San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-03-19
The Public Free School Question.


number OF our citizens, for an election TO
determine whether or not the corporate
authorities, COR trustees elected for that pur'
pose, as the law may be found 10 provide
shall acquire exclusive control OF all the
public free schools within our corporate
limits. II was contemplated by tho petit
TONERS that the election would be called the
same day Of the regular election for oorpo-
ration officers, Tuesday April 7th, This Il
was thought would insure full vote, some
thing which ought to DO desirable TO all
concerned, besides saving the trouble and
expense Of another election But for some
reason the Mayor declined to call the school
election for that day, but as will bs seen has
fixed on Monday the Soth inst, - the day
for taking said vote.
The law authorizing this action was pass
cd at the regular session Of the Legislature
held in the winter and spring Of 1879. The
portion necessary to our present purpose We
copy bellows
An act TO further regulate and render
more efficient the maintenance and manage
ment OF the public free schools and institu-
tons OF learning in cities and towns in this
state.
SEQ. I. Be Il enacted by the Legislature
Of the State Of Texas, That any town In
this state may acquire the exclusive control
of the public free schools within Its limits
Sec. 9. The mayor Of said city or town
shall, upon the written application Of not
less than fifty Of the qualified electors of
such city or town, order within twenty days
Of such application, an election by the quail
fled electors of such city or town, to be con-
Quoted as other municipal elections, to de-
eide by majority Of the votes cast by the
qualified electors Of such city or town at such
election, whether such city or town shall
acquire the exclusive control Of any or all Of
the public free schools aud institutions Of
learning within its limits, and whether the
same shall be under the control Of the board
of trustees az hereinafter mentioned, or Of
the I'll or board Of aldermen Of such
city or town.
The rest of the act is DEVOTED to pro-
viding for the election Of trustees, II asked
for, declaring their duties etc. We are told
there is another act which gives the town
council authority to appoint trustees, but
this, if so, is rather imm,terial.
The sole object now contemplated is to take
the sense of the people, for whose benefit
they were intended, as to whether or not the
town shall acquire exclusive control of the
public free schools; no reference to any 9th
err present existing institutions of learning
was made or intended to be made in the Pc
tition. Nothing whatever is now contsm-
plated but to take control Of the schools.
Their further management will be a matter of
future action exclusively, and only what
may be found to be warranted by their best
interests and those of ths community. All
the talk on the part of the opponents Of the
change about taxation, is irrelevant to the is
sue and only intended to create prejudice
so AZ to defeat the movement.
We have neither time nor space to go at
length into discussion of this question,
nor, in fact, do we think It necessary. We
shall therefore only present briefly Goms of
the leading reasons for the proposed change.
which we think will be found conclusive
with fair minded people.
The present plan Of apportioning the free
school pupils and funds among other schools
the main share going to Coronal Institute
was adopted, as everybody knows, a.
mere temporary expedient. 1t was never
intended to establish precedent in thus
superseding the free school proper and di-
verting its funds to a denominational school.
If excusable then. there is no longer any
excuse for it. The free schools can no long
or be properly taught on the present plan.
Again, San Marcos is not what it was,
twenty, or even ten years ago. Its popula-
ton has largely increased and bids fair in
few years to be double what it is at present
It is obvious, therefore, the schools which
now have the contract for teaching our free
school pupils, and which are already over
crowded, cannot possibly continue to do so
without a sacrifice of tho free school system
and its best interests. If we were to attempt
to go on the present plan or 10 years longer
we should still have no free school system
in harmony with the system of the State
generally, whereas if We set it up on its
own proper basis now. by that time We shall
have fine system of graded schools in edi-
fees of their own, taught by the best teach
ers of the country and open alike to the
children of all classes and denominations of
our people. And from the time we start
these schools on an independent basis, they
will attract good people to settle here among
US as no other one thing could do. We re-
gard the steady future growth of San Mar
cos as really involved in this change.
Lastly and if possible yet more conclu-
sivcly, we are credibly informed that two of
the trustees of the Institute estimate that on
the present plan the tuition Of the free school
pupils costs about t0ice as much as it would
if separately and independently conducted.
1t follows of course that said pupils could
receive school instruction twice as long on
the latter plan as on the former, and we will
add that in the nature Of things the teach
ing could not but be much better and
more satisfactory. These gentlemen ought
to know whereof they speak. and if correct,
their estimate ought to settle the question.
We sometimes hear it said that by the
proposed change some would lose their
share of the school fund, because they
prefer to send elsewhere. Such however,
would lose only by their own option-the
free schools being open to them. But on
the other hand there may be, and in fact
we know are others who feel constrsiped to
ksep their children away from the schools