Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-12

State and County School Superintend-
snts9 Or has the militia swallowed it ?
I Or worse still has il gone the way Of the
first installment OF 100000 in gold
turned over by orIer Of Gov. IsRAM e.
HARRIS at the close OF the war-has 1t
found a channel through another Ten
nessee National Bank, and "gone no.
body knows where % The Nashville
Uaion and american will tell us in part.
In a receRt article upon the eubject, it
says:
The reportsof the Comptroller show
that during the fiscal years OF 1866, 1867
aud 1865, the taxes levied for school pur-
psses amounted to q little more than
SI600 600. The greater portion of this
has been collected and paid into the
treasury. The set of May "a, 1855, i'm
posed taxes sufficiently high, in the esti-
nation Of those framing il, to raise
money enough TO pay the interest on the
State debt 81 well ~ the ordinary ex-
penses OF the State, and still leave z large
amount for common schools. Accord
ingfy we find this provision in the act
named:
THAT after paying the interest on tbs State
debt proper sEd current expenses OF tie STATE,
The tum OF eight hundred thousand dollars be
appled % common school purposes, Ia add
ton to what is now allowed by law for SAID
purp .ses."
"N0t one dollar of this ]appropri-
stiol Vas ever realized by the
children for whose benefit it was
made. Not a dollar was paid as in
terest on the State debt proper yet slI
that was realised from this tax levy,
Uhieh was regarded SIS exorbitantly high,
was absorbed by the current expenses
of the State About this time the Bank
OF Tennessee was returned With q large
amount of coin, which was, by authority
OF the Legislature, converted into United
States bonds, resIising (t is said)
IN more than S6iS $50, and this was
by act of the Legislature set apart as
3 portion OF the permanent scho ! fund,
tins interest to be applied to school par
poses. Here was y permanent fond Of
+6lS,25O, ard taxes levied for three years
amounting to over 1900, 600 and the
appropriation Of $500, 600, all for school
purposes, showing that there ought to
have been q distribative fund OF neSrly
IS, 600 coo to have commenced oper-
aticns with in 1858. Now, now
much do you suppose. reader, was
paid out for common school purposes
up to the close Of the fiscal veal in
1865. The report Of the Comptroller
SHOWS that there was paid ogs fer this
purpose but little over SIS, 900. Since
then the AK stherers have been busy
with this years taxes, which are being
collected aHd paid into the treasury, enQ
yet every few dsys we hear complaints
taat the treasury IS empty, and that the
teachers cannot be paid. We have
shown by the Comptr0Iler's reports that
n direct levy for school purposes WIS
made in the years 1866, 1867 and 1855,
amounting TO more than 81, 600. 600, and
that the tax for 1865 was laid sufficiently
h'gh, according to the calculations OF the
men VINO were running the State Gov
ernment, to yield $685. 600 for school par
poses, afCer paying inLerest on the debt
and the ordinary expenses OF the State,
sid We have slsO Shown from the Comp
t~roiisT's report that only shout SIS, 600
vas paid out fer schools up 10 the close
OF tbs nscai yesr in 1865. Here We nave
more than s.. 500, 600 sruDg from an inn
pOverished people for school purposes,
and ali OF that large amoult except the
paitry sum Of SIS, 600, has bsen used to
meet the reckless ex-trsysganoes Of the
State Government"
Thus We leETn that more money has
been collected from the people OF Tea-
nessee, for school purposes, in three
years, than was collected from them
IN ten before the war for the
whole expenses of the State Gov
ernment and only the paltry SUM Of
S2S,O 600 hiss found its way to the m@I
tenaDce of our publc school system for
which the carpet 5aggers, negropholists
and ~scslawags pretend 90 much concern,
and Yer which they have raised 30 masy
s2rctimOuious hoTs OF regret at the
want Of enterprise In our peopls to sppre-
ciste its benefits and spread abroad its
benehcenees. They alone have proflted
BY il. We can now see a reason
for the frequent city: and county
meetings OF the friends ~ of edu-
cation in Tennessee" We can now
solve what has heretofore been 8
puzzle, how So much travelling AMI
faast.ug could be INDUCED in, in order
that the young idea might learn how
to shoot. The mysterious bonds Of
WILCOX ami their mysterious dis
appearance, together with the state
ment Of the Comptroller that OF
IS, 100000 only $4,000 have been
iegitimately to the support OF
the public schools tells another story
Of Radical felony and Rnswsrs ell
questions that may be put but this
How was the money spent
and vino spent it? We ask Comptroller
BLAoKBuRNE or School superintendent
EATON to answer.