The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-03-28
POPULAR EDUCATION.
An Important Letter from State Superin-
tcndent TrousdaIe.
The Cause OfFree Schools Admirably Pre-
scented.
To the County Courts OF Tennessee ::

To the County Courts of Tennessee:
Office of State Superintendent of Public
Schools, Nashville Tennessee, March 81,
1878.-Messrs. T. B. Ellington, W. c.
Folkes, II. Townsend; Committee Of the
Board Of Education Memphis. Gentleman:
| learn from u report made by your commit
tee to the Memphis Board of Education on
the 18th inst, As reported in the Appeal Of
the 18th, that YOU have made the mistake
ofsupp0sing that the different county courts
are not authorized to levy a greater supple
mentary county tax for the support OF pub
! lie schools than ten cents on the hundred dol
lars worth Of real property. II you will al
| low me, | will call your attention TO Chap.
! LXXXI, Acts 1878, the first section OF
which provides as follows:
Chat the State tax on every one hundred
dollars worth of taxable property shall be
ten cents for the year 1877 and ten cents
! for the year 1878, for current expenses on
| ly; Provided, that this act shall in no wise
interfere with the levying and collection Of
| taxes for school purposes as now provided
! by law"
Now, ''the levying and collection OF
school taxs as now provided by law" of
course, refers to the additional tax levy for
school purposes authorized TO be made by
| the respective county courts, by the act
commonly known as "The Public School
! Law" passed in 1873, approved March Is,
| 1873, which provides that this additional
levy "shall not exceed the entire State tax, :"
The entire State tax, at that time, was forty
cents on tbs hundred dollars worth of prop
crty. and it cannot be doubted that the
Legislature, in the above provisO in the act
of 1878, intended to maintain intact the
right Of the counties to still levy "a supple
mentary tax to keep up the schools five
months in the year." and they may levy a
tax mot to exceed the entire State tax of
forty Cents) to prOlong the schools beyond
the five mORths, as the act of 1873 express
" authorized. They may also levy an adj
ditional poll and privilege tax for this pur-
pose, as is also expressly authorized and !
would here suggest that the levying of an
additional poll tax mot to exceed the State
tax of one dollar is especially called for
inasmuch as a very large majority of the
beneGciaries of our public schools are not
in condition to pay any other tax, and ii
would seem to be a matter OF equity that
they should at least, contribute poll tax
toward the support of schools. Such an adj
ditiOnal tax III Shelby county, or III any
county, would raise considerable revenue
for the purpose, If strict enforcement of Its
collection were observed.
congratulate your enlightened Board,
gentleman, on taking the first step toward
appealing to the County Court to take this
important matter into consideration, and to
endeavOr to make the public schools worthy
of the respect and confidence OF the Gem
munity by voting inadequate sum for their
support. The success of our public school
system depends alone upon its efficiency;
and efficiency depends upon the material
support which Is given to it by the respeC-
tive counties. The Legislature evidently
makes the strongest and most imperative ap-
peal it could possibly have framed to the
counties of the State (shoTt OF 4 mandatory
provisiOn) in the above extracts from Its
acts, to supplement the State tax so as to
render the school efficient and respectable,
inasmuch as it did not feel justified IN do
ing more than organizing q uniform sys-
tenn Of public schools" and in voting
State tax for that purpose. To stop short
of raising such a supplementary tax is al
most equivalent to abandoning and sacrifc-
ing the wise intent of the Legislature. For
we find as a matter of history, that in those
counties where a sufficient supplementary
tax is levied, and where an active, energetic
and intelligent County Superintendent Is
elected and compensation is allowed him,
sufficient to justify him in giving his SER
vices and talents TO his high and response
bic duties, the schools are efficiently conduct
cd and satisfactorily administered, and pub
lie sentiment strongly sustains them. One
county has levied as high as thirty cents on
the hundred dollars worth OF property and
others twenty five, twenty and fifteen cents,
besides poIl-tax, and, in some instances,
privilege tax. repeat that in these coun-
ties, where good supervision is secured by
adequate pay, the schools are satisfactory
and public sentiment never unsound nor
opposed to the tax; and l would be rejOiced
to see your committee successful IN their
appeal to the enlightened magistrates OF the
county OF Shelby, at the April term OF their
court, which the law has designated as the
time for levying all county taxes.
The wise and enlightened action Of your
Board of Education has afforded me an op-
portunity TO explain the true status of the
law, AMI, without Improperly, 10 appeal TO
the County Courts, through cut the State, to /
give hearing to the claims of the public /
schools upon their most favorable consider
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