The Morning herald., 1875-12-17
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CITY
COUNCIL.

Ii is much TO be desired, that the contes..,
or difference between the Council and
Board of Education, were at an end. it is
undesirable to have divided authority,
upon the expenditure Of public money;
hence any claim of the Board of Educa-
tion to fix the amount of taxation to be
used for school purposes should not be en-
couraged. The existence Of board, or
department in City government, with
power to spend money without check, is
exceedingly pernicious in policy and is
the fruitful source of numerous abuses.
The Board of Education is subordinate TO,
or in other words is the Steward to spend
the money given to it, by the Council to
keep the schools. The words according
to a computation laid before them by said
Board" in the law-givcs no power to the
Board to fix the amoant; the "oomputa-
tom is simply to cnlighten the City Coun-
ell who are to determine the amount neces-
sarv to be raised on the persons and estates
of the city for public use.' The City
Council have fixed the amount, and the
law creating the Board Of Education,
makes their duty very plain, as the sum
| thus determined upon by City Council
is expressly given to the Board "for exc
cutting the foregoing provisions" What
are they? The act Of Assembly is clear
enough, Ito do all acts necessary for estab-
fishing and maintaining said schools"
Every member of the Board has taken
an oath to perform the duties of his office
renee the intimation thrown out. that the
Board will keep the schools open as long
as they can, with the appropriation sci
apart by Council, is to our mind a delibe
rate refusal on p,rt Of the members # The
Board, to perform the duties cast upor
them. The City Council exercising tht
Ilenary power given by the Legislature
says we have determined to give yor
100000 to maintain the public schools o
the city for the coming fiscal year. Tha
fixes the responsibility of the matter upor
Council, and the Board OF Education ma.
appeal to public opinion relative to the
p;.rsimony of City Council; but meantime
they must at once prepare, to run The
schools the entire year, upon the sum 81
fixed. A committee of ways and means
may be able to pare away many redundan
expenses, if needs be reduce salaries 0
every one pro rata in their employment; bu
the schools cannot be closed by the Board
that would he such a disregard by tn
members of their oaths of office as t
:, make them subject to censure. "Cut you
cloth according to the measure" say
the old Saxon proverb, it is measured fo
you by those entitled to measure. Th
Y value of everything is hardening an
shrinking. Lands, houses, rents, wage
dry goods of all kinds, we may say all tn
:. luxurics, and necessities Of life. Why Mt
the expenses of maintaining the publ
schools of the city, IF the sum fixed b
Council is sufficient to maintain the school
in keeping with the depression of trad
: the id!eness of wolkmen, the general har
r times, the Board will be compelled to c
~ 80 :--their is reason in lie why the e.
= pcnses Of any branch of the municip
d government should rot accommoda
Is itself 10 the shrinkage of all values, an
!, ov,o,coe Tho tbraot of shuttino IN I'll