The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-04

"
BILE only through the enrolling influences
of the school, No fair reason can be given
why the one should be supported by equal
taxation, and not the other"
The third point made by the superintend-
ent is that "the common schools are aided
by state taxation in nearly all the states of
the American Union" Hon. N. II. II.
Dawson, United States commissioner of
education in 1873, is quoted az saying:
" Both the elementary and the higher edu-
cation were provided for by many of the
early colonies, especially by those of New
England. And from the time of the first
land grant for common school purposes by
the congress of 1885, state aid to education
has been an acknowledged principle of the
American people, even those of the most con-
servative individualism concedng in some
measure the right and duty of the state to
educate" A table prepared by Mr.. Dawson,
giving the revenue per capita of population
from state taxes devoted to the support of
schools is appended to this quotation BY
this table it appears that Maine raised S354
per capita; New Hampshire, SOB; Rhode
Island, 1923: Connecticut, S219; New
York, S3.9l; Virginia, 1919; Kentucky,
S2.5S; Texas, S347; Ohio, $3.50; Indiana,
S4.4O; Colorado, Sll.42; California, Sll39,
was raised by state taxation for the
support of the public schools This was
more than one-ffth of their entire ex-
pense. Massachusetts has school fund of
F-,lW,, -o'2-' FROM thlS every toWh WHOSE
gralu ilsU uoes nou eAoe ' 0ne-haIi lnIIIlou
uoIIaTs receives annually S"V AGAIN,
the Massachusetts mortgage law, il | un-
uersIand 1t, Dy WnlGn tle lnoI'gagee pays
ttAeS "n7IS lne lanu ~ SItuaVeu, muS' ,ehu
10 auJuSU tne burdens 3 ol .aNa'i1n' ny,
WIN al EHe SVaue du gwen 10 Cne Slla'ler
towns, me Massachusetts poard OF euuca-
ton in their report in 1888 said that 1T is
the clear duty of the commonwealth to fur
nish greater pecuniary aid to the poor coun-
Iry toWhs' IN auuiJioh 10 the large
atnouut receINeu ny the siha.i Uowns rom
Ihe slate Scnool lunu, the Ma SSS
LEGISLATURE ldSt year Srduseu o-iVo more W
pr9Vlue Superlhtehdents Tor tnem'
me lVuluh POM ullu , tnls neau Is lna1
Vi equai taAaIioI, cVhsutuIlonaly coHslu-
ereu' ~ our scnool system Is a state sys-
uelh, !. euucallon Is l0r lne pupllc gooo' our
cohsCi,u'i U artlcle y, ueihahus equal taX-
ation' me superlH. .e makes Ills
interesting resunie ol Tue sIatlstlcs bearing
on tilis SUBJECT An examination OF me
StaIsuGs 9lScloses the palh1ul TACT tnat
Z9ooo chll III en-, III ot ths staVe are attenting
schools Oh only u weeks IN year. that
BA6 children are attending schools OF 80
anu 90 weeksi CnaI, prooaoIy, oVoO OF o'OVV
more are III schools Oh 70 anu - weeks;
that Ihe average rare Oh dlstrlct taxes LOT
SCHOOLS vi ~ VI more weeks IL zo'9; VhaI IL
- % per cent lor scnoOls Oh ~ weeks, anu
ChaI Qne-quarser al ieast, anu proDaply
ohe-na,l, Shouiu DE auueu 10 Ihis, 10 sup
port sChools III Ghe smaller locahteS OF the
same lehgCn anu character as the schools OF
~ weeks; tnaU Che average rate OF ulstrlct
taxes Is 50 per cen III, IN Essex county ~ IN
bennington; % IN Wlnuhain, out IL Is only
~ per cent IN Chlttenden, 20 IN Addison,
~ IN FRANKLIN; Chat the average length
Vi sChools III ene sIate ~ ZI'Z weeks;
tnat the average length IN Essex county Is
20 weeks; III remington, 2o.o; Wlndnam,
Zo'9; Dut IN Audison ana Franklin II Is -
weeks, and IN Chlttenden' 81 weeks; that
VhaU the average lehgCh Oh schoois Is the
ereatest III huoiauu county, IL oelig 90
weeks anu t1e average ea raIe per ce''t Is %,
puC III sCnools vi ~ weeks IL ~ only 20
por oenI' r, C tIil on .nese nsures, ne
says II on,o "eio hoie eonPorary
conu'tl0li resulting from d temporary cause,
IL wouiu require very ulHereht remedies,
OF perhaps hone az an out, on Tue contrary
IL Is tne !neV!!ao'e result vi laIse prlh-
clple ol IaAaUioh' lohS continued ana
SIo"inS Wise anu "orse year ny year
III Is luli ,ilne tnat the spIrlI Oh the constl-
luton shouiu perVaoe anu shape the ehtire
system as Justice anu expectancy clearly
dictate.
AGAIN the superintendent discusses
equal taAatiou III scuools "here legal
studies are taught; NO one claims, he
says Cisio IL Is Ihe uuty OF tne state, under
one present STATUTE, W ProFlue schools OF
the same graue ana character IN all the
towns but IL Is most strenuously IN
slsleu thao our pracIlce anu management
OF the scnools, anu taxatioh TO support
theln' must harlhoilAe Win our theories OF
schoois ana taXatlon; Inns undoubtedly
Woulu require Cnag the p9ohc SCHOOLS IN
~h'ch are td"ght utoSs %udteS reqn!red 0y
tqW 70 De tdu9u' shall De substantially OF
the same character ana usefulness. The
wealthy towns can ana should, provide
schools where the hlgher branches may
DC Taught anu boys anu girls ntted Tor col
lege.
Inc next toplc discussed is How the
luhd snoulu De d!Vided II a state tax is i'm
posed IN inns tne superintendent says:
IL should be divided among the towns on
Tue same principle as the public money is
| among the dlstrlcts IN the several towns,
namely, Certain amount among the towns
equally and the rest on the school popula-
ton. IL Is divided IN New York in this
way; A tax on the grand list of the state,
divided per capita, Is not sufficient relief"
Tables, carefully prepared by Mr.. f. A.