Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-02-01
Distribution of the School Fund

Distribution of the school Fund.
Senator Noah Bowlus, of Frederick, has
made discovery in regard to the dis'ri-
button of the State school fund and has
put his discovery on record in the shape
of a bill introduced into the Senate to pro-
vide new rule of appointment of this
fund in so far as it applies TO the educa-
tion of the white children, to the several
counties. 1t seems that, prior to the es
Enlistment of public schools for colored
children, the basis of the superintendent
of the puplic school fund among the sew
eral counties was their res pective popu'a-
tions between the ages of five and twenty
years, no distinction being made as to
color. When the system OF free public in
struct'on for colored children was adopt
ed in 1874, the sum of 100000 annually
was set aside for that purpose, to De dis
tributed to the several counties according
to their respective colored populations be-
tween the ages of five and twenty years.
Now the discovery which Senator Bow
lus has made is that. as the laws regulat-
ing public instruction now stand, the
counties having colored popu atoms re-
ceive the white school fund on the basis
OF their whole population within the spe-
CITED ages, and the colored fund on the
oasis of the colored population, thus, as it
appears to him, making the colored popu-
lation count twice in this matter His
bill provides that The white school fund
shall be distributed according to he num-
Der OF white children nj the col,red fund
according to the number of colored child
rem. The effect of it, if it were enacted in
to law, would be to greatly diminish the
amount of the fund distributed to white
schools in those counties having large ne
gro populations, without in any wise in
creasng the distribute n to the colored
schools.
While at first view this proposition
might seem just, an examination of The
matter will make the injustice of it readi-
ly appear to any fair minded observer If
Senator Noah Bowlus Will only take the
trouble to reflect that the system OF public
instruction to colored children is an en-
tirely Independent system. spriuglng from
the philanthropic purpose of legislators
from all over the State to afford The ad-
vantages OF primary education to the co..
ored youth OF the State, without regard to
the localities in which they might he found
we believe he will have attained tue pro-
per intel ectual status to see that it would
be equally rs unjust to make this distinc-
ton against The counties having CO 'ored
populations now, as it would have been
before the co'ored schools were establish
ed.
This much being attained, the Senator
will be IN situation to inquire why it
was that no such distinction was made in
the school law as it originally existed
Upon an examination Of this matter be
will find that The failure to do so is not
attributable, as he appears to think. TO ac-
cident or oversight; but is due TO a Just
consideration of the premises In the
counties in which Iarge colored popu'a-
tions exist, the white population is very
sparsely scattered over a large area Of
country. The expense, therefore, of afford
he a1.
the same number Of white children would
necessarily be much greater 10 these coun.
ties than in the more densely settled couu-
ties where the whole population is white.
The attendance 1t the several schools are
necessarily much small er, relatively. and
the expense per capita correspondiugly
greater.
1t was doubtless just appreciation of
these facts that influenced the wise Law
makers who originally framed the school
law to make NJ such distinction regard /
ing the distribution of the fund, aud the
same reasons should, and We hope will, /
operate now to prevent the change sought
to be effected ~ Senator Noah Bowlus. /
The amount now received in This county
from the State school iund is greatly in /
adequate to the keeping of our white
schools in operation. A large supplement
tary appropria' ion has to he made anna
ally from the county treasury to keep our
schools running, and even then our edu- I
facilities are greatly inferior t.
those afforded in the more northerly coun.
ties of the State. We trust, however, that
the Frederick Senator will hold his horses
and not go on So fast in this matter. The
people of the counties of the Sta'e having
colored populations have already been
badly enough wronged by the State gov
without our ingenious law max
ers taxing their astuteness to heap further
injustice upon them.