Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-02-15
House Proceedings Inspection Of the State
MISUNDERSTANDING The Illus.
triOus Dead.
The use Of the Contingent Fund by Gov
ernors StOns and Ames-A Tell
lag Contrast In Items.
mississippi LeGIslatures..rwcn.
Iy.EIghth bay.
JACKSON, Friday, Feb. 5 lS,s.
SENATE.

Prayer BY kCv. DR.. Laa!y.
Roll called. Absent: Messrs. Bridges,
DOwd. Hooker.
journal Of ve,turdi IS read and approved.
IN mull u Mr.. Furlong, the privileges
uitur senate were extended 10 Gen. W
+. MArtIu vt Adams cJun Y.
III r]rlBuTloS or THE COMMON SCHOOL
FUND.
The inlIbwing House bill cane up on
liufu lya ing this morning II viii be re-
memU red thcre was c'nsid, Table discus.
sior upon II in the House:
"AN tcr to pro ide for the distribution
OF the Common School Fund OF the
state.
"scction /. Be it en- acted by the Lcgis-
lat re- ui the State ui Mississippi, That the
Audi or Of Pub ic Accounts mall, on tbo
third u Jnddy OF January aud July OF each
year, or as soon thereafter as practicable,
distribute the COMMON School Fund on
hand for distribution at those dates, re-
spectively. such distribution shall be
made to the several counties In proportion
TO the number Of Cducable children In
each; and for the amount due each county
the Auditor shall Issue his warrant upon
the State Treasurer Tor each county. SAID
warrants shall BE- receivable by the State
Treasurer In payment OF an tax, consti'
,utigg the COmmon School Fund OF the
@ OLnAEa u nN AANAAN @NN HhN
provisions Of this Act shall be used by the
County Treasurers in the payment OF war
rants issued 70 services rendered during
the year Ia which such funds were dis
tributed to the several counties.
"Sec >. BE IL tIrtner enacted, That tha
REPORTS Of cducAbie emil ,ren being incom'
pete, the distribution for the present year
shall be made upon the estimate OF v
educable children to eaCn poll assessed IN
} tho FpGp ptikC ~CUlutles.
sec. j. Be 1t further enacted, Tina tint
Act be 10 force and take elect from
I and after its pass igc"
:, Passed the House Jan IS
Mr. FuUte said the bill was manilestly
+ unjust. He mad gone 10 the AUDITORS
office AID a-certained tue nu Der OF lOI.S
III the STATE, aud also to the SupcTintrn l..
: cnts Of Education, aud learned the Num-
= Der of educabie children, by tn" opera
ton Ut lnIs bis som pftBe Districts wOu d
IOse three or iuur th usA.d children, ana
, other Districts would gain prophrtiOnalc
y numbers tn trainers Ut the plll had
emdeny red TO get up "A measure WORK
A AN unjust distribution OF the fund, they
y could nOLhAVc succeeded Lore thoroughly
than they had done. The IeturnB Of th
number Of educable children in each coun'
" IN the State we're very nearly correct,
and he thought the just way OF d slriOut-
ing tue luud would b. according TO the
number Ut children In the several coun'
ties.
fore the Finance Committee, and be was
halfway Inclined to favor the views OF Mr.,
FOOte, lie made AN estimate I the work
j ing Of the bill ii applied - toe counties ia
n his District, and found that they would
lose over 81, OUu il the fund were distrtbu'
n ted upon the basis Of polls, and not on the
y actual number OF eduuable children. Tish
v OmingO W. uld lose q thousand children
l. under the bill, AID other counties wOulL
lose. He therefore thought 1t should bt
referred 10 the Committee on Education
Mr.. LUwrance said the provisions Ot I'M
10 bill were about as fair as could be adopted
D. owing TO incomplete and defective re
turns OF educaOlc children in the severa
Ia counties; but be would favor it, reference
!, 10 the Committee on Education.
q Mr.. Morgan thought some Of the return
II were very Iull-ayeraging about ten edu
as cable children to each POLAND they wer
he probably traudul nj.
Mr.. Gilbert said that probably some AS
~ SCISSORS had tailed To m AXE correct returns
s. and II would not be right to make the chi
dren in tho. 0 counties sutier for this neglec
The objection Of incorrect returns, coui
be made against the operations Of the gel
eral law. He favored committing the bil
~ Mr.. Gibbs cal. ed attention u the Const
d. tuition, which provided that all Schol
~. Funds should be divided pro rota anon
,el the children Il school age in the state
and he tho ght 1t doubtful II the Legisli
ture could Tx the number oil children b
ra- the number OF polls. -.
Of Mr., Montgomery also considered the bi
nh in direct conflict with the Constitution
but even II it were Constitutional,
ue did not work fairly, and be would oppol
or II on that account. Kinds county wouI
he lose about $3.50 children by its operatio
on Mr.. Morgan thought the bill constit
20 tiOnaI; IL provided for distribution OF u
Funds pro rata among the school childrt
req OF the State. The only question was az
NJ. a fair pro rata distribution. The return
In. OF the number OF children from some OFT
ma. counties we're evidently exaggerated, al
IL was thought o better plpn would be
!, base the number Of children upon the nuI
u Der Of polls. However, he was In favor
referring the bill to the Committee on I'd
cation, and let II settle upon some II
plan Of distribution.
Mr.. j.. +. Carter showed the Unfair o
OK Grafton OF the bill. The river count
ok. would gain by IL, and the piney woo
mr.. counties would lose. There were q gre
many poor people in the latter c9untit
and the old adage, "a niger for gourds.
n q fool for luck, and q poor man for oh
the dren,n was 9 true one. There was a gre
Ack deal OF malaria and sickness in tht riV
tha counties, and THIS alLO mhue y ulueIeuS
lie read figures from the poll returns
MI show the unfair operation OF the bill.
lis Mr.. King Thought there was somethiI
the In the Constitutional objection that h
mo been raised. II unfair returns had be
made, he thought that q portion OF l
was Funds should be retained, and those cot
Ked ties that had not received proper amour
led. should havc an additional sum. The 4
rem SCISSORS in some counties had been like
taYern.keeper, who, when he mark
down jacks account, used a piece
chalk with a split in II, which made I
marks, and they must have had a doub
IA Ia marking pencil when they put down
number of children, and used the Q
without lead In IL when they put down
I 8 numb.r OF polls. He favored the rel
Tree ence OF the bill.
and Mr.. Pratt saw no objection to the G,
CnlI stltutiOnality of the bill. The Consul
=" ton provided that the Fund should be
u vided pro rata, and in his opinion IT "
iull the duty aud the power Of the Legislatl
osts to determine upon q plan OF ascertainin
ted fair way to make the division pro. ra
y ~ We had tried one plan for ascertaining
- number Of children-the returns OIL ASS
u sors-and they were admitted to be Inc
rect, We had q Fund on hand wh