Daily Tombstone epitaph., 1886-02-05
THE TAX QUESTION.
Several Now Ideas About Our
 Public Schools.
"Csntontisu' nits Back vigorously at
 "Csssisteacy."
TUCSON, Arizona, Feb. 4, 1886

the school trustees that, "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad" He is not only mad, but boiling over-- if we are to judge by the quantity and quality of the vapor he daily throws of on the press sf this city. Like every other advocate of a bad case, he makes up in violence what he lacks in reason, and is ignorant enough to suppose that the people of this district will take such trash for argument. Let me say to this champion of education, that if the com munications which, over various noms de plume, he daily inserts in our papers, contained mere truth and less falsehood, more logic and less sophistry, more de- cency and less vulgarity, and, in brief, smacked more of the man than of the hireling, they would look much better in print, and, perhaps, would have more weight with the people. But you cannot get blood from stone, neither can you get sense from fool.
 In this mornings issue of the EPITAPH this man Friday attempts to refute some statements made in your issue of We'd nesday. He says to conduct the schools the five months ending January 3I, i, cost S4,7Sa So, and not S3,4Sa 80, as gave it. I took my figures from the financial statement published by the board of school trustees in your paper of Sunday, and as copies of that issue are to be obtained at every news store in town, he who runs may read, and he who reads can sec which is right. He says the average monthly expense is SS56 s6, yet the board gets along with about $77s, but then Jack, could always tell bigger story than his master.
 But Consistency" as he styles himself, is indeed jewel when he quotes us law. He says: "The trustees are not author ized by law to keep the schools open when there is no money in the treasury or that purpose. When the money gave out i, was their duty to close the schools forthwith" It was not their duty to close the schools forthwith, and there is no law requiring them to do so. The board gives vouchers for school debts, and war rants on the treasury arc given for the vouchers as soon as school funds are available. This has ever been the GUS. tom here, and is the practice all over the territory; so the trustees must find some better excuse for their conduct in closing the schools than is afforded us in the quoted paragraph.
 The teachers were satisfied with the conventional arrangement, and would have continued to teach had they been given an opportunity to do so. If "Con- sistency" doubts this, let the school doors be opened next Monday, and see if the ladies are not "all present or accounted for" When the schools opened in Sep ,ember last, there was not cent in the school fund, nor was there dollar avail able until some time in December. Why did the rigidly law-abiding trustees open the schools under such circumstances and close them in January, when there was railroad fund to be distributed early in February and reapportionment of district money to be made in Mayi If the trustees are so strictly law.abding, why did they issue an illegal election no. tice and. only change it when called their attention to iti And when they changed the notice, why did they alter 1t to evade the law rather than to comply with it? Did the board proceed accord ing to law when they paid the eminent English capitalist, Authur Lsing, ten dol lars to post three election notices that boy would tack up in ten minutes? Does Consistency" think everybody is as ignorant of the school law as him self and the trustees? Undoubtedly he does, for he goes on arranging for ten months more school this year, unmindful of the fact that on June 30 the entire present board of trustees goes out of office, and a few days later new board comes in. Would not courtesy to the new board suggest that the present board con6ne their labors to the term for which they are chosen, and leave the new board to provide for the period that properly falls within their reign'
 The present board cannot engage a teacher to teach moment beyond the
 goth of June, nor can they contract for the expenditure of dollar beyond that day; but between now and then they can give our children five months more
 schooling which, according to their own
 figures, should cost S3,4S2 So; so about
 that sum should be voted them and no
 more. Sufficient unto the day is the
 evil thereof"
 | And now, if the boards apologist is