The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1884-03-27
Federal aid TO y tate school Funds


consider the question of making a
heavy appropriation of money from
the public treasury to the several
States for the furtherance of the
cause of popular education.
| We are strongly in favor of this
appropriation provided it is not con-
ditioned upon the exercise of Federal
control over its disbursement, and we
believe this to be the general senti-
ment of the people of the Southern
States.
But while we favor this appropria-
ton of money for public school pur-
poses we dissent from the plan rec
commended by the Committee on
Education, Of distributing the fund
Gin accordance with the ratio of illit-
eracy," but demand that population
shall be made the basis of distribu-
ton.
This is exactly fair and reasonable
and does not, like the bill reported
last year, propose offering premium
to ignorance on the one hand, while
it Furnishes education on the other.
To be sure by such distribution
States that already have ample school
funds will share equally with those
that are deficient in this respect, but
we must remember that the money
to be distributed belongs to a com
mon fund, and was collected through
the levy of Internal and External
taxes from all the people, and hence
should be shared when expended by
all alike, without wronging the rich
for the sake of the poor or the poor
for the sake of the rich. Such a bill
as this will find favor with those who
opposed the one to which we refer,
and we earnestly appeal to the SEN
ators and Representatives of South
ern constituencies to patriotlcally and
unselfshly urge the plan of distribu-
tion according to population instead
of distribution Sin accordance with
the ratio of illiteracy."
The amount proposed to be dis
tributed in the bill ably championed
by Senator Blair last year, was s15,-
100000. Now to illustrate the in
justice of the "illiteraey" plan, we
will state a few census facts:
Tbs population of Mississippi is
1,l31,597
The population of New Jersey is
1,131,116.
1t will be seen that we only exceed
New Jersey in population 4S1, and
yet the Blair bill proposes to give US
1861, 1854, while it only allows New
Jersey $l19,202.
To further illustrate.
Tennessee has population of, ,542, ,359.
Iowa has population of 1GA,6l5.
Now the Blair bill proposes that
Tennessee shall receive 81, POI ,296,
while Iowa, with an excess in popu-
lation of 82,256, shall content herself
with $S5,644 from a treasure to which
her population contributed more than
that Of Tennessee.
| To illustrate more strongly the
injustice of distribution according
to the ratio of illiteracy," suppose we
instance indiana and Florida:
Indiana has population of l,97S,3OI.
Florida has population of 2G9,4 ,493.
Well, according to this plan Flori-
da would draw $213,S87, while In
diana with an excess of population
in her favor of 1,7O9,S0S, would re-
ceive but $213,244, or $643 less than
Florida.
Now, is there any justice in pro-
position of this character, and is it
strange that Western men oppose a
measure that proposes so unequal a
division of fund to which all Amer
leans are supposed to have contribu-
ted pro rata, in excise taxesH
We do not believe that bill pred
icated upon illiteracy distribution
can ever pass Congress, while on the
other hand we have every reason to
think that proposition to distribute
fifteen or even twenty-five millions
to the States for common school pur-
poses, according to the ratio of pop
ulation, will meet with general favor.
According to pro rata distribu
ton, the quotas of the States above
named would be as follows, assuming
that the population of the United
States is just fifty millions, and that
fifteen millions of dollars are to be
| distributed:
| mississippi. ....................S S39, ,470
| New Jersey .........,....... ,34
| tennessee, ,......,...,......... 4O&,I
| iowa .......... ..'''.....,.. 9Sf, ,'tSl
| Iilulilnd ......"....s,.ss.. OJo,dJU
| tflOflud.. .....'........,... SO,S4I
This would draw the money from
the Treasury for distribution in as
nearly as possible the same proper
ton that characterized the collection
of the funds, and it would go to the
several States in accOr1anca with the