The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1886-02-10
Increase in the State Debt.

ihat ihcHf reports COL the huulinf ant
Treasurer will show a considerable 10
cr.asr 81 the State debt within the pas
four years This will not be surprising
When the fact il recalled that the Lrgls
laiurr Of 1882 increased the common
Echo' i1nd to 100000 per anDum and
decreased the rate Ui taxation from tire,
10 tNo and a half mills, which is equal
To $4,000 per aunum. II viii be noticed
thai these Two items made d difference
OF SGJ0uCO in the financial transactions
oil be State in the four years.
ii you viii examine section I30 Of the
Cldr OF 1880 you will zee that the school
tax was made county tax IN addition
to the "a mills State tx, sud has nothing
20 do with the State debt aud IN that sec.
ton the counties were Commanded 10 levy
Rta1 Tor school purposes not to exceed
three mills. Aud II you will examine the
act ol l5s2, which increased the amount Of
diurbuuyr school funds to $500, 900 instead
OF 100000 per nnnum, you will hud In the
same act an increase Of the school tax by
stocking out the words "not 10 exceed aud
making an absolute levy ON the counties Of
three mills. Now, II rs the Governor says,
a difference Of halt mill in our taxes,
equals $500 pr annum, then the three
mill tax levied on the counties would
yield precisely the 100000 10 be- dis
tribuled Tor school purposes.
IL the Governor really ignorant of the
Law, or does he think that We the dear
people, are all 10 ycrdant that lee can prac-
tee fraud on our cscdulity2 y.
We find the foregoing in the Vicks
burg Post Of the 9th lust The CORES
pondeut is totally ignorant Of the sub.
jet about which he writes, AS we can
easily demonstrate
In the first place, the amount ex.
pended on account OF public schools by
the State Is not 100000 as Ak" seems
to think, 1t is useless to go farther
back than 1882 and 1888 to prove this.
In 1882 the amount expended according
to the report of the State Superinlcn,
dent OF Education was $3.50, GiOOI and
In 1888, it was sS03, 5000 These
amounts we're realized from the sources
specifically indicated by the Constitu-
ton, from the three mill tax which the
Act OF 1889 required the Board of Super
Visors to levy, and from the amount
added to the Constitutional school fund
to make the sum distributed by the
State equal 100000
The Code Of 1880, Z IA, is as follows:
Whenever the amouRt of school fund
in the State Treasury in any fiscal year,
does not in the aggregate amount 90
two hundred Thousand dollars exclusive
of Chickasaw or other special funds,
then the State Treasurer shall transfer
from the general fund to the common
school fund sufficient amount to make
the sum Of said school fund two hum
dred thousand dollars and said sum
shall he distributed upon warrants OF
the Auditor among the several counties
pro rata, according to the number of
cducebe children in said counties
This was intended to insure a distri
button Of 100000 every year, and is
n standing appropriation out of the
general luna OF sum sufficient to make
the constitutional school fund equal
t-uo.o0o'
Inc actor 1907 oh'pler NIL amended
section ~ OF the Code Of 1850, 10y
striking out Two hundred thousand %
and inserting three hundred thousand '
wherever The same occurs In the section,
This was intended to secure a distribu-
ton Of 100000 every year,
Section $50 of the Code of 1850
makes it the duty of the Board of Su
peryisors Of each county to levy such
tax, not to exceed three mills M will
yield an amount whichil added to the
funds arising from other sources, will
mHkeasum sufficient to maintain the
public schools of each county during
the time required 10y law. This left il.
discretionary with Boards Of Superyis
ors, within the limit OF three mills, 40
fix the county tax for school purposes,
The amendment to this section, found
in the acts of 1882, chapter XIII, took
away the discretion which the Code left
in the Supervisors and made the levy Of
a three mill tax mandatory.