Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-01-30
Established December 18th. 1850, !

Z personal properly laslue irolh
slaves.) escaped the ravages Of
war. Meantime, the large debt
owing by our people, growing out
Of their commercial and ordi nary
transactions, had Swelled in vol
ume by four or five years of &C.
crued interest, all of which was
unpaid Tennessee, early in
1862. on account of her geograph
ical position, becam, and until
the declaration Of peace, contin-
ued the theatre of military oper
ations. The school houses We're
closed. The country was devas-
tated. And not until several
years. after hostilities actually
ceased, did $ ciety attain such re-
pose and security that schools
could be reestablished. 2
Added to this, when the peo
pie were restored to power, there
was no educational fund, and
the enormous public debt, already
against the State, rendered it diff
cult to provide any permanent
school fund.
! A large majority of the States
were free from the actual presence
of sUdr. All of them enjoyed
Seasons Of immunity from the
scourges that dlily Inflicted Ten
nessee throughout her borders
So that, without regard to whe re
the responsibility for the war rests,
the fact nevertheless cannot be
controyerted, that for a period of
time, embracing The war and sew
eral years atterward, system of
schools in Tennessee was impossi.
bic.
And in 1860, when the people
aeceded to power. they foand a
State debt of nearly S43.000,000
hanging like a midnight shadow
upon them. We had neither
money ner credit. Our revenues
were yearly absorbed in the re
demption OF the notes of the
Bank of Tennessee and outstand-
ing treasury warrants And the
tappalling question was, not wheth-
er we could maintain system of
common schools by the State, hut
could we preserve the State gov
iernment and sustain its faith and
credit without bankrup;ing the
pc pie Ia her private far;uQ@s,
That problem is SNOW happily sol
we'd. Ard while it is most unlor
tunate, for the State, and especial
ily for her children, that these un-
toward circumstances have para
lived the efforts of the friends of
Ieducation. yet it cannot be truth
fully said that Tennessee IS third In
i'm rance because of the indlffrr.
ence of her people TO the subject
of education. Every true son of
ihers, at the same time that be
would aid in developing plan TO
educate her children, will no. fail
to relieve his Stac from the OBJ
loquy attempted to cast upon her
fair name.
J. The county system, adopted
more than two years since, is CIV
ing great satisfaction where It's
merits have been fairly tested.
About thirty (30) counties have
accepted. its provisions. That it
has defects cannot be denied by
its warmest advocates And the
question is one that should not be
.liAhily considered whether it
should be abandoned, until the
. !
efficacy OF amendments has been
fairly applied. sea
If the General Assembly should
determine TO foster this sy stem.
recommend that you appoint q
+ State SnpeFintendsnt, with an
adequate salary. who shall devote
his time exclusively 10 the duties
imposed by the Office, and if need
; be, an Educational Board for the
State. Through their agency the
Ipeople, could be awakened to the
inipbrtsnce el testing the merits
= Of f. the law, by levyihg a taK'S and
establishing schools, within theiI
) respa6ive codnties The present
) law might be amended, making
it obligatory upon the County
! Courts of the several counties, if
!. they fail eaehyear to leyya tax
to submit the question to vote 0
the people. So ssg
j. Other Iamendmehts Which vii
o readily suggest themselves, upoI
9 an examination of the law, wouit
asraaily- -improYe.-the- county sys
q i KAei you have sSarbihed tn
a resources Of TIN State for revenue
l. and shall. have matured "a pla'
!, sfor)making them available in, tn
: form of actual revenue and sbal
eChases determined what 6 ampun
will be neeessary-tO- sustain tn