Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-02-08

these appropriations 10 colored schools, pre-
cisely similar in the Acts of 1874, TO the lam
guage in the Acts of 1872. he was forced for
sake of uniformity, also 10 charge against the
tax the appropriations for the years 1872 and
1873.
Reasoning by any process known to logicl-
ans, the conclusion would certainly be that
neither the appropriations for IL, 49, or ia
and IT'S were payable out of the State School
Tax.
In the case of the appropriations for 1874
and 1875, he charges them against the tax, in
the face of the plain letter of the law because as
he alleges, the State School Tax was increased
two cents for these years, but where does such
reasoning carry him in the case of the appro-
priatiohs for 1876 and 1877, for which years
the two cents were not added, certainly to the
conclusion that later appropriations are not
payable out OF the tax, but as he has never
;heless charged sos, 0G4 ofsuch appropriations
against said tax.
This shows that the comptroller has the
happy faculty OF drawing similar conclusions
from facts Numerically opposed.
We trust we have shown that there is no
good reason for the course the Comptroller has
pursued, and satisfied you that the State is
bound to pay the money The amount i'm
properly charged against the tax to Septem-
Der 80, 1877, is $454 340 &c, and the Comp
troler has since distributed $50, 900 to colored
schools and the colored Normal school
This sum added to the former will make the
total amount $500, 34O.66. We respectfully
urge that there should be no legislation to de-
feat the result of the decision Of the Court,
but that legislation, il any should be had TO
provide the means 10 pay the claim. The
claim is eminently just this money has been
collected from the people with the distinct un
Outstanding that il would be returned to them.
The State of Maryland, in the dark day Of
adversely and distress, when reputation
stalked abroad in the land, nObly maintaining
her faith and paid her foreign creditors every
farhing due. Now, in her day of prosperity
aye. greatness-she will not deprive her 0pn
children of one cent which belongs to them.
These children need nor TO be trained The
human mind does not wait; it receives i'm
pressions good or bad each dar and the char
acter formed 10 youth will as surely appear
in adult age as scars made on the young scion
will be seen on the gnarled and rugged oak
after centuries have passed away. If the
Treasury is not in n condition to pay the whole
amount at once, we will he glad to submit a
proposition 10 the form of a bill, providing
FOR the payment in such iEstallments as will
not seriously embarrass the Treasury.
There is one other point of great Importance
to which we must claim your attention. tits
proposed to change very important provis-
ion in the School law, that relating 10 the dis
trihution of the State School Tax. 1t should
not be changed, there is no part of the law
that was more ca refully considered in all Of its
bearing at The time it WAS framed than this
section providing for the distribution. The
School officers contend that the Comptroller
should on each distribution day distribute the
whole amount of tax in the Treasury on that
day, aud the Court has confirmed this view Of
the law in their decision 10 the mandumus
10 ba la nf. 4 a
According 10 the proper construction Of
laws of the Stale relating TO free Public
Schools it is the duty of the Comptroller of
The Treasury, on the 18th day of June, the LIST
day of October, the LIST day January and the
18th day of March in each year, to apporiion
among the several counties and the city Of
Baltimore according to the ratio prescribed
bv law, the whole amount OF each school tax
in the Treasury on each of the days o: such
apportionment."
Before the decision Of the Court, the Comp
troller eonended that be hal the right 10 ex-
ercise discretion in making the distribution,
and be undertook on several occasions 10 argue
the case, once in n oint letter to MeSsrs j.
w. Pearce, W. Reese, w. NJ. Isaac and W.
Raglan. once in his Report September &c, 1876,
and 10 his last Report. Since the decision Of
the Court he argues thequesiioa in his answer
TO the order of the Senate
In discussing this question he assumes to
know more about the proper administration OF
the School system than he S'ems 10 know
about the duties of the ComptrolIers office, as
the Court has decided that he misconstrued the
law on four important points, and I've acknowl-
edged in open Court that many of the state
ments in his reports previous 10 the last were
incorrect.
Wemust therefore insist that he is nota safe
adviser on this importantquestion.
The three principal positions ;hat he takes in
reference to this provision Of the law are
/. That the distribution of the wholeamount
in the Treasury Oct. LIST, would place in the
hands of the Treasures of the School Boards
large amount of money nine months before
it would be needed to pay teachers salaries
2. That the bonds given By these Treasnrers
| are not sufficient to protect greater sum than
about one-fourth Of Il years levy
g. That rery few of the counties have any
safe place Of deposit for keeping the money.
We say emphatcally that not one OF these
| propositions is true.
He admits that the primary object of the
| State School Tax is to pay teachers salaries.
| Now let us examine the facts as to this point,
and we take for illustration three counties for
the School year ending September 80, 1876.
The salaries of teachers in Carroll county
| for three quarters were in round numbers, S2S,
600, or 50, 1913 per quarter. The whole amount
| of State School Tax received that year was, in
round numbers, SIG 900 Now assuming that
| il is possible that one half of the whole levy
might be dishursed October /, the Treasury
would have but Ss, 900 on the 5h of Novem-
| Der to pay salaries amounting to 50, 1888.
| The total amount Of teachers salaries in
Cecil county for three quarters was, in round
nambers $27 600 or SO, eco per quarter. The
| total amount of State School Tax received for
the whole year was, in round numbers, Sl4,-
| 6S9 Assuming that oue-half the whole
amount might have been distributed October
|, the sum Distributed would not have paid
one quarter salaries.
The whole amount OF teachers salaries for
three quarters in Frederick county was, in
round numbers, Sal ,667, and for one quarter
| Sl3,Ss9. The total amount OF State School
| Tax received for the year was, in round num-
bers, S2S BAT, one-haf Of which, Sl4, l73,
would little more than pay one quarters SAL
aries.
As to the protection of the funds under the
bonds Of the Treasurer, il will be sufficient TO
say that the bond of each Treasurer is gen.
orally much greater than the whole amount re-
ceived from the State for year, and the bond
of one OF these Treasures is equal TO the boud
of the Comptroller.
In regard TO places OF safe deposit for the
funds, the Comptroller knows better than any
one else that every county keeps its money 10
safe bank, for the reason that drafts from
each county are drawn upon him through a
bank.
Having shown that the compiroler's argu-
menls Of eXpeiiency are totally unienable, we
close this paper with calling attention TO the
fact that the chief cause Of the present difficult
ty has grown out Of the uRvise discretion IL
legally exercised by the Comptroller 10 making
this distribution, and now, TO make such dis
erection legal would be most unreasonable and