The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-01

eral questions. OF them L Will par
ticularly call the attention of the SEN
ate to the mandamus bill, and invari- |
ably when have myself with him, L |
have also found myself upon the |
contrary and losing side" of every |
proposition. / will ask the senate If |
there is anyone in this chamber who
is more unyielding in his opinions and
propositions than the senator from
Cooke. who has yet been discoveredp
Mr.. Davis: | want to ask
Mr.. Fleming: No, sir; decline TO
be further interrupted. l object TO
any explanation by the senator from
Cooke, for fear that his explanation
might bring me over to his side again;
and am satisfied that the senator
from Cooke will not vote for this pro-
position, because he will persist IN re-
manning upon the contrary and los
ing side" | have followed his lead;
have advocated his propositions I'M
til l am placed in that category by the
senator himself. propose to cut loose
from the lead of Ex-senator from Cooke
and follow somebody who is not al
WAYS upon the contrary and losing
side" of all questions. / have looked
into the question some myself, and,
notwithstanding l know he is "a very
great man and talented man, and
that he has occupied that position in
the country, must cut loose from
him, for fear L will be on the con
trary and losing side" He has AFRO
gated to himself the right to speak
for the people on all questions
There are others IN this senate
who have arrogated to them
selves TO speak for the agricul-
tural people of this country, and
others, to speak for the cities, towns
and school precincts. / want it dis
tinctly understood that l represent no
class upon this floor, but that / repre-
sent the state of Texas, and l desire
to see the interest of every class pro-
| tected.
The report of the superintendent of
public free schools of New Hamp-
Shire shows that the effect of the dis
trict school system lis to concentrate
the wealth and population ola state in
cities and towns and that will be the
same result in our state unless
the system is properly guarded. We
are now depopulating the country
and compelling the agricultural popu-
lation to flow into cities and towns.
! 1t is class legislation and am 'oppos-
ed to it. While 1 am opposed to the
district school system in this state, l
am willing to let them have four
months in the year, but | am not will
ing to yield all the way, and L do not
believe that the 10 cents proposed,
will be adequate to carrying on tle
! public schools in the state, when
the scholastic age is extended from
s to III, or Is or II years of age, six
months in the year. have the mini
mum of the scholastic ages of all the
states and territories in the union, and
| do not find one but Texas which
says that no child under the age of 8
years shall not enter public schools.
On the contrary, the average Is from
Z to IL years. 1 say that a
system which restricts the scho-
lastic age from eight to fourteen
years is a fraud upon the public. 1t
is a deception that they do not see
into. l warn you now, that the
| friends of free schools in this state
will yet drive you to it. You may at
tempt it, but when the deception or
the system is fully comprehended you
will he driven before the sentiment
of the people and must go down.
1t is an onward march, and has been
since the Republican administration
of 1874. Yesterday it had a majority
of the votes of the senate upon the
floor; and you will he compelled to
yield, and extend the scholastic age to
| IL at least. And when that is done,
the tax of Is cents will not support
the public schools six months in the
year.
The gentlemen say they are willing
that the schools should be carried on
six months in the year. If this be so
| the proposition of the senator from
Bostrop (Fowler) as amended will
effect that; although would rather
see the tax collected for the support
of public schools nine months in the
year. The superintendent of public
education of New Hampshire says
the district system is failure there;
and we cannot afford to trust too
much to it down here. In my
own home we extended the scholastic
age from six to twenty-one years, and
the population in consequence has
been doubled; and it is so wherever
the system has been tried. Moreover,
this district system is against the
policy of Texas. do not like to hear
any senator say he is the representa-
tive of the agricultural class. He is
no more their representative than l
am. / received as many votes
of countrymen, perhaps, as
the gentleman from Collin;
and If owning and operating a farm
makes man an agrlculturlst, l am
one. But if he claims to represent
only the farmers, say that l am not
their advocate only, and he has no
right TO arrogate to himself to repre-
sent this class distinctly. He has,
furthermore, no right to claim that
he speaks for all of them. He may
speak for some of those from the coun-
ty of Collin, but if am not much
mistaken, he had very respectable
opposition there. So far, as l am in
formed, some of the farmers of Collin
voted against him. My friend, the
senator from Cooke, should not AFRO
gate to himself the right to speak for
the entire people of the state of Texas,
and say that the man who dissents
from his views is contrary and always
votes on the losing side.
Mr.. MatlOck moved the previous
Qaestion on the amendment. Ordered.
Mr.. Fowler's amendment adopted.
Ayes 20, nays 3.
And substitute section 3, article
of the constitution, engrossed. Ayes
%. nays 2-the latter being the votes
of Terrell and johnson of Collin.
Section 3. There shall be levied and
collected an al valorem state tax of
fifteen cents on the one hundred dol
lars valuation on all property in the
state. subject to taxation, and poll
tax of one dollar on each male inhabi-
tant in this state between the ages of
twenty-one and sixty years, for the
public free schools; and there shall be
annually set apart for the same pur-
pose. one-fourth of the revenue of the
state derived from occupation taxes.
Two provisos were adopted: the first
that in case the revenue from the
state tax, interest on the permanent
fund and revenue on sales and lease
of the school Lands shall be inIexcess
of the amount required to maintain
the schools without aid from local
taxation for six months, the legisla-
ture may then reduce the tax; the
other proviso is that in case the reve-
nue. from the sources indicated above
and without the aid of local taxation
shall not be sufficient to maintain the
schools six months, the legislature
shall increase the tax not to exceed
twenty cents on every one hundred
dollars of taxable property in the
state.
Chesley's amendment. as amended.