Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-08-30
kDvEhTIsrEG RATES.
TAe HenkeI School BtII.
From the Shenandoah Valley,

Al oAu puUileueu 10 yOuE lRSt weeks lSsu
of the Valley, stated that l would give yor
for publication history Of tho School Bill, arc
at The same time Information in regard TO tht
circumstances attending its passage, that the
people might know who were really the friend!
Ut tho measure.
As The Rc m,nd Hhi!g has c)rrpc.ed the
stHiemen. msde cyit, that Hon. Il. II. Rld3l,
berger hsG writtrn tho bill. and as Mr.. Rd1o
berger 10 bis speech. ct New Market on the
y! I1ssan:. discIaped having anything 70 do
With tho bill. it is useless for me to introduce
testimony te Prove the assertions made in my
card of les: week.
La the preparation of the bill I am glad to
acknowledge the Invaluable services OF Judge
Geo. Il. Caivort, a gentleman of 6ne legal cu!-
ture. whose opluious | have always respected;
and gentleman who would not CLAIM, an honor
that did not of right beloug to him. '
Bot the preparation of the bill was not the
nuiy dtlOut feature OF tho measure l. vas
thought, that the TeaGjustcrs, who had all
the while been clsnorUus for the schools,
would give the measure their earnest apa
pro9sl AID support. The bill was sent TO
tha committee on the h day of December,
1878, aod there slept uutl late in February of
the following year. Is will be remembered that
the hoatca committee was decidedly rescj j1stsr.
But noI2ithste ndng this the bill WAS not re-.
ported. Nor did the Committee ever report it.
After learning that 1t wss the purpose and in~
:eolcn 70 bury the bill 10 committee, as patron
OF the BILL took copy into the Ssnato Cham
Der, and meeting Hon. Jpo. w. Daniel. Msi.
6rmsey, U. L. Smith. and others, | told them
Of the !ale which roy bill had met 10 the House
committee; and asked them if they could not
s It the bill through the Senate, which wcud
bring The bill before the House drtci, AID in
chat way thought We c.uld beat the opposi-
tloo party, as l was OF the opinion that ms.
!rt9 On The a,or of The House wsre 10 syupa.
Thy With the measure. These gentlemen at
oocs promised their supper. and told me that il
could DO gotten through tho Senate 10 very
few days. The bill c4me up. and was put in
competition With two or three other prop,si.
t!cns. and was fueil9 adopted unanimously.
But while it was adopted unanimously,
reteretc' to the records will show that
the names of John E. Massie Ab.am
Fukerson Jvhs Paul, aud others Of
the Same faith ere nos rtc ,rded as voting for
tbs bill. They were, tor some rcasou, absent
but had been present tut short while before.
That they were 10 Mtzrt Hall at the time will
nod explain their absence satisfactorily When
the bill c'me to the House made motion
10 take the bill up, uoder a suspension of the
fues, that It might be put uDon its passage at
once. MIR. Halvi', Of Amelia, arampant re,
adluster, opposed the motion in speech which
be toloHed with motion TO send the bill to
tho Conmlttes-the same Committee Of which
he Wss momber. and 10 which the bill had
been buried for more than Two mouths When
nd Id Il
tho qlcS!lo2 came up on its adoption, be nor
any ot his friends had the c,urago to vote
AGAINST 1t. Het C, the .ucDa reporls one hun.
drea and eight rotes for the bill-Mcz .rs Hail
will exp'ulo the whersabou!s of many who did
not vote for the bill.
HaVloa given you brie! history of the bill
and OF the circuus'arc g attending it's passage.
l will aIIude to sem, of the results growing olt
of it as law upon our statue books.
The Richmond hkig of Oot. 81, 1879. after
giving tabuattd statement of funds appr5.
pria et for school purposes, SAYS: THUS und, r
the Brokers Bill and the Henkel Bill the
schools are to get 10 script only 1891 3lS A a
year. or less, whereas they have heretofore got
iu money. uuder tho Fuading Bill itself $3.50
466 63 year or $40 147l9 a year more sver-
age IN money than they are promise in scr1pt
by che heukel Bill"
Hon. II. Il. Riddlebercer, 10 The same
year, stated that the bill was pot worth the
paper on whion it was Writtcn''-"tbat il WAS
cot worth c,nce!l"d nos'.pe CAMP" NV
what ls 8 nd of the bill 10 1881 tfer it has had
oue years trial? The Wing said, but has COR
reo.ed the statement spc, the puhlica i)o of
my card, that the 50. called Heukel Bill vas
written BY the Hon. H H. Riddleberger. This
article was copied toto the Tiroinian, (Woot
stock, without any eXDlauatlon Hhsteyer, The
Superintendent of Public 1us'ru,,ion 10 his
School R'port, page 81. says: Under the Act
OF March 3, 1879 commonly called the Her ke'
Ac. tho amount apporlioued Nov. 90, 1879
Wss S459,5l5 95;" apd page 9S be ssys, that,
Dec. . lSSD under the Henkel Act sppor-
ionsd he sun of 1904 672 75." This shows
that $l73 354 81 more, hsvs been nppnrtioue
to the schools tnsn the Rhg of 1879 sid there
would be under the bill. This. however, is 10
keeping with statements generally made ~
that igutna
1t is said that under the Heukel Bill the
schools only get three-fourths of the money to
which they are entitled. This assertion is either
the result OF Ignorance or of q wiliful perver.
sion OF facts. The schools are only entitled to
the net ameuat cole ted and not the gross sum
sssessed, The Interest on the literary fund, the
cspitaton ta1, and ten cents of the property tax
are dedicated 70 the schools in the Cons.i.u ion
Neither the apitstion tax nor the property tax
is ell co!lected-hence the bill which anticipates
the fund, only provides TO. The sppc rtionment Of
three fourths oil thegross amount due the sch ools.
Reference to the tax books will show ha! nesrly
one. fourth OF the taxes assessed for school pur.
poses are not colected-hence the necessity Of
spportioning three-fousths Of the amount in ad.
Uancc
That the measure was re- 'adjuster N measure is
rot true, That was re-sdjuster in 1873, /
shall nos deny; and assert that am re acjus
ter still. But am no repu oiican. Nor vii! I
endorse or support any union or coalition With
republicans under the disguise of re-aoj ustment
TO republlcsnize Virgins. The debt must be
settled. but will be no rparty TO any measu e
that will advance the interest Of the radical
party. sast. ri ssa "a IL rs (
Very truly yours, a.-p.'a-' L&R