The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-08-09

olops ldes iRei N h aaief non ifoin dlshon
est officials than u would be In lbe pfo
posed shape. asss,
1flhla amendment ia adopted. Tue people
viii SEQ NJ 10 the honesty Of officials Jnst ni
they do now,
Some man IL always talking about Whist
happened daring the war when the railroad
upon which loan was made was tore up
or when the state took other than legal
tender In payment OF school fund. Well we
haven't had but one civil war In century
and the chances are we will never have al.
other, 80 this kind Of contingency wont do
TO figure on.
The business men of the country don't
figure on the happening OF such an extraordi-
nary event, or they would all shut up their
shop and join the anti'free school
crowd or go hshlng
Section 8. article, LAS the amend
ton. The only material difference be.
tween The constitution as 1t now stands and
the amendment is easily understood.
At present we are allowed to appropri.
ate only one-fourth of the general revenue
for school purposes, with the state tax at 80
cents on the 500, the schools can get only
IL cents on the 500. The amendment
proposes to allow a separate school tax
sufficient to run the schools six months IN
never exceed 20 cents on the 500
and permits property holders in any school
district by two.thrds vote to impose
upon themselves an additional tax for the
support of their own schools.
BY another amendment the maximum
state tax for general purposes is not allow
ed to exceed thirty.five cents on the hun
bred dollars so the possible maximum OF
state tax including school tax could not be
more than five cents greater than permitted
under the present constitution.
The state tax for general purposes Will 60
down one-lourth or one-half as soon as the
school tax is levied, and with fifteen cents
levied for school purposes and fifteen cents
general state tax we would pay no more
than we now pay and be able to lnaugurate
good school system that would soon be
pride to US and benefit to our children.
1t is small privilege to allow property
holders to tax themselves by two-thlrds
vote to educate their children
There were two factions in the legislature
lust as there is in the state. One wanted
an exclusive district school tax; these were
generally the representatives from north
Texas and the larger counties in other por-
tions of the state. The other wanted the
schools supported by general tax. Tnesee
were generally from eastern Texas, and
what is known as the black belt. There
was another class of representatives that
were willing to see six months
schooling at general expense
but wanted all over this done by local taxa
ton on O vote OF the people.
This amendment is a compromise allow
ing six months schooling at general ex-
pense, ami it is a just and equitable settle
ment of the question, and | nope to see my |
people sufficingly liberal to adopt it.
What if we do pay out more than we re-
ceive in school money, il is because we are |
more fortunate and can afford it.
Right here let me predict that unless
this amendment is adopted as a compro-
mise measure, that there will be no
schools in Texas for years,
and sectional fight over the tw) systems
that will lead to the adoption OF an amend |
ment providing for an exclusive general
school tax, or to division OF the state.
hope never to see this question before the
legislature again, because it engenders
strife where there should be harmony, and
threatens the unity of the state as well as
the success of the democratic party. We
can't afford to agitate this question any
longer ana keep the blight of ignorance
on the people while we agitate
and dispute for the, advantage
of one section over another. would never
have voted for any other system than
combined one because this is the only one
fair to my people and just to the rest of the
state. Any one who objects to the amend
ment must certainly be opposed to popular
education or not posted as to conflicting in
terests in the state.
He may assign other reasons TO catch the
unwary but his objection is to education
itself.
The amount is small, and as the perma-
nent school fund increases the school reVe-
nue. from taxation will decrease.
Those who complain about the amount
of this tax and the injustice OF some coun-
ties or sections of the state paying more
than others should, consider two things. In
the first place large portion OF This tax
will be paid by railroads and other corpor-
atiops and by nonresident land owners and
by resident owners large land and stock
interests who have no children to educate.
These great and paying interests pay this
school tax Just as they help bear any other
burden of government. Upon examination
YOU will find that those counties which pay
so much more to the school fund than they
receive from il have valuable railroad prop
erty to which the state has made liberal
land donations and this property |
will nav the excess and IN most cases
many of those counties which pay so little
and receive so much from the school fund |
have unsold, and non taxable school
lands in their borders.
Taking all these things into consideration |
the present amendment is probably a fair |
the sections with a preponderance OF wealth |
and the sections with a prepoEderance OF
children within the scholastic age.
Those who urge this objection should re-
member also that the scale of wealth and
scholastic population varies, and that u
NAV not be long before we draw more from
the school fund than we pay into IT, Inc
nroposei tax is small at best, and will be
largely paid Dy those who have no children |
iu Texas, and the man who has children !
will not pay much in comparison.
Some of the northern states pay in school /
districts as much as two dollars on the hun |
dred. We can have as much education on |
a tax OF twenty cents on the hun iTed dol
lars, by proper use OF our permanent
school fund, and IN TINS we are iaNoteu py |
This amendment furnishes an equitable |
basis and a low rate OF taxation, and he
must not want a school system badly who
votes against il on any OF the ilimsy pre- |
texts have yet heard assigned. Let us
have education when it will cost us
40 little and give such large returns. Let
ms no longer allow the children to grow up
in Ignorance. Give them ak months
schooling from eight to eighteen, and we
will have done our duty by them as an en-
lightened, progressive party and govern
ment.
in a fair way TO take It's stand along with
other states of the Union from a stand |
noint of education and intelligence.
Ifyou think it a Yankee notion try It ike |
Won DO a Yankee pillow or reaper, and a
thousand other things Yankee.
/ have spoken 10 you at length on the
school amendments because L feel 50
strongly the importance OF their adoption.
believe their success means continued and
renewed success for Texas. / believe that
their defeat means a camper on our pros,
perity and an outrage on our boys and girls
and a continuation Of an Improbable and
political contest in the dem
ocratic party and with outsiders.