The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-04-07
DISTRICT SCHOOL MEETING.

s. hool meeting was held in the Council
chamber, with much larger attendance
Than on the previous OCCASION.
Mr.. Langley, in behalf of the Trustees,
! ated in clear and concise speech why
i, was urged that the vote at the annual
! .ceting in June by which one mill local
was raised for past Indebtedness
snould be SO altered as to admit of its be-
ing used for current expenses, provided
that the past Indebtedness could be paid
!f"m other sources. The district has
II; paid claims to the amount of some
8. Ienteen hundred dollars which it Is Ger.
.lnly desirable to have paid as soon as
| ssible, but by an Act of the Assembly in
5T4 the poll tax of the County is to be
devoted to the payment of past due claims
II roughout the County and certain pro-
portion of state tax of 8 4 of a mill is
to be added TO tho poll tax for the same
''rpose. In all probability then, the
: debtedness can be paid without recourse
! sing had to the local tax levied for that
4 urpose, and Us this latter, if found to be
snperfluous can be controlled by the peop-
ie, while the poll tax and State appropria-
tion would have to be made available by
m Act of the General Assembly year
hence, the Trustees recommend that such
action be taken Ly the voters of the Dis
rict rs would enable them to apply the
money to the schools of the current year,
if il proved to be unrequired for the pay
nent of the past debt.
This reasonable suggestion met with
considerable opposition. Robert Smalls
professed his desire to do what was to be
for the best interests OF the school dis
trict but expressed his fear that to alter
The action of meeting held so long ago
as last June, would be establishing bad
precedent. He thought it might make it
possible after On annual meeting had lev
led a tax, for some small gathering, to re-
peal the tax altogether, aud leave the
schools without support. The ex- Senator
seemed to ignore the fact that no meet
ing can ever be legally held without
widely circulated notice being given of
its purpose ten days previous to the time
of such meeting. Still more startling
was his ignorane of the fact that ninety
thousand dollars had been levied collected
and already appropriated for the payment
of Deficiencies of school claims by para
graph 2 sec. a of the Act approved March
10th 1875. Having but just glanced over
the law a few minutes before the meeting
lie was not sure but that the course urged
by Mr.. Langley might be all right, but he
evidently did not advocate it, and hoped
that Others who were present would give
their views he would like to hear froln
the School Commissioner who was paid
to become familiar with the school law.
Mr.. Gilbert expressed his Willingness t.
throw light on the subject, ifhe could,
though doubtful whether the opinion OF
one who was paid to read the law was
any better than that of the gentleman who
had been paid for making it. Mr.. G.
said that MIR. Langley had completely
;tatcd the case to his mind, and his per
usal of the statutes assured him that the
plan proposed was legal and that the state
of affairs rendered it desirable.
The spirit ofstubbprn.immobiliiy which
induces u being to remain in his tracks
when he has once planted his feet, and
tnakes him refuse To reccde or advance
even IT he occupies wrong position was
ably illustrated by the remarks of Mr..
Joseph Robinson who argued that having
voted in June that the money should 90
for past Indebtedness was sufficient reason
for not changing lis application now.
The worthy Warden apparently forgets
that the fourteenth and fifteenth amend.
mcnts were the manly reconsideration by
ine Nation OF the constitutional ideas
which gave rise to the Drcd Scott decis
ION. ~; .r
After the subject had been further
Vent1fated 1--WE use tue word with apprec,.
alton Of its ,drivaiion) the meeting
Resolved "That the County School Com.
missioner he requested to ask through the
state superintendent of Education, the
opinion OF the Attorney General of the
State, in regard to the power of speciaI
SCHOOL District meeting 10 alter or repeal
Hc's q Annual School District meetings
'elative to local taxation" and then
hdJourned to Saturday May stb 1875.
MUSIC. Ludden aid Batt s proprietors
OF the Southern Musical Emporium in
',avannah, have largely added to their
"ock o1 pianos and other musical instru. |
snIs, ! M as also their already large stock