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

BIS right to have his children educated
at the expense of A can only co-exist
with AS right to demand that BIS chill
dren be educated. Reciprocal duties
beget reciprocal rights. A free school
system based on any other theory is an
anomaly. In no other country in the
world do we find free education without
compulsory attendance. have referred
to the Northern States. There we see
free school systems and we find the law
trying to enforce attendance of the chill
dren by means of truant officers and by
penalty of fines. We find also there (e.
g., in Massachusetts and Connecticut)
that State help is given on this among
other conditions that the public schools
be kept open at least si1 months.
Are we, then, willing to submit to a
law enforcing attendance at school on all
children and youths and maidens be-
tween six and sixteen years of age? /,
for one, would oppose it to the utmost,
and / do not think our people would pass
their shoulder under such burden, and
most likely those that are loudest in
claiming free education would be loudest
in denouncing compulsory attendance.
Yet, if we insist on it that our schools
are free, we must make up our minds to
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
subtly shirk from accepting the logical
SEQUENCES of that freeness-the compul-
sorry attendance, which is also in our
Constitution.
have tried to show that our public
schools are not, even in the light of the
Constitution, free schools. They are
public schools in the sense of being aided
by the public e1chequer. For it is the
duty of the State to encourage and help
the education of the people-not to pay
for it entirely, but to defray some of the
expense and assume some of the control
and supervision. To such as still have
constitutional objection to this under
standing of our system, would say that
the Constitution itself refers to public
schools supported in whole or in part by
the public funds" l am persuaded,
therefore, that the Constitution offers no
formidable obstacle to the method sug
gest, namely, that the public school fund
should be made simply supplemental
fund, to be obtained
ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
What the conditions should be is too
much matter of detail to detain us now.
Speaking generally they should be,
l. That the school session shall be at
least nine months long.
2. That since the school fund can pay
one. third of the expense, the patrons
shall pay the other two-thirds. (The
school fund already pays for three
months session.
8. That the teacher shall hold GER
tifcate from q Normal School, or its
equivalent.
And if any fears exist that the people
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 neglects to
open school is subjected to heavy fine.
NO OBSTACLES.
But does the Constitution offer no OBJ
stacles to the maintenance of State Nor
NAL School, County High Schools and
State School Inspectors out of the public
School Fund? Let US see.
AS to the two mill tax: By the direction
of the constitutional amendment "the
school tax shall be distributed among the
several school districts of the counties in
proportion to the respective number of
pupils attending the public schools
This does not mean that the money shall
be spent, exhausted in these respective
school districts" else the school law is at
fault when it directs that the salaries of
the County School Commissioners shall
be paid "ratably out Of the funds appor-
toned to the several school districts"
(School Law, Sec. 2S.)
As to the poll tax: 1t is to be "applied
solely to educational purposes" just as
the two mill tax is levied for "the support
of public schools" The support of coun-
ty high schools, of State normal schools,
of State School Inspectors-Would not
that be an educational purpose?" would
not that be to support public Schools2
And if we can pay County School Com
missioners "ratably out of the funds ap-
portioned to the several school districts" "
we can in the same way appropriate era
tably" sufficient to pay for high schools,
normal schools and Inspectors. Our
enormous fund of 100000 might well
spare enough for these purposes and still
leave enough for the common schools.
Massachusetts spends one.hay of her
State school fund on high schools and
normal schools, while the other moiety
is attainable only on condition Of raising
about twenty-five times as much.
HOW IS THE MONEY TO BE RAISED?
It is now time to discuss the best mode
of raising the necessary amount of money
which, with the public fund as 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:
1. BY private voluntary subscriptions.
2. BY local taxation.
8. BY school fee.bills.
The first, the voluntary subscription
plan-according to which the patrons of
schools contribute to the expenses of the
school according to their several ability
is neither sure nor safe one; and with
this dismiss it as unworthy of our con-
sideration OF 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
decd, some years ago in this State, but
because of the abuses to which it led was
rejected in 1877. 1t behooves US to con-
slider this local taxation plan with earn
estness, care and honesty, for although
one of the first acts of our reformed Leg
islature was to repeal the statute which
empowered school districts to increase the
school fund by local taxation, 1 notice
with regret the gradual growth in various
parts of the State of sentiment in favor
of restoring local taxation. The same