation or restraint .=.s- r.-
We would also ga n atfanfiop IN fha /