The weekly clarion., 1876-09-27

OF Common school
LegIslaGf0a-
JAcKsox. sept n 1875
GeA- Kial0cA Falooner JACK oa, Ma
DEAR SIRi fOu call my attention Jn. and
Suggest an explanation vt, \ staJrsent c -
tained In the Appendix u Issues OF theC an
vaaa. No l." on page .. ~ ia effect that thu
Act OF April 10 h. ls7U, prosisi.- m q u ne
school fluid. arising Ir.ssn fines, liceu-es, etc
shall not amOunt q $4,000 in tIi.- prrss-ut
hscal year. the Treasurer of rhe Stste sisls
kay the deficit out OF ih- g-nrrai fassd :
THIS l. not strictly accurate; out As the a.
bic on page OF that psper aud th- n8tes
thereto on page 9. Ia which this statement
occurs. were prepares la the Auditar's or
nce. lie slight iaaceuracy ese sled nv atien-
ttOn st the time it was published. SabsEan-
tally, the stAtemeat i cDrrecs- and was 80
deem d la the Ausliter's Oaiee, other slse il
would not have been furnished 10 me Tor
publication.
The fnaeeuracy, however. operates against
and not In lAVor Of she ID mOerafic party.
The exact prUvisiou of tine Act Of April
10Th, 1876, is TO require the Treasures ta
make up, Oat Of the general fund. ANY sum
which hnes. licenses. etc shall lack In pro
dueing the same amount Tor ~cii.siI pur-
poses which the tao mill tar of 1875 pro-
duced. (5ee Act 1876 page %, sectun T.
l an Informed that it IL we'll understood Ia
the Auditors aud Treasurer Oih -, that
q tax Of one mil produces SlOO.OOU, aud
hence the statement Ia the Appendix be-
fore referred TO, that the amount rtq aired
20 be made up Is s2OO.OOO the tax VI 1875
being two mlls.
The Auditors Report for 1875. (dsted Iss
JAN, lS76,) shows that the total assessed
value OF realty In the State tor that year
(IS75). exclusive OF lAuds held by the State,
aud aiss excluding three counties,
Marion, Neshoba aud Rankin,
whose assessment had not
ahen been returned, amounted
to OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 8 s2,OI7.l23
Total personality excluding same
three counties, was -. 3A5OI ,239
Total realty aud personality -. sll6,5ls, 1862
The assessment rolls of NeshOba
and Rankin, since returned,
show their realty aud person
atty, for ISIS, amounted 70 "a 2,312,sl3
as in 1874. viz:........-....... 1861
We have for these counties. ...S 2,729,3
Add this amount 10 the assessment re-
turned in tue Auditors report, and IL makes
tll9,274728. A two mill tax on this
amounts to f2Js, ,9l5.55, as the amount 10 be
derived from the two mill school tax OF
1875, to be din inished, OF course, by COM
missions for collecting, insolveneies, etc.
IL ahese should amount TO S3S, ,945-55, the
excess over the 500 900, stated in the APP
pendix, iL would be a strong proof OF the
waste ant ruin which Radical rule had pro-
duced In Mississippi.
The Legislature OF 1876 seems to have re-
treDched In everything except public
schools. The colOrsd people had been
warned, If the Democrats succeeded, the
common school system would be destroyed.
The Legislature seems to have taken especial
care u avoid, not only the cong OF any
thing which would render the system less
efficient, but sedulously avoided even the
appearance of so acting. Whist, therefore,
IL repealed the two mil tax of 1870, and
substituted in Its stead the fund To arise
from retail licenses, fines. fOTfeitures, and
the proceeds OF lands forfeited to the State
for NON payment ot taxes, it TOOK care to
provide that, il by any contingency, the
und so substituted should not equal the
fund taken away, the former should be
made equal to the latter from the general
iund in the Treasury The funds produced
Dy fines, licenses, forieitures, etc, in 1916,
amounted to $233, 1870; yet the Legislature
was, in its scrupuious care to preserve the
commOR school system, unwilling c. risk
that the fund from fines, etc-, in 1876, would
equal that OF 1876, and so provided That not
dollar less should be appropriated ia 1876,
than was appropriated la 1875. And IL did
more it took care that this tax for the gen
any possible deficit, so that money, aifd not
deprecated warrants, should be appropFi-
ated.
may notice now some complaint as to
the reduction OF salaries OF school teachers.
BY Act Of 1873, (Aeta p. l3,) the common
schools were divided iuto TWO grades. In
the highest grade, only spelling, reading,
writing arithmetic, grammar, geoS-
raphy, history of the United States,
ami English composition were required to
be taught. Certainly, no very hign stand
ard OF learning or of talents was required to
teach these branches. The maximum al
lowed teachers OF that grade, Except prin-
cipals Ia schools of 100 pupils.) was SO per
mouth. A scholastic or teachers month Is
weeks of days each, say 20 days, aud it
would be safe to say that teachers in the
common schools are not engaged more than
six hours per dfYe and frequently not 10 ,i az
present law, (Of 1850 is $40 per month,
being 81 per day OF or 6 hours. feel
safe ia say ing that there is no other en-
ployment in Mississippi, In the present de-
pressed condition of affairs, which Is SO well
paid, taking into consideration the labor
| performed and the qualifications required
OF the employee. | venture the assertion
that there Will be no difficulty in procur-
ing all the teachers required, at tho price
fixed by law, and of full qualifications aud
csm potency. For political effect, few
may now refuse the price offered, but even
they, when they shall ascertain Ehat trick
Of that sort will not win, will be glad to ae-
cept the price offered.
Ii there be any one thing which thu
Democrats and Conservatives of this Stat'
are more determined to carry out than an
other, il Is to provide the means OF 'educa
ting every child in the State, OF whateYe
race or color The people of Mississippi
have suffered enough already from igno
rance aGd itl consequences, blind prejudice
Ia governmental affairs, and they will no
] refuse to use any means in their power c
remove them. But what. they mean b
!. levyiug taxes ( common schools is not I
advance the fortunes OF superintendent
and others, but te give the children of th
State the means and opportunity Of bein
, educated.
Yours truly,
J. T. GEORGE