The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-06-14

county. 1T became evident, by 1876 /
that q strenuous effort would be made
to organize State Government. Until
this was effected, the fund accruing
from the sale Of State lands could not j
be received from the general govern
ment, nor the income of this fund I
applied toward maintaining schools. |
The benefit Of obtaining and using
this immense fund, supplied one Of the i
main argument for forming q State
constitution. Governor Dodge urged |
this subject upon the attention Of the
people in his message of 1s47, stating
that they could then control the sale
of the sixteenth section in each town
ship, and enjoy its avails, together
with the donation Of 100000 acres oil
land by Congress, and five per cent Of
the net proceeds arising from the, sale
Of public lands in the State. At once
the expediency of establishing the free
system Of public instruction through
out the State was discussed in many
places, and by liberal-minded men.
AT Kenosha, where excellent schools
had been sustained, the matter was
first considered; and the first free
school ever established in the State
was organized here in 1843. The
leader of this movement was Col. NJ
Frank, of that city to whom the State,
also, is more indebted than to any
other citizen, for her excellent free
school system. Educated in the cen
trail portion of New York State, and
moving to Kenosha in 1887, he had
labored deyotedly to advance popular
education. In February, 1845, as a
member Of the territorial legislature,
he introduced a bill authorizing the
legal voters within the corporate
J limits Of his town to vote taxes on all
the assessed property sufficient to sup
port schools. The bill became Q law
and, by one of its provisions, it was
: required to be submitted to the PEG
pie before taking effect. The opposl-
: ton to the measure was very strong'
and there was evidently, at first, q
majority against it. The idea Of tax
} ing large property holders, who had
: no children to educate, was denounced
as arbitrary and unjust Frequent
f public meetings were held for discus
sion and lectures, with view OF
enlightening the public mind on the
great duty to educate at public eX-
pense. After several unsuccessful
trials to procure the adoption OF the
act, it was at length accomplished, by
a small majority, in the fall of 1916.
; This transaction had its due influence
on other portions of the State.
tn the winter before the first consti-
, tutional convention met, q common
; school convention was held at Madison
On three successive evenings, with the
design of preparing the people for the
establishment Of a system of free
: schools, similar to that Of Massachu-
sets, and at the earliest practicable
period. It was largely attended by
members of the legislature, then in
session, and Col. Frank was elected
4 chairman. The principal features to
4 be adopted III the school laws of the
J State were considered, and the de-
fciencies and evils of the old law
were pointed out. They recommend
! ed the legislature to appoint q general
agent to travel through the State,
lecture on education, collect statistics,
examine the condition Of schools, and
organize teachers associations. A
select committee, consisting Of Rev.
i LEWIS Il. Loss, Lew HuDDeu, III.
/! Frank, Caleb CrosWell, c. N. Baker,
and H. ". Billings were appointed to
lay the subject discussed by the con-
vention before the legislature. They
state in their report, that the commit
tee regard it among the highest and
most important Of the duties Of legis-
latures to provide, as far as may bel
by suitable legislation, for the educa-
ton of the whole people,
Immediately after the adoption Of
the second constitution by the people,
50 great was the demand for radical
changes in the school code that the
Estate IieCiS7atnra in 1919 anao4o5