The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-05-14
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
POVERTY vs. EDUCATION. :


issued from the Office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, Richmond, we give some
extracts:
Those who urge the plea of poverty against
necessary expenditures for education, place
our worthy citizens in predicament. 1t is
pretty well known by the world that the peo-
pie of Virginia spend about twenty millions
year in whiskey and dogs; whilst only one
million is asked for education. Hence those
who urge this plea in so many pathetic forms
are either telling what is not so, or convict
ing our people of loving wh8key more than
education and their dogs more than their
children. Yea, of preferring to have their
children unlettered to giving up one drink
and one dog in twenty.
Our State is becoming more populous
every day, and assessors must work very
fast in lowering the nominal value of pro
perty, or the fact cannot long be concealed
that the dear old Commonwealth is on the
ascending grade; but as we have not the
figures for this, we shall work only in the
pockets which are known to be rich.
DoGs.-We spend say two millions year
in feeding our 100000 dogs, and in repair
ing their damages. This was proved in the
Annual Report of 1871, and all the changes
were rung upon it in the Richmond newspa
pers during the succeeding winter.
Besides their annual cost and sheep-kill-
ing, it was proved that dogs were in the way
of that system of sheep husbandry which is
to be the agricultural salvation of Virginia.
In this view there is no measuring the evil
of the canine possession.
The members of the Legislature saw it all
plainly, and wanted to make CAMS help the
schools, or die. But knowing something of
the extent OF the dog power, they only ven
tured to allow supervisors to levy a small
tax on each dog, to be devoted wholly to the
support of schools in their respective coun
ties. The tax was levied in good many
counties, but instantly arose such howl
that in some cases the supervisors were
driven back to the courthouse, aud compelled
to nulhfy the levy; and members of the
Legislature were put in such peril that
among the first things done whea they re
turned to Richmond, was repeal of the dog
law.
Now this bit of history is no eternal re-
cord, and should be made use of to stop the
tongues of those who say that the people are
too poor to give their children the simplest
elements of education. By urging this plea
any longer, they invite the world to call us
barbarians.
WHIsKEY.-In the Annual Report of sta
tistics were given which rendered it probable
that the annual consumption of alcoholic
drinks in this State was about $4,000, 600
Some have regarded this conclusion as in
credible, although no one that we know of
has disproved it. Let us throw in for good
measure all the tobacco consumed, the con-
fectionery, ornaments, costly furniture, equi
page and apparel, also the amounts carried
off by theatricals, gamblers and swindlers of
all sort then We have nineteen millions to
spend for whiskey and tobacco, circuses and
gimcracks; but too poor to spare one million
in order to put the spelling book and multi
plication table into every cabin in the land
Refuse eighty FIVE cents to each head of pop
ulation for schools, and yet spend sixteen
dollars head for whiskey Shame on the
bare intimation! Our people are not bar
barians.
If they want to spend twenty millions
or twice twenty-on dogs, whiskey and to
bacco, let them do it: # they do, let us hear
no more of this plea of poverty, and be met
with no more sour looks when the COMPARE
tiuely Insignificant sum of one million is asked
for education.
Winter before last some effort was made
to compel whiskey, as well as dogs, to help
the schools; but the small tax was laid in
such form as yielded but little return. This
past winter few brave souls endeavored to
pass an act which would tax effectively not
the manufacture and general trade sales,
but the actual consumption of liquor as a
beverage; bill so framed (as claimed by its
advocates) that the tax must be paid by the
consumer; and one-ffth the proceeds was for
schools. But the bill failed.
1t is not for us to discuss ways and means
of raising revenue; but we hope to be ex
cused for the remark that if there is any
principle thoroughly settled in Political Econ
omy, it is that ururtes ought to bear the heft
of taratson. This is right in itself, and it
enables the government to gather the largest
revenues without expressing the solid indus
tries. This is the sound principle on which
is based the omnipOtent revenue system of
the Federal Government, which at this very
time is raising from Injuries produced in
Virginia double as much revenue as our
State government is deriving from all sources.
Our State Constitution does not allow of
discrimination among different forms of pro,
perty as such; but it does not forbid tax
on consumption, and that is the form pro-
posed.
Every dollar spent for drink is dollars
worth of wealth destroyed forever. When
storms, fires and freshets destroy suddenly
vast amounts of property, the public mind
is shocked, extensive measures of relief are
promptly adopted, and every precaution is
used to prevent recurrence; but we rest
quietly under the known fact that twenty
millions of the wealth of Virginia is remedi-
lessly destroyed every year by the voluntary
acts of her citizens. And every man &C
quainted with the subject knows that it is as
really loss of wealth, as if the State just
before harvest should be served as Sampson
served the fields of the Philistines when he
turned loose amidst their ripe grain 300 foxes
with fre-brands to their tails We speak
by the book when we say that the destr@c-
tom of the entire wheat crop Of Virginia
evsry gear wOuld not intaict apo" the State,