Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-12-23
REVENUE FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES.

Senator Larkin, of FL Dorado, the hold-over
Senator from that county, has introduced a res
ol ution into the upper branch of the Legislature
which will, if it be followed to successful con-
clusion, revolutionize present system of rails
ing revenue to sustain the common schools and
throw the burden Of their support upon the
wealth of the State where it should properly
rest. The resolution, which proposes that the
Committee Education shall prepare bill,
providing for the maintenance of schools in the
different school districts during eight months in
ea ch year, to be supported by State tax for
that purpose, leaving such county and district
taxes as may be collected to be devoted exclu-
ly to the building and repairing of school-houses
and purposes of like nature, was referred to
the Committee education. This Committee
consists of Messrs. Tuttle, Pendegast, Gwin,
Perkins and Finney and, if we not in error
in our judgment of these gentlemen, the commit
tee will undoubtedly, recommend the passage of
some designed to carry out the spirit of
the resolution.
Il, as is generally assumed, education is one
of the strongest safeguards against crime, then
it follows that the possessors of wealth should,
as such, seek to avail themselves of this securi-
ty. In protection to life and person all men are
equally interested, but in the protection of prop
erty, none, of course, have so much at stake as
its possessors, who but consulting their own
best interests when they disburse a portion Of
their wealth the more effectually to secure to
themselves the remainder. 1t is upon this fund
amental principle that government is based-that
a community can delegate to some of its mem
bers certain powers for mutual protection in
return for which, the trustees or these powers
are paid from the combined wealth of the com
munity, each paying in proportion to the pro-
lection he has received. IT, then, education
is deemed a safeguard to the rights of property,
those who are its possessors should be willing to
pay for the ben efts realized, and in so doing,
strengthen this safeguard in every manner. The
child will in time become the citizen of the
State well as Of the particular locality in
which he may reside while growing to manhood
hence it follows that education, to be an effect
i've auxiliary to the law, should be universal,
and extended to all classes of society and to all
localities alike. This only be done under
State protection and maintenance, by which the
aggregate wealth of the State shall be the
source TO which its educational interests shall
look for support In those sections where popu-
lation and wealth are constantly increasing, it is
never a difficult problem to secure financial aid
to any end which promises to rebound to the
public welfare. When, however, population is
at a standstill or exhibiting slow but constant
decrease, while the assessment roll shows di-
minishing total of the wealth of a county year
by year, the weight of taxation for any given
purpose, which seemed light when distributed
over large amount of property, becomes oner-
Gus when the same, or a larger amount is levied
upon the small assessment which remains. 1t
is the misfortune of property owners in a county
like our own that, not only they affected by
the loss Of such property as is taken from the
county from one year to another, thus causing
an increased per cent. TO be levied upon that
which remains but the removal of personal
property, or even a decrease of population dimin-
ishes the value of real estate and its improve
ments. In other than mining counties, real es-
tate shows increased value with successive years
Again, those who leave the mining sections to
locate permanently in some other part of the
State, are generally men of better means than
those who remain-many of whom are compelled
to stay, when theirinclinations lead them to seek
a change of locality. Their children are as wor-
thy of education as those of more favored men,
yet it will be next to impossible for them to re-
ceive the eight months schooling required by
law, under the system by which the common
schools of the State are at present maintained.
In some of the school districts of this county,
the special tax levied by law to support the eight
months term, reached as high as one and one
half per cent, on each one hundred dollars
valuation. This, when added to the levy
already made for State and county purpo ses
becomes such a charge upon the resources we
have left, that it can have but the one effect-to
drive from among us such capital as still re-
mains.
The theory advanced in Senator Larkins reso-
! lution-that the State should assume.the educa-
ton of all her children is noble one, worthy
of the most serious attention of our law-mak-
ers. That some measure, in accordance with
the spirit of this theory, will be passed at the
psesent session we have sanguine expectations
The Republicans of this State are pledged by
their platform to compulsory education, and the
first step towards attaining that end will be to
place the means of education within the reach
of every child in the State. AS the principle
shadowed forth in Mr. Larkin's resolution is a
correct and just one we hope to it receive
the support of our delegation in both Houses.
| An IMPUDENT TRICK.-A Pttsburg paper gives
the following: funny story is told of Rudi-
ger one the parties sent to iail to await trial for