Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1871-04-06
Free Schools.
For the Herald and Tribune

FOR the Herald and Tribune.
MEssTs EDITORS Il should like to
have a place in your valuable paper, L say
valuable, because it imparts more use
BILE information to the people than any
paper in East Tennessee, Except perhaps
the Knoxville Chronicle.)
1t is especially important to the people
of East Tennessee on account of its open
and manly defence of a Free School Sys-
TEN, and on account of its effort to disa-
buse the minds of the common people in
regard to the county tax for the purpose
of carrying out a system of free schools in
u County. Although the vote has been
taken in a few districts and unfortunate
ly defeated, [ hope you will not become
discouraged, or abandon the great Re-
publican principles of universal education
one of the great cardinal principles upon
which rests the success of the Republican
party in the future but, outside of all
this, the acquisition of useful knowledge
is a prime object of life, and universal edu-
cation gives to every one-the poor. as
we'll as the rich mans son an equal chance
in the race of life. This IS the very thing
to which the wealthier class object, be-
cause they do not like to see the sons and
daughters of their poor neighbors put on
equality with their own, knowing as they
do that the poor ragged boy of obscure
parantage, when educated, generally makes
his mark in the world. The history of
our country especially, is clear on
this point. Many of the great men IF the
nation were once poor boys who struggled
long and hard for even the rudiments Of
an education.
Many have been misled into a belief
that the tax for school purposes would op-
press them. Poor men were told that the
fowls in their yards and every dollars
worth of property would be taxed; now
this is all false, for any one who owns
one thousand dollars worth of property,
provided nothing be exempt from taxa
ton, pays two dollars and fifty cents. But
one thousand dollars worth Of property is
exempt so that it is clear to any fair minded
man one third of our citizens in the coun-
ty would pay no tax at all, but be greatly
benefited by the schools. Some say let
every man pay for his own children, but l
say let the property in the county educate
the children who cannot help h poverty of
their parents. Others say let us wait and
have a State System. How will that re-
lieve you from taxation? Where does
the State get the money to carry on free
schools? Is the money not as safe in the
county as at Nashville? Let the expert
ence of the past s
Here is a man with five children to ed
ucate. 1t will cost him from 81 to 50 90
per month. At 81 90 per child it will
cost him $50 90 for ten months. At 81 90
per child. 500. OF course we cannot ed
ucate our children at these rates. We are
not able. But suppose the same man pays
school tax on three thousand dollars, it
will amount to 81 80 at the rate of 81
mills on the dollar. With this p mills
tax a fund of about ten thousand dol
lars would be raised in the county. Now
this added to the Peabody Fund which
we might draw would give US at least
twelve thousand dollars-a fund sufficient
to carry on schools in every district eight
months in the year, Why not pay 81 80
instead of $40 to so? This is the whole
school system in a nut shell.
l know, at least 1 feel sure, that every
man, and more especially, the man in
humble circumstances, if he wishes to ad-
vance the interest Of his own children,
will, after a calm and thoughtful consider
alton of the matter, vote a school tax, when
it is presented again. Any who may judge
the almighty dollar above the education
of their children will oppose a school tax
under whatever form it may be presented.
A CITIZEN.