The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-04

tive of providing for at least their elemen'
tary instruction. If we did not consider
seriously and sensibiy the question
"What shall we do with them "-left in
deplorable ignorance and yet possessed
of terrible power, they would soon force
us to. consider the startling question
"What will they do with as :" The "uni'
versal voter" is uncanny at his best; the
ignorant universal voter" is to be feared
more than the pestilence. If there is to
be a Constitutional Convention in this
State" let it not meddle with the public
school fund. To abolish the school tax
would be blindness and madness.
OUR PRESENT PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
AND ITS FUND
have q very brief history, to which ]
shall briefly refer:
l. In 1868, when the Constitution was
adopted, it was made the duty Of the
General Assembly to make provision for
a liberal and uniform system of free pub.
lie schools. TART. x, Sec. 81
2. In the same Article, Section 5, the
General Assembly was instructed to levy
an annual tax on all taxable property fol
the support of public schools.
8. BY the same Section the poll tax
was set aside as permanent fund to be
applied solely to educational purposes
and General Statutes, Chap. XXXVIII,
Sec. g. to be expended for school pur.
poses in the school district from which il
was collected.
4. The power to increase the school
fund by local taxation was conferred on
the inhabitants of the respective school
districts, said tax not to exceed three
dollars for every child of scholastic age
Is to 16 years) in the district. Gen.
Stat, Chap. xxx, Sec. 10, 4tba)
5. By Joint Resolution of the Senate
and House of Representatives, approved
March 2s, 1875, constitutional amend
ment was passed amending Article X,
Sec. 5, and empowering County Commis.
sioners to levy an annual tax of not less
than two mills on the dollar upon all
taxable property in their respective
counties for the support of public schools.
This amendment was ratified by the votes
of the people at the general election: in
1876. The annual appropriations were
thereby suspended; and
6. BY an Act, approved June s, 1877,
70 amend Sec. Is, Chap. xxx, Gen.
Stat, the power to levy local tax was
wisely revoked.
We have therefore now no annual State
and no school district local
taxation; and it is hoped that future
General Assemblies will be on their
guard against reviving either. The abuses
on the power to levy local
tax caused it to be revoked in 1877. 1t
is strange that in 1879 we should find in
various parts of the State the desire ex-
pressed that it be again put in force. It
is strange that part Of the unfinished
business of our Legislature last session is
a Bill, which was reported on favorably,
providing for the revival of the local tax
power in cities, towns and incorporated
villages. Let our Representatives be-
ware of this wolf in sleeps clothing.
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND
is derived from two sources-the two
mill tax and the poll tax. AS perma-
nent fund it will keep pace with the pro-
gress of the Commonwealth, increasing
ir amount simultaneously with the in
crease in the value of taxable property
and the increase of our population. At
present it amounts to nearly $40, 900, of
which the two mill tax contributes about
$270, 900, and the poll tax the rest-a
large part Of the poll tax not being col.
lected. When we add to this vast fund
the $55, 900 raised in Charleston by the
local tax system, which has been estab-
lished in that city for many years, we
find that the public school fund of South
Carolina amounts annually to nearly
$400, ,000-that is, nearly fifty cents a
year for every man, woman and child,
white and black, in this State. South
Carolina has certainly no reason for self
depreciating in this regard. AS State
she contributes to public education vast
deal more than any other State in the
Union.
Such is in brief a history of public ed
ucation in South Carolina; such and so
great is the provision made for the main
tenance of our present system. I need
not weary you by detailed explanation of
the official machinery to whose manage
ment the system is confded-the State
Superintendent with his State Board, the
County School Commissioners with their
County Boards, the School Districts with
their Boards of Trustees. Nor in pro.
ceeding to discuss our school system, as
it now stands, need take time to demon
strate
CERTAIN ESTABLISHED PRINCIPLES
upon which we are well enough agreed
and which we may take for granted.
shall only state these and then pass on to
certain Others which still are more or less
in dispute:
l. 1t is an established principle with
us that the education of The people is 8
matter which is not to be left wholly to
private effort and sense of parental duty,
but that it is to certain extent the duty
of the State. Some may doubt the valid.
ity of this maxim, but the logic of events
at least is against them, and it is now too
late in South Carolina to argue the point.
The duty of the State to care for and pro-
vide in part for the education of all her
children is part of our organic law, deep
ly and enduringly imbedded in our Con-
stitution; and ample provision has been
made by the last constitutional amend
ment for the performance of the whole
duty of the State in this regard.
2. 1t is also All established principle
with us, and is in in fact expressed en-
phatically in the Constitution, that the
State has only to do with the secular and
not with the religious education of her
children. We are thus relieved in South
Carolina of the rancorous religious diff.
Guilty, and the odium Meologicum does not
intrude itself into the discussion Of our
public school system.
These principles being granted, let us
now consider the question,
HAS SOUTH CAROLINA DONE HER WHOLE
DUTY
in this matter of public education? She
certainly has furnished money enough in
her public school fund she has estab.
1ichod nv constitutional foxot;op o nor.