The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-25

STATE REVENUE, HOW DERIVED - THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM THE COLLEGES, AND
THEIR UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF
BENEFITS:
To the People OF Holmes County:
In order that you may make your own es-
Inmates OF your finances il is necessary for
You to know your resources and the basis
upon which the State revenues are derived.
The assessed value of the real and person
al property OF the State is about $l26, 0o0,-
600. The revenue derived therefrom, ex-
elusive of Sheriff's commissions, is about
$40, 10000 per mill of taxation, so that 81
mills, the rate for this year, will raise
$40 10000. The common school fund de-
rived, as shown In nv previous letters, is
about SlS5, 100000. Taxation on railroads
| (which is collected at Jackson, at 800
per mile OF railroad, } is about $40 900, of
which the State gets one-t third, and the
counties two-thirds. The revenue from
privileges is estimated to be for 1856 $780,
| 600. There are other sources of revenue
amounting TO from $50 000 to 800, 900 per
annum. Ii is also estimated that privileges
paid in by merchants under the act of 1856,
authorizing them to make up the deficit of
privilege taxes Tor previous years would be
$4,000. Ii will readily be seen that the
revenue for 1856 will be about S950.000.
The question in which you all have
deep interest, is in the education of your
children, and in the school system of the
| State. The State, a part of the school,
system, has established colleges for the
higher education of those of her children
who desire, and are pecuniarily able to
avail themselves of such advantages.
| Whether this policy, with its attendant
| burdens, is wise one or not, will not be
| discussed in this letter, but assuming that
the grand policy of the State has been TO YOUR
best interest, / think there are some things
in the execution OF this plan which de-
serves your attention and should be re-
| formed:
| The State appropriates annually about
| 500, 600 for the maintenance of the Uni
yersity of Mississippi, the Columbus Fee
male College and the College at Stark
vile. This amount is drawn from the gem
eral funds of the State, and is paid by the
entire State That appropriated to the
| University of Mississippi, is to pay the
interest due on the University debt, but il
is none the less State institution because
its endowment as University is in the in
terest and for the benefit OF the entire State.
1t would naturally be supposed that the
entire State derived equal privileges from
| these institutions Theoretically she does
| but practically she does not. In fact the
| three counties OF Lafayette, Lowndes and
| Oktibbeha, receive the benefit of nearly,
| if not quite one-third of the entire appro-
priations. This is done in an indirect
way, and as follows OF the ISS under
graduates taught at the University in 1885,
81 were from Lafayette county. OF about
275 scholars at the Columbus school, 81 are
said to be from Lowndes county. And of
| the average number who attended school
at Starkville, nearly one-third are said to be
from Oktlbbeha county. You will thus see
that nearly as much money is expended by
the State in educating the children In each
of these three Colleges, az is derived in
others from the common school fund, and
| by county taxation, and the balance of the
State is paying tribute to these three conn
ties TO educate their children. | do not in
clude in this estimate the many other adj
yantages derived from the location of these
colleges, nor do | wish to detract from them
their decided efficiency. But / do insist
that these institutions should be so man
aged and controlled by their trustees that
Holmes county's children, and those of each
and every other county in the State should
enjoy equal advantages. 1t may be re-
Piled that they could secure such advanta-
ges under the laws governing these institu-
lions. But practically it is not true, and
it should be so that the temptation to give
preference TO these counties could not be,
yielded to by the authorities of these schools
by securing to each county the right to
send its fair proportion of children, which
right should not be forfeitable or tranfer-
able. If this were the rule, the great adj
vantages which practically the counties in
which these schools are located have over
the other counties of the State would not
be so manifest These colleges are spoken
of In the highest terms of commentator
by those who have visited them Aud the
patrons are, as a rule, highly gratified at
the progress of their children.
There seems to be among those who have
undertaken to criticise or control public
measures, two classes of persons. One
which condemns everything which has
been done during the present administra-
ton, and tries to create and then appeal to
popular prejudice against the administra-
ton and the other class are disposed to
defend everything, right or wrong, which
the other side attacks. The nature of the
one is to attract attention to themselves as
reformers for the public good, and of the
others to retain and increase the prestige
| and power they already enjoy.
The one would abolish our colleges be-
cause of their abuse of privileges the
other, in the name Of public education
and public schools Tor our boys and girls
would continue and exted these education
al monopolies used for the benefit of a few
counties and in the interest of a few
people. 1t occurs to NE that neither
course is a wise one, or to the interest
of the people for whose benefit these nsti-
tutiors of learning were established, but
that they should be fostered and encour-
aged by every means possible but ad
ministered so as to educate the largest
| mum Der of children with the smallest ex-
penditures of money We should re-
member that the demand for good educa-
ton is great, while the means to supply it
are small hence that supply independent
of the value of economy should be hus-
banded, so as TO extend as far as possible.
| To be plain, think that instead of the
| 800 900 annually expended being used TO
educate about FIVE hundred boys and girls
| in the collegiate departments of our
| schools, it should be made to educate
| fifteen hundred boys and girls. Instead of
one county monopolizipg one-third of a
college, she should be compelled By lar to be
satisfied with her just share of public ben
efits. The fate OF these institutions great
| ly depend upon their being fairly and
eGuitably administered, so as to secure the
| confidence and patronage oil our entire
people, and full attendance should be Sc
cured from the entire State, rather than
| from few counties When this is felt to be
the case all will regard them as benefactors
of the State, and be proud and gratifed
at their success, because our children
have shared of its benefits, and you in
conjunction with all the rest of the State
should make it point in our State pol
itics, that our educational advantages
should be fairly and equally used in the
entire State.
! / desire to call your attention to some
clerical errors in my last letter. In the last
column of the letter the figure was used
instead of s, making it read rs, 720.74, in