The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-04-01
to Kansas:
s2G, 80, los s5,a;o, 9Oa 80 l9,53l,s6

\ statement OF expendi tures per capita
of school children in the eight States, oh
tanned from the report Of the Secretary
of the lnterior-Nol " Of Messages and
Documents, 1881 and ls4 2-shows these
figures Kansas, $4.Gs; y ew ERIK, S5.3i
New Jersey, SOP Rhode Island, &C. Is;
Maine, $4.Gl Indiana, s. so; Minnesota,
$4.I3; Michigan, 1927.
Florida obtained from the official re-
ports of the Comptroller and Treasurer
OF the State Of Florida fo r thu, year l>-3(
*3.54 per cap. of school children.
The assessed value OF property ip ths
eight States given amounts 10 about
*444.7S for each person (usiag thr fig
urcs given in the census for 1850 ibr az
pertaining the population) md the ay
erage expenditures in the samv States for
each child of school age is 500. The
assessed value of property in Florida
will average to each person about S2O5.20
(using the census figures of leeo tor pop
NlnSiPiJ, anu IiiV d"Ni dSV w t'NuA'ttSlN or
above given for each child Of school age
is 1874. The census figures are adopted
to find the population of Florida, and the
property valuation is from State asscss-
ment Of 1888, which is nearly double that
of 1880, and allows the figures t. show
murh more to the adc0ntdge cf the eight
States, in the following comparative re-
suits:
*444 per cdp.-$5.67 average eNpendi-
ture for each child in the eight States -
per cent. l.2l7.
1905 per ca1,.-S3.54 average exp&ndi-
ture each child in Florida-per cent
l.727.
The Permanent Investment oi SCHOOL
Fund increased from $25O,2s4.z5 in 1882
1.-THE accumulations Of 81 years from
March, ls45)-to $429,9S4.2j IN 1884
an increase Of $l7s,7O0 IN nro gears,
bein9 nearly - per rent in~reasr. We
add the following summary Of the State
Educational Finances, as given us by
State Treasurer L'Engle:
Amount raised for School purposes IN
Florida: general School Tax raised fy
the State. Observation-Disclosures. ......t. SIS 2g7 80
County School Tax raised by the coua-
ties Observation-Disclosures. =. ..i. 1884, 4S ~
Total raised by taxation. .....: !. SPA $40 4!
Add interest upon the permanent invest
mcnt for Educational Funds. $37 iO1 .OG
Aggregate School receipts. ..... :, S2j2 AZ Z:
While on this subject we may properly
advert to the charge of much jllteracy
existing among the white children Of
the South, and were il so even N
comparative excess it might be ar
counted for by the fact that there is
numerous class of the population Of the
Southern States that contribute; little to
school funds and furnish large proper
ton Of the children among whom the
money is to be divided, thus Diminishing
the amount to be devoted to the e,iiloa-
ton of each The white tax payers
furnish nearly all the money ana the col
ored population nearly half the children
to be educated. This, howeves, has no,
prevented impartial legislation and i'm
partial management of educational affairs
for the benefit of both races, especially
since the democratic party has had con
troll, assuring fair administration Of laws
and honest expenditure of public money
and increasing the amount Of that money
even while reducing taxation, "a shown
in the extraordinary record made by
democratic administration in Florida. The
negro has been termed "the ward Of the
the nation" and the national treasury
might well contribute of it's surplus to
the school funds of which he consumes
much and to which he adds little