The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-02-23
/ V
THE RECORD ON EDUCATION.

Republican impudence stops when it
comes to a comparison of the Educational
records of the two parties. We do not
propose to allow any lodging. The fol-
lowing is the record:
Tho Republicans came into full control
OF all departments of the government July
1868 and continued to exercise this control
until the meeting of the first Democratic
General Assembly of 1S7O-'71-a Period
of about two and one-half years AL
though their (Republican) General Assem-
bly, WAS in session for a large portion of
this period, the only funds that came into
the Treasury for school purposes We're one
hundred thousand dollars es pecially appro-
priated by act of 1870 and those that
the CONSTITUTION set apart, mainly poll tax
Indeed much of the poll tax collected in
the counties never found its way into the
school fund as is evidenced by the follow
ing statement made by Supt. Ashley in
mis- report Nov. LIST, 1S7e:-"The county
capitation tax is to be collected and paid
i'll by the same persons who collect the
State capltation tax The law has not
been observed. Ia most of the counties
seventy-tiye per cent of their county capt
tation tax has been retained The stat
utes at that time required seventy-tiye per
cent of county capitation tax TO be paid
into the State Treasury. All school funds
at that time were required 10 pe paid to
the State Treasurer, and to be apportioned
to the counties by the State Board of Edu
cation.
In Nov 1869 an appOrtiOnment was made
of $3.50, 74G. 30 but up to oct. 1st 1870
there had been paid of this to the counties
only S42, $50 66 leaving still due them at
ter almost year had elapsed SIP, 2S3. 81.
! In Nov 1870 ana March 1871 together
there was again apportioned to the couu-
ties the same amount S165, 740. 80 which
! together with the balance OF S122, 2S3. 81
! still due was paid in 1871 and 1872. In
| 1S70-,71 the Democratic Legislature had
levied a tax Of 81 cents on 500 of proper
ty and 25 cents on polls for schools. This
they collected and applied together With
| the capitation tax and other taxes, to dis
| charging the two appointments that
had been made in 1869 AMI 1870
So that the Republicans while in power
made, during the first two years, Two APP
| pOrtiOnments amounting in the aggregate
to 1881 ,4Sl large part of which was paid
in 1871 and 1872 out of funds raised by
the Democratic Legislature of tS7Oe71.
Very little of the funds set apart by the
| Constitution during the two years of Re
publican rule found its way to the educa-
| ton of the children.
Besides: There remained of the perma-
nent school fund accumulated before the
war stocks that were valuable, viz: 000
shares in the Wilmington & Weldon T. K
1000 shares in the Wilmington e. Man
chester r. r., and 65 shares in the Cape
Fear Navigation Company. All these
stocks the Republicans sold for the sum
of $16l, $50 their face value being @632 800.
OF the $l61, $50 they invested $3.50. 900,
in special tax bonds which are worthless.
What the Republicans did for schools
while they were in full control may be
summed up in this statement: They squ&n-
der,d the permanent school fund that re-
manned after the war, and collected but
little for school purposes except what the
Constitution required and large part
even of that they applied to some Other
purpose.
The Democrats in 1872 increased the
Sc on property and 20 on the poll levied
by them in 1S70-'71 to 6! cents on proper
ty and 20 cents on polls, and in 1881 they
increased the levy to 12I cents on proper
ty and 37l cents on polls From
these taxes and from fines, forfeitures and
penalties, liquor licenses and other SQUIRE, 5,
they have collected and spent the follow
ing sums for public schools: