The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-02-17

T Ton between lNl county anu Guy
authorities, but lhe Law IS plain and
explicit upon the subject, and Their,
can be 90 question that a city OF
town, having d population Of more
chan one thousand, can organize t.
sell into a Separate school District
/ Il the Mayor and seleotmen Of said
city or town SO eject Sections 7o'
and 7Oo Of The Campbell Code, which
are substantially the same as The for
mer statute on this subject, read as
follows;
I rs 7O5. Each County in this
\ State shall constitute School Dis
lrict.
Us 700. Any Incorporated town
Of one thousand, or more inhabi
lants. may constitute a Separate
School District, IL the Mayor and
Aldermen so elect. whose bonnda-
ries shall be The boundaries Of the
town, and said Mayor and Aldermen
shall appoint trustUes, as hereinbe
fore provided and said trustees shall
be, in al respects, governed by the
laws and regulations prescribed for
the trustees Of other schools; aud
the Board Of Mayor and Aldermen
shall exercise in such town all the
duties and functions prescribed 10
this oct for Boards Of Supervisors IN
the County; and the County Super
intendenl Ct Education shall have
the same iurisdloii0n oYerthe schools
and schOol business that he has IN.
der the provisions Of this act In the
schools Of the County, and said ju
risdiction shalbfxtend and continue
throughout the scholastic year, and
shall not terminate With any particu
Jar session Of said schools"
Under the provisions Of this law
The City Council Of 0kolona in 1879
passed an ordinance declaring Oko
Iona a separate School District, and
and all the necessary steps to make
it such was subsequently taken.
That tue purpose vas not to take o
selfish advantage Of the law is evil
dent, fromthe fact that the schools
in this city are and have been ALSO.
lutely free to any children Of the
county for two months In the year,
and there are nov more than a huH
bred notwithstanding the schools
here, whose parents do not reside in
Okol9na The City Council last
year did not see proper.to levy The
three mill tax, for what reason we
are not informed. The Board OF
Supervisors fthe County did, how.
ever, make q general levy for free
school purposes. butwhy they should
have included Okoiona in this levy,
(since they lad no right to do so ],
We are unable TO explain. The fact
remains. nevertheless, that the Board
ofsuperydsors did levy the School
tax, ind instruct the Sheriff to coll
lecttqe same from the tax payers Of
this city. Some Of our citizens al
fiTstrefusoo u pay tut alJerwEcz-fs
DID 50 when it was understood that
The Sheriff would hold the money
in his hands, until the Bnaid ordered
him to pay It over TO our City Treas
arer, which 10 one here snppQsed
they would fail or iefase to &c.
Bit il seens that The Sheriff in max
ing his monFhiy Settlements with
the Treasurer paid over all the school
mbney collected from the tax payers
ofihiscily, and the Beard Of Super
visors, doubtless instigated by in
rierssted partiee,) lothe great aston
1shmcnt Of every iair minded man in
this community, at tie meeting held
last week absolutely refused to re-
turn to the City Of Okolona s65o0O
ofthe $b04Oa0O, which the sheriff
and County Treasurer both admit
was collected from the tax payers Of
this.city. The Schools we're kept up
last year for six, months. and were
attended by students from the cOun-
try for that length Of time, and as a
consequence the number Of teachers
employed vas greater than would
have been necessary iQr the instruc
ton Of the children Of the city alone.
Wafrabss onthe City Treasury were
issued to these teachers with The dis.
tinct Understanding that they would
be paid iehen The 3 mill tax was COL
lected. mess
The above We conceive to be a
fair statement Of The case, and We
apprehend thatWedo no injullice to
Our city or county fathers, when we
SAY that thee6ndpct one, In this
matter, has been characterized BY 8
seeming negligence ofthe interest Of
the YAK payers, and theothef BY the
most apparent pelasbness Themhd-
died condition o affairs, il not
reodaed, not only deprives the
teachers Of tie pay which ihey.
should have received by this tire
At east, fof services performed
les. year, baE Il leaves ontstand-
ing a debt upon 1.-THE city, which
the tax payers viii be required 70
meet BY IN additional assessment
This would virtually force a suspen
sion q our sehoole, for if The City
Council haafths power to levy and
collect 6 mills for school purposes.
which they must do If We continue
our Schools fot six months ,nis
year, the people are unable and 10