The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-04-06
That s4Oo,OOo.

lie school find blythe Finance Beard of Virgin
sing nearly ALI the public schools In the rural
districts. AMI eaa<ed the widest dissatisfaction
among tfta people Whea we consider that
there was no warrant in lazy, and that It was
utterly obnoxious to public policy. the parties
guilty ofthis gross disregard OF official ohiga-
ton and duty to the best interests of the State,
cannot be too severely censur-d. The Cover
nor himself b one Of the Finance Board. and it
was due to his high position as the sworn Ex-
ecutive of the State-it was due to the people
whose interests he is presumed to study, that
lac should have promptly interposcd his author
ity, as one of the Finance Board, to prevent the
perversion OF this vital public trust. lie did
nothing Of the kind, tut, on the contrary.
made it his boast, in public speech delivered
In Harrisonburg, last summer, that per cert.
interest OH the public debt had been paid, and
thst it WAS entirely within the power of the
State to meet her public obligations, without
increasing the tax on real and personal estate.
Governor Kemper must have known, when the
school fund WAS directed from its legitimate
purpose to paying the interest on the bonded
debt OF the State, that it was wrong-he must
have been cognizant Of the fact that this per-
version was in violation OF law, and that the
result must necessarily be to rob the schools Of
the means for their healthy operation.
1t Is not forgotten by those who heard Gov.
what swelling pomposty he rolled from his
mouth his appeals for higher ''civizatior.''-
a broader i.auanitsrianism, and that his cleo
ton WAS an essential step in the accomplish
ment of this end. We do not know precisely
what agencies he expected to employ to ad
vance the ''civilization" of the people Of his
own State. We can hardly suppose, however,
that il he had told them that he would sacrifice
the public schools Of the State to sppease the de-
mands OF the holders Of the bonds of the Com
monwealth-tliat he would practically nulify
the provision Of the Cons titution that certain
fund must be set aside for the support of the
public Scholastic would have been SO Justify
cheered, and that his audience would have re-
garded the suggestion as calculated to develop
"higher civiliZatiOn.'' TO rob the poor chill
dren of the State of the means provided for
their education by fundamental and statue
law, and to apply the results of that robbery
TO paying the interests on the States bonds
heli by men who had purchased them at one
bali their face value, does not look like lend
ing helping. hand to Tie attainment OF that
mental advancement that constitutes higher
standard of civilization.
A huniliating feature OF this great wrong to
the lcoplr, is the recent effort of DIR. Ruffner,
the Superintendent OF Education in Virginia,
Ia smooth it over. and to emphatically declare
that ''the Governor was certainly ignorant OF
the fact that this moneys 400, 0000-5 Belonged
70 the school fund, and to- intimate as much
that he did not know it himself. Proba-
bly, there iievt was a more obsequious syc"-
phaIIt i'll public position than this same DR..
Ruffner, and the argument he advances to pal
late the crime against civilization. that has
been perpetrated, that Virginia is not
the only State where this ''tl,ing has
happened,' and that other States have
with equal :tlisregard Of law and public
policy. stolen the school funds for unriShteous
purposes, iss'adafpg insult to injury.
1t was a duty DR.. Rutfuer owed to his posi-
ton and to the poor children of the State to
have known all about this fund, and it was Il
duty to the obi CATIONS of this officer, that he
should have demanded it for lie purposes it
had been levied anil collected. Ignorance,
under the circinnstances-if this were possible
WAS rs criminal ON his part as the perversion
on the part of the Fhayice Board, and the peo-
pie will rot accept any such contemplate and
iesuitical excuse. 1t is no justification of a
palpable wrong. that the same offence has
been committed elsewhere, nor is it any com
promise Of this outrage that the officers of the
State Government whose business it is to know
precisely what class of funds is in their hands
and at their disposal. to say that this robbery
of the school fund was committed through ig-
norance.
It has all the appearance of deliberate pur-
pose to paralyzc the public school system of
The State. and by this means to bring it into
disrcpute with view ultimately of its des-
iruction.
AWAITING DEvEI.oPNENTs.-Thc State Of
the 4th has the t, flowing paragraph
sWHo?-A few days ago Mr.. Cabell receiv-
ed long communication from VIM. d. Cole
man, containing a history of the embezzement
Ut funds of the State fox which he is now serv-
Ing out term in the penitentiary. In this
communication Coleman charges other we'll
known and influential parties with being i'm
plicacd in the affair. but failir e to present any
corroborative evidence, Mr.. Cabell refuses to
fake action in the matter. We await further
developments"
MI. Cabell adopts q different methol to that
which governs Mr.. Ciymcr's committee at
Washington. I.lc communication of Coleman
certainly requires respectful consideration. II
he were examined, he might disclose how
many of the bonds OF the State were stolen.
for the payment OF the interest on which the
school fund is now being robbed, and
where they went. We submit that Mr.. Cole
mans communication should not be pigeon
lloled. Let us have light.
THE REVOLUTION IN MEXICO.-The in
snIgents OF MeX;eo have instituted a
rebellion against the government and under
the command OF Porfirio DiaZ, a chief OF Il
lUbber band. possession of Natamoras Oh