The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-28

ber Of youths enrolled for 1874 was 100
03l, about halt Of whom attend school
The foregoing statements show that sutil
Client means have been provided for tht
education oEthe children o. the State
And yet 1t Is known that there are many
Districts In which no schools were held
lSSt year. Dhring the past summer
took some pains 10 inquire al different
points as to the operation Of the school
system. Sometimes the reply would be-
we. have had school, but the teacher
was incompetent" Sometimes, ave have
had no school this year." and again, "WC
have had no school for two years" 0c-
caSionally the replies would be favorable
but In no case did / hear Il said that The
taxes were not high enough. My purpose
Is not to bring the system Of public in-
struction into disrepute, nor TO censure
officers entrusted With It's management
but It Is TO point out some existing evils
with the hope that sufficient remedies
may be provided against them in the fl'
tufe, - lr1. .lty.
The new Constitution requires that
"the Legislature shall provide by general
law for a thorough and efficient system Of
FREQ schools."
The fact docs not seem to DO generally
realized that the school system Is not only
our greatest public interest, but that Il
also requires an expenditure Of money
nearly equal to the amount raised for
State and county purposes combined. l
will not attempt 10 suggest In detail any
plans for putting into execution this i'm.
portant provision Of the Constitution.
But | earnestly recommend that you will
consider simplicity, efficiency and econo.
my as Of primary importance In any plan
that you may DO pleased to adopt.
The 9th section Of article IL OF the
Constitution is as follows
"The Legislature shall provide for the
support Of free schools by appropriating
thereto the interest Of the invested
"school fund.-" the net proceeds OF all for.
FIXTURES and fines accrueing to this State
under the laws thereof; the State capita.
ton tax; and by general taxation, on per.
sons or property or otherwise. II shall
also provide for raising in each county or
district, by the authority OF the people
thereof, such proportion of the amount
required for the support OF free schools
therein as shall be prescribed by general
laws"
Its clearly theduty OF the Legislature
hereafter, as heretofore, to provide Tor
raising means for tho support OF schools,
partly BY State taxation ind partlyby 10.
cal taxation. The questions that seem to
be left open arc the rate o. State taxes and
the mode Of levying local taxes. The
law imposing a tax Of one mill on the
part Of the State appears to have given
general satisfaction, and il you'd seem
the part OF wisdom not u disturb it. I'm.
der It's operation, the Weather counties
contribute something 10 MD their less for
tunate sisters, or in other words, the
weather. counties pay more taxes than
they receive in the annual distribution
from the school fund, while other Coun-
ties receive more from this fund than they
contribute to 1t in the way OF taxes
Therefore, any increase in this tax would
necessarily increase the disparity between
It's burden aud benefits.
The proportion OF money TO be raised
by local taxation, you will doubtless de.
termine upon after mature deiberatiOn;
but 1t ought not to be less in any county
than the amount distributed to the county
from the State fund; any amount less than
this would place the schools upon so fee.
BILE basis as to destroy their usefulness
One OF the most important questions
that will arse in connection with this sub.
ject, and perhaps the most difficult pro-
perly to solve, is whether the county
court shall levy one uniform tax for the
whole county, or whether it shall have
power 10 levy different rates Tor the sew
eral districts, or whether board shall be
created in each district with power 10
levy. The present system Of township
leyies is most unsatisfactory, and the same
objections would lie against district levies.
The objections 10 this system are familiar
to all that are acquainted with tho mode
Of assessing and collecting taxes, and set
Ting the accounts of the collectors, and
need not specify them. But there is one
reason that ought to have great weight in
this matter; It is this: In practice very oil.
ten lands are returned delinquent, merely
for the non.payment oil State and county
taxes; parties interested soon learn this
fact, and permit their lands to BIO returned
delinquent, and afterwards redeem them,
and thus escape the payment Of the town.
ship taxes. Consequently in counties
where large bodies Of land are held BY
non.residents, either few schools are open.
cd, or they are maintained at o heavy ex.
pense to tho residents who pay all fthcse
taxes. II these leVics were made by the
county court, they would be entered and
extended on tho same land book Ns the
State and county taxes, and lands would
DO returned delinquent for all taxes alike,
The Constitution entrusts tho county
court with the superintendent and man.
agement Of the fiscal affairs Of the county;
It is therefore both in consOnance with lis
spirit and good policy to confer upon the
county court tho power to levy taxes for
the support Of free schools. Whether this
power ought to be exercised by imposing
rates Uniform throughout the county, or
rates varying in the several districts &C
cordlng TO the wealth and number OF chill.
dren in each, is a question about which
there will be diversity OF opinions. In
the absence Of proper information upon
which to found an Intelligent opinion, l
have no recommendation 10 make on this
point, but merely suggest that tho rule OF
uniformity will be much simpler and
ought to prevail unless 1t should appear
| that it would impose unjust burdens on
some districts for the benefit Of others.
You have already seen that school
taxes can only be levied sin each coanty
or district by the authority OF tho people
thereof" The same provision existed in
the old Constitution. yet ithas practically
been treated as dead letter. Its true
the present law requires Board OF Edu.
cation to levy these taxes, with tho as.
sent Of the voters OF the township" but
no provision Is made by which to ascer.
tain whether or not voters do assent IA
the levy. And l am informed that re.
Gently tho Supreme Court Of Anneals has