The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-04
llso tho obvious
RIGHT OF THE TAXPAYER.

-
B's right to have his children educated
with k'srlght to demand that BIS chill
( dren bo educated. Reciprocal duties
beges reciprocal rights. A free school
syatem based on any other theory Is an
anomaly. In no other country in the
world do ne find free education without
compulsory attendance. I have referred
to the Northern States. There we see
free school systeu1s and we find the law
trying 70 enforce attendance Of the chill
dren by means OF truant officers and by
penalty of fines. We find also there &c.
G., i'm Massachusetts and Connecticut)
that State help In given on this among
other conditions that the public schools
be kept open at least siZ months.
Are We, then, willing TO submit to
law enforcing attendance at school on all
children eud youths and maidens be-
tween six and sixteen years of age7 I,
and do not think our people would pass
their shoulder under such o burden, and
most likely those that are loudest in
claiming free education would be loudest
IN denouncing compulsory attendance.
Yet, IL we iusist on it that our schools
are free, we must make up our minds 20
have compulsory attendance insisted ON
also and rightly. And they that urge
that by our Constitution the public
schools are free, must not and cannot
gubty ahirk from accepting the logical
sequences Of that freeness-tha compul-
sorry attendance, which is also in our
Constitution.
| I have tried to chow that our public
schools are not, even In the light Of the
Constitution, FREQ schools. They are
public schools in the sense of being aided
by the public exchequer. For it is the
duty of the State to encourage and helm
the education Of the peopIe-not TO pay
for it entirely, but to defray come of the
expense and assume como of the control
and supervision. To. such as still have
constitutional objection to this under
standing of our syetem, would say that
the Constitution itself refers to public
schools "aupported in whole or IL, part by
the public funds" I am persuaded.
therefore, that the Constitution offars no
formidable obstacle to the method I sug
gest, namely, that the public school fund
should be made simply a supplemental
fund, to be obtained
ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
What the conditions should be is too
much matter of detail 10 detain us now.
Speaking generally they ehould be,
!. That the school session shall be ut
least nine months long,
2. That since the school fund can paw.
ona.third Of the expense, the patrons
4 shall pay the other two-shirds. The
school fund already pays for three,
months eesBion.)
8. That the teacher ahall hold GER
tifcate from 6 Normal School, or its
equivalent.
y nh ~ on,, faoy, avi,S ti,a. 8
would rather do without schools than
pay anything for them, NE might borrow
from Massachusetts,, our great educa-
tional exemplar, her system of penalties
by which community that negiects to
open school is subjected to heavy fine.
| NO opsTACLEs.
But does the Constitution offer no OBJ
stacies to the maintenance of Stnte Nor,
NAL School, County High Schools and
i State School inspectors out Of the pub!;S
School FuEd7 Let us see.
AS to the two mill tax: BY the directions
, of the constitutional amendment "tha
; school tax shall be distributed among the
several schooi districts OF the counties In
proportion TO the respective number of
pupils attending the public schools.-l
This does not mean that the money shall
be spent, exhausted in these Irrespective
school districts" else the school law is at
! fault when 1t directs that tho salaries OF
} tho County School Commissioners shall
be paid "ratably out Of the funds apporl
! TONED to the several school districts.'i u
(School Law, Sec. 2a.l
4 As 20 the poll tax: Z ia 10 5e :'appiied
&C educational F;;::ssii;;<<se F;:s ~ lust R
the two mill tax Is levied for t'the support
! of public schools." The support of counl
Ity high schools, Of State normal schools!
of State School nspectors--would not
. that ha an educational purpo3e?" would
not that be to suppoTt public schools
And II We can pay County School Conn
nlissione1s "ratabiy out of the funds ap!
portioned TO the several school ldsstricts,',
we chn in the same way appropriate "ral
tably" sufficient to pay for high schools!
normal ncho5is and Lsspecfors. Our
enormous fund of $500, 600 might we'll
spare enough for these purposes and still
leave enough for the common schColsi
Massachusetts spends 0nt-hay of her
State school fund on high schools and
! is attainaSle only on condition OF raising
, about twenty-five times as much. !;
HOW Is TUE ldoNEY TO BE RAIsED7 |
! Z: :s now time TO diacnaa the best mnia
OF raising the necessary amount of money
which, with the public fund rs o supple!
ment will be sufficient to pay our teach
ers adequate salaries, and to keep The
schools open at least nine months in the
year. There are three modes:
l. By private voluntary subscriptions.
g. BY local taxation.
B.. By school fee-bils.
The first, the voluntary subscription
plan---accofding to which tho patrons OF
schcols contribute 10 the expenses of tho
, school according 10 their several ability
is neither sure nora safe one and with
, this dismiss IL as unworthy OF our con.
: sideration or of recognition by the State.
LOCAL TAXATION.
/ The second--the local taxation plan.
. Is the one which is best known and has
been pursued in most OF the Northern
> States for many years--was adopted, In.
: deed, some years ago in this State. but
because of the abuses to which il led was
irejected in 1877. It behooves us to con-
sidef this local taxation plan with earn!
estntss, care and honesty, for aithourh
one of tho first acts of our reformed leg
lslature was TO repeat the statute which
empowered school districts 70 increase the
school fand by local taxation, notice
!, with regret the gradual growth ia various
parts of the State Of q sentiment in favor
of restoring local taxation. The same
circumstances which caused Its repeal In
1877 e.ill exist, and, to the abuses which
. loudly called for lis repeal then IL still "a
, liable. 1t is highly proper for us. there,
fore, 20 get what light we can on ts,ia
, subject before the next session OF euf