The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-11-02

NNNA NNLf
trict,t Hr. ..nr. trIf1d 10 tho
cities VIZ ln br.rI.r ."f that each
county ~ .It IA. airport or 10
supplement H..Ioi fund. There
are several p this should be
done. sc pre-! If .N. public school fund
Is not enough to n4i the schools Efficient,
and the one-four,A Of the s, neral revenue
IA q variable quantity, and q decreasing
variable at that. Besides, there Is needed
here iustthnt emulation even In the counties
that we find In the city schOols-in all en-
terprises where voluntary effort Is exercised.
would make the commissioners salary OF
counties and districts depend largely upon
the amount of money handled, this being o
very good evidence Of the interest mani
tested and a safe criterion as to the eihciency
and result of his labors. There should also
be allowed atax off small per cent. for the
building of good, comfortable school-houses
this would frequently be supplemented
by private donations-assured success al
WAYS attracts the attention and finally the
gifts of the benevolent man or woman"
Rep.-''What do think Of the idea Of ten
months schools? Is it possible in this our
try ?"
Prot.-"This l should leave to the people;
they know best what they need and what
they can do-this will regulate itself-just
like any other demand and supply
Rep,-"yYhat would you do with the
school lands?"
Prof.-"This is a question for the leglsla-
ture to settle. The more pertinent question
would be: What can be done with them :?
| think the governor should have convened
the legislature after the extra session, and
have stopped the sale at the nominal prices.
But, to the point these lands should be
classified. The agricultural lands ought to
be sold to bona fide settlers the sales
should be to the highest bidder, reseryin1g
the right even in such a bid to reject the
same il not suitable. The grazing lands
could fence them up, ahd a commission
should be appointed to value them; SO
that the taxes could be annually collected
for the state. as well as the lease paid for
the SCHOOLS. So much has been written
and so much figuring has been done as to
the revenue from this, that III not offer
any figures or any 'supposes.'"
The commissioner of the land office has
issued an able circular in regard to all
these lands, and has suggested what should
be done. l hope the incoming legislature
will carefully consider his recommended
tons, will add to or subtract from, but
adopt something substantially in harmony
with his views. The mineral lands should
be leased also, conditioned pom the state
receiving additionally a certain portion of
the proceeds of the mines. The lines OF
railroads have made these lands valuable.
The sixteen sections per mile donated by
the state to these roads have given a like
number of alternate sections to the schools.
Some arrangement should be made
between the roads and the STATE
SO as the grazing lands could
be leased in bodies, and at the same
price-not one price for the state and two
prices for the railroad companies.
Rep.-''Do you think the state would be
willing to enter into a partnership with
these corporations
Prof.-'It is a matter of business in which
both parties would be benefited; besides,
| think it q mistake to consider the rail-
roads as inimical to the states interest"
Rep.--'You nave not said what would be
a fair tax on the hundred dollars for school
purposes in the counties"
sProf-"Of course not-a light taxa just
tax in one county would be onerous and
oppressive in another-even in an adjoining
county. / propose to leave the whole mat
ter to the respective counties and districts.
| propose only that a law shall be passed
permitting them to vote such a tax at such
time as they may deem proper"
Rep.-'What is the permanent fund set
apart for the schools? And what is the
available fund.-"
Prof.-"'The permanent fund has been
quoted so often and set down at SO many
different values-a value assigned by every
w%riter-that it is impossible to give q clear
and definite value to it. | have at hand
and will give you what the secretary of the
state board of education says in the Jour
nal of Education, October, 1881, on this
subject: Texas to-day points with pride
and grateful memory of her heroic fathers
and wise statesmen, to her educational en-
dowment, represented by:
-Four million three hundred and seventeen
thousand three hundred and fourteen dollars
permanent cash fund credited as follows
To free schools. ......... 9UO,oUo
State university; 9id0yG
Agricultural and 2l2, Il4
Institute for the blind go. ........... l0,23S
Institute for the deal and dumb. 49,. 1882
Fifty five million five hundred and fourteen
thousand one hundred and fifteen acres OF
land. donated as follows
To common free schools ...... ,"..... 81 OOU,U OO
To the counties in fees-lmble for COM
mon tree schools. ................ 3,9S5,2O0
To the state university ..........,...... l,22l,4OO
To the institute for the blind ........y l02GlS
To the institute Tor the deaf and ...
TIC the institute for orphans. 49,, l03,229
'Of the SOIL 900 university fund only q
part is available. In this sum is included
The $13i 900 borrowed from the university
fund, but does not include the accrued in
terest-S98, ~000-onthe same"
From the above it will be seen that the
available fund and the permanent
fund are for practical purposes n~on;ayaila-
Bile. Acres, however many, are not dollars, |
neither are debts, however sacred, due the
university, available for immediate use"
Rep.-"You have written much about
the university of Texas. Do you think it a
necessary part of our public school sys-
tempn
Prof-"Certainly | do. 1t is the head OF
the whole system, and just as necessary as
the primary schools themselves. / have
likened our public school system to a grand
arch, resting upon two buttresses-the one
the primary schools, the other the univer-
sity. Indeed, We can have no sound, no
complete system of public school instruc-
ton without the university"
Rep,-"Then you are in favor OF its inn
mediate organization2"
Prof.-"Well, by immediate organization
/ would not be understood as conveying
the idea that it should be done tomorrow,
or even next week, but at an early day.
Indeed it is announced by the chairman Of
the regents. Colonel Ashbell Smith, that it
will be opened for the reception of students
September, 1888"
Rep.-"But the available annual funds
for the university amount to only about
$4,000, whereas Il is urged that $4,000
will be required; what would you do to
this deficit"
Prof-"The university is a part of the
school system. Therefore there is
no trouble-let the Legislature make the ap-
preparation to supplement the available
Rep.-'would this be Just to the common
?'
Prof-"The legislature thought IL right
10 appropriate the bonds Of the university
Ior the support of the agriculture college.
legislature heretofore thuoght 1t right 70
appropriate, TO borrow from the university
'nnd Si34, 900 for a purpose in no wise akin to
educational interests, and il seems but Just
hat another legislature ought 10 see the
Dropriety at this crisis in the history Of the /
university 10 pay al least the accrued in
crest on the same, amounting to over Ss8,-
% now, and which viii supplement for the
iext Eve years the $4,000 available
ind, thus securing 70 the unIver-
an annual revenue OF 80
90 Furthermore. believe the
sth legislature viii make provisions %
70 the university the Sl34,0O Dor +,
owed. The organization Of the university, .
that upon a liberal and broad basis,
rru11 save n the stair in mOuew about 1