Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1871-02-11


authorized 10 ascertain the amount
Of indebtedness Of the Penitentlary
incurred under competent anthori
ty, and that the sRmo be funded IL
Elk per cent, spseio bonds. Thes'
arc measures Of Justice 10 our eredi
tors, and will leave our indebted
ness in an ascertsined aud compact
form.
Ihsve remarked that the State
has claims against the United
States. These are grounded as fol
Iowa:
]. Under the act Of Congress oi
twenty eighth February, 1858, "a
supplement TO the compromise
measure Of 1850, nd justing the boun,
Diary between Now Mexico and
Texas, there WAS appropriated 81
$50 900, TO be paid under certain
conditions 20 tho creditors Of Tex
as. or this sum, there remains
about s250, 900, which should come
TO Texas, because the timo allowed
for osentation of claims against il
has expired, and this State has ei'
ther already paid, or is responsible
for, any further demands that might
be presented.
2. Under the acts Of Congress OF
March 3, 1858, and Of Juno 81,
1860, there was appropriated the
sum of sl23,644 81, to reimburse
Texas on account Of Military ser
vices OF volunteers, for protection
of the frontier, paid by tho State.
The accounts and vouchers for these
services are, / understand, on flo
at Washington, and amount to
s167,79S SO. The United States
should justly pay us this latter sum
and interest since 1859, because the
State settled here, by giving to the
parties her obligations bearing ten
per cent. interest, and very large
portion of our above mentioned
present Indebtedness results from
the payment of these very claims
and interest.
These claims against the United
States properly belong to the ordi-
nary revenue fund, and, when real
lied, may be applied in payment of
our Indebtedness and the current
expenses of the State government.
These claims, though based upon
appropriations already made by
Congress, having been so long in
abeyance, ] have thought that fur
ther legislation might be necessary
on the part of Congress to warrant
the officers of the Treasury in pay,
ing us any of them, and according.
ly have requested our senator's and
representatives at Washington to
introduce and urge the passage of
a bill for the purpose.
The public school systcm enact
cd at the last session ofyour body,
has not been put in operation, be-
cause of failure 10 make an appro-
priation therefor. The constitu-
ton having provided that one
fourth of tho ordinary taxes, the
capitation tax and the income from
the School fund, shall bc "applied
as needed" for the education of the
scholastic inhabitants of the State,
there is an impression abroad that
the sums accruing from these sour
css can be drawn from the Treasu-
ry and used, without appropriation
But section 6, article XII, is very
distinct in its declaration that enc
money shall be drawn from the
Treasury but in pursuance of spe.
cific appropriation made by law
l trust that your early attention
will be called to the supplying Of
this omission. The maintenance Of
a good system Of public schools l
regard as second in Importance tc
no other object of government un
der our institutions. The people
expect US to attend to this matter
at once, as every days delay is o.
irreparable damage to the growing
generation, for whose wants we arc
called upon TO provide.
Tho returns OF the scholastic census
taken under section II Of the act OF
your last session, to establish n sys'
tenn of public free schools, have
been received from but few coun
ties, and from many Of these the
returns are only partial. They
show in twenty-five counties from
which the returns are complets, AZ,
3SS, and in sixteen counties, from
which the returns are incomplete
IL, ,63l children within the scholas
tic ago. Tho State Treasurer in
forms me that the taking ofthis con
sus is probably delayed by tho omis
sion uf the School Law to fix Ger
tain and adequate compensation
therefor, to the justices who are re
quired to take it.
Assuming the returns received a
a basis for calculation, | estimate
tho total scholastic. population o
the State at about one hundred AM
sixty thousand, of whom at loas
one hundred thousand now enjoy
no school advantages whatever
This condition should not be al
lowed to last q moment longer, be
cause, with the ample endowmen
OF our public schools, it is inexcusa
bio. This endowment consists 9
the "perpetual fund" (of which on
lly the interest can be uscd) and tha
portion Of the annual taxes sssisne
! by the constitution to the sunDoI
Of the public schools, and whiel
NAV be appropriated annually {
that purpose. The perpetual fun
which is now producing (or can b
soon made 10 prodpce) income, en-
braces the following items:
1. s6O,25s 81 (s58, ,999 IL IN COZ
and s1,279 30 currency in th
Treasury, authorized by act Ct Az
gust IL, 1870, 10 be converted int
/ Tinted States Eve twenty bcDds.
], 2. s2,75s,73l A. gold, consOlidi
ted principal and interest, dne ,
railroad companies 70 the seho'
f.nd on the first day of Nay, Isl
On their respective shares OF u
=. ... N 81 ~.;trosda maid I