The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-02-06
THE CONVENTION.
THE CONVENTION.
Public School Funds-Disposal
of School Lands-Noth-
ing for Sectarian
Purposes.
Tuesday January 2e-Files Re-
lated to Officers, Citizen
ship, Forest, and
Fires, etc.

| Inc CUIiNcuIloII tuci Ncllt IuLO COlIi
mittee of the whole to consider Genera
File No. relative to education, will
ToOle in the chair.
Sections /, 3 and 3, were read ant
adopted without amendment They ar,
as follows:
Believing that the stability and success
Of republican form of government de
pends largely upon the general diffusion
of knowledge, and that universal suffrage
demands for its safe and proper exercise
universal intelligence, it shall be the
duty of the legislature, OF Montana tt
| establish and maintain general, uni
form and thorough system of public, free
common schools.
The public school fund of the state
shall consist of the proceeds of such lands
as have heretofore been granted, or may
hereafter be granted to the state by the
general government, known as school
lands, and those granted in lieu Of such
lands acquired by gift or grant from any
person or corporation under any law ol
grant of the general government; and O1
all other grants of lands or money made
to the state from the general government
forgeneral educational purposes, or where
no other special purpose is indicated in
such grant, all estates or distributive
shares Of estates that may enchant to the
state, all unclaimed shares and dividends
of any corporation incorporated under
the laws of the state. and all other grants
gifts, devices, or bequests made to the
state for general educational purposes.
Such public school fund shall forever
remain inyiolate, guaranteed by the
State against loss or diversion, to be in
vested SO far as possible in public securi-
ties within the State, including school
district bonds issued for the erection of
school buildings under the restrictions
to be provided by law.
Stephens moved to amend section by
striking out that portion of the section
providing for the manner of selling
school lands, and substituting the follow
ing: Provided the disposition of such
lands shall be limited to acquisition and
purchase by actual settlers in tracts not
exceeding 100 acres at a maximum rate
OF $3.50 per acre, and provided such linn
itation shall not apply to such lands
within two miles of any town or city.
Mr.. Stephens estimated that there
would he 2.OO0, 1000 acres of school land in
Montana, which if sold in quarter sec
tions to actual settlers or heads of fam
lilies would give farms of 100 acres each
to l2,5OO families.
Mccormick thought the amendment
was only calculated to be for the relief of
those already settled upon school lands.
There were some cases where these lands
were worth even hundreds of dollars per
acre. He was opposed to any action that
would fix the maximum price.
After some further discussion Stephens
amendment was voted upon and rejected.
The section was finally passed with a
slight amendment, making it read as fol-
lows:
The governor. superintendent Of public
instruction, secretary of state, and attor-
ney general shall constitute the state
board of land commissioners, who shall
have the direction, control and DISPOSE
ton of school lands of the state, under
such regulations and restrictions as may
be prescribed by law, but no part Of such
lands shall be disposed of except after
! appraisal without regard to any improve
ments thereon, and at public auction to
the highest bidder above the appraised
value; nor shall more than one-tenth
part Of such lands be exposed to sale in
any one year
Section ) and q were also passed, after
some discussion, without amendment.
They are as follows:
The interest on all invested school
funds Of the state shall he apportioned to
the several school districts of the state,
in proportion to the number of children
and youths between the ages of five and
twenty-one years, but no district shall be
entitled to such distributiye share that
does not maintain public free school
for at least three months during the year
for which distribution shall be made.
1t shall be the duty of the legislature
to provide by taxation, or otherwise,
sufficient means in connection with the
amount received from the general school
fund, to maintain public, free, common
school in each organized district in the
state, for at least three months in each
year.
After considerable discussion the clause
in section I, providing for the conpul-
sorry attendance for at least three years
OF children between the ages of five and
fifteen years was stricken out and the
section as amended was adopted as fol-
lows.
The public free schools of the State
shall be open to all children and youth
between the ages of five and twenty-one
years. and the Legislature may further
provide, under proper regulations and
by proper means, for the industrial and
economical education of all children
and youth before arriving at their major
ity.
Section s, providing that women
should be entitled to vote at school
elections the same as men and should be
eligible to offices under the school law
was stricken out. as it is fully covered in
| another article of the constitution
Mr.. Collins Offered the following as a
substitute:
The public school system shall include
| primary and grammar schools and such
high schools, normal schools, and techni-
cal schools as may be established by
Legislature or by municipal or district
authority; but the entire revenue derived
from the State school fund and the State
school taxes, shall be applied exclusively
to the support of the primary and gram.
mar schools.
On motion of Mccormick the words
"and the State school taxes" were strick-
| en- out.