San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-07-12

present constitution reads as follows :
aThere shall be set apart annually not
more than one-fourth OF the general
revenue of the state, and q poll-tax OF
Al on all male inhabitants OF the state
between the ages of 81 and 60 years
for the benifit of public free schools"
Joint resolution No. proposes to
amend said section so as to hereafter
read rs follows:
Section 8. One-fourth of the reve-
nue derived from state occupation tax
es and poll-tax of 81 On every male
inhabitant of this state between the
ages of 81 and 60 years shall be set
apart annually for the benefit OF the
public free schools of the state, and In
addition thereto there shall be levied
and collected an annual ad valorem
state tax of such an amount not to ex-
coed 20 cents on the 500 valuation as
with the available school fund aris-
ing from all other sources will be sufti-
cient to maintain and support the pub
Lie free schools of the state not less
than six months in each year and the
legislature may also provide for the
formation of school districts within all
or any of the counties of this state by
general or special law, without local
notice, and may authorize an addition
al annual ad valorem tax to be levied
and collected within such school dis
trict for the further maintenance OF
public free schools and the erection OF
free school buildings therein; provided
that two-thirds of the qualified proper
ty ax-paying voters of the district
voting at an election to be held for
that purpose shall vote such tax, not
to exceed in any one year 20 cents on
the $1UO valuation of the property sub
jeot to taxation in such district, but
the limitation upon the amount OF the
district tax herein authorized shall not
apply to incorporated cities or towns
constituting separate and independent
school districts. ~
There was in the opinion of the leg
islature no one question OF public
policy upon which the people of Texas,
without regard to party affiliations
were more tremendously united than
that of the great wisdom of the estab-
lishment and maintenance by the state
of IN efficient system of public free
schools. The attainment of this desid-
eratum by the legislature working I'M
der our present organic law has been
demonstrated by the experience of
years to be utterly impossible, except
by the keeping of the state advalorem
tax at such figures as will draw from
the pockets of the tax payers largely
in excess OF the amount necessary to
carry on the expenses of the state
government economically administered.
In other words, your legislature found
it impossible to reduce the state adva-
loren tax to the minimum necessary
for the support of government, without
at the same time incuring the mortitica-
tion of having to starve the schools.
Remembering the fact that the people
of Texas of all parties, with remarka-
bic unanimity during the last political
canvass in the state demanded of their
candidates for legislative honors that
they should submit to them PROPOSE
ton to so amend the constitution as to
enable the legislature in the future to
separate the school tax from that levied
for the support of government, to the
end that the state tax might be reduced
to the proper figures without detri-
ment to the schools, and to the elimin-
alton for the future to very great ex-
tent of the school question from the
field of politics, in response to which
demand the legislature submitted the
foregoing amendment. The legislature
were of the opinion that the maximum
allowed to be levied by this proposed
amendment would be amply sufficient
with the addition of the revenues from
other sources to which the schools are
entitled to give the very best of school
facilities for at least six months in the
year, which in the opinion of the ma
iority of them was as long a time as
free schools should now be supported
by general state taxation, from the fact
that the agricultural classes, who pay
the bulk of the taxes, in consequence
of being compelled to utilize the labor
of their children of scholastic age in
the cultivation and harvesting of their
crops, cannot as a general rule avail
themselves of the benefit of q longer
term of school than six months in the
year. This joint resolution was passed
by an almost unanimous vote through
both branches of the legislature, under
the firm conviction that it was demand
ed, not only by all political parties. but
by the very best and highest interests
of the state.
Fourth-Joint resolution No. pro-
poses an amendment to article of the
constitution by adding section %, which
simply has the effect of AUTHORIZING the
county commissioners court of the sew
eral counties to reduce the number of
terms of the county courts to not less