The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-07-20
The t,slucMt iOnMl Quest iOn.

kEtkA, FLA, july loth, lss6.
elitor PAlArkA Ntws:
| ! am glad that TIN Nrws il lalorlns tO
promote u greater interest among the
people in khalf of public schools. II
says some things that may seem severe,
hut hope the effort will result in great
good. ] need not tell you tlMt public
sclHA,ls are sadly neglected in Putnam,
county. and in Palatka in particular, for
that is known to all. ! 10 not know who
Ia to blame fW this great neglect. ! would
like to s@ it Investigated and the blame
locat.d. Then We would know who to
lay in the shade. Other counties are
buikling up good schools, and greatly
advancing their educational interests,
while we of Putnam county ARE doing
comparatively nothing. II We need /,
school house We must pay for il out of
our own packets. Not one cent can We
get from the county. When we hire
teachers We can pay them only about
what the coloied man gets for working
by the day. Good teachers cannot
afford To teach for such wages; hence We
must put up with Just sue, teachers as
We can get Here at kruka We had tn
raise money ehongh to buiil u srhool
house. 1t will i" good house when
completed, far better than you have in
palalka. At lnlrrlachcn, near by, they
are doing the same thing. having raised
something near thirteen hundred dollars.
Neither pace Is receiving one cent Of all
from the county. These enterprises
show "A rommcndable spirit upon the
part of the people Who are seeking to
help themselves in the face 1T lack Of
interest upon the part Of the counly.
| II seems that those who have control Of
our county affairs arr unwilling To
appropriate money for school purposes
any more than to pay extremely low
wage $ to teachers and a few incidental
expenses. Why they Il" ri | cannot
learn. | am, however, informed that
| the, claim that the law does not author
ize them to either collect or appropriate
money for school building purposes. 1t
seems to me this Is an unreasonable
excuse, for other counties. uLder the
same law, are raising and appropriating
money for this purpose. u the law per.
mits them to thus raise and appropriate
money it will us also. To my mind one
Of two things Is absolutely true: Eithr,
the countries referred to arr transcend
ing the limits of the law. or the authori-
ties Of Putnam county are avoiding the
execution of the law in our county. !
would like To ae this thing fully vcnt,-
lated and discussed in THE News b, those
who pretend to know the law and are
running the affair- Of the county. Let
us have light on il, and, if possible, learn
who il to blame for thi. state u. aifaiis.
Ilonot pretend to understand the Law
of the state, but It seems - tln' that it
is hardly reasonable to supp"er that any
set Of men would make laws iuibidling
the raising ot money for school hullling
purposes. And AZ other counties, under
! and by power Of the existing law. are
raising money for this very purpose. i,
certainly follow that til" officers of our
county having charge of this business.
are negIecting thu most important duty
J they owe the rising generati"n. IL | am
wrong let ns have the law on the subject.
do not write this article IN behalf Of
such enterpri-ing places a. keuka and
lntprlachen, for We will sron have school
buildings that will I've a credit 10 any
community in the State. hut it does seem
I 10 me that Palatka's educational interest
needs help and needs it badly. lam put
ting it very mildly when say that the
neglected condition of her educational
! work is disgrace to the whole county.
By all means she ought to have tine
school binding with irst-class teachers
and educational Appliances. These things
would induce hundreds to spend the
winter months in Palatka with view of
educating their children, to say nothing
Of the henefitstley would be to the youth
Of the city. ELDER }. II. MOORE.