Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-03-07
SCH00LLEGISLATION.


THREE voluminous bills have beer
introduced in the Legislature rela.
tive to the district schools. Two OF
these were offered in the House
by Mr.. Allen, and the other was a
Council bill of which Mr.. Collect
was the author. One Of Mr.. Allen,
measures provided for a free school
system in cities, and the other was
a code for the government of schools
throughout the Territory. Both were
duly considered in the House and
passed by it, neither Of them meet.
ing with any serious opposition.
They at length were placed in the
hands Of the Council committee on
education, and, pending a repor,
from them, the Council spent con.
siderable time in the consideration
Of Mr.. Collects bill. This was n
very long document and much
fault was found with its
verbal construction, but not, we
believe, with its intent. At length
the Council committed Collects bill
to special committee with instruc-
tions to prepare a substitute. This
was done, and the new bill result
ing was also made q substitute for
both OF Aliens measures.
The substitute is a long bill, is
divided into sixteen articles. and is
evidently designed to be a complete
school code, sufficiently specific, ex-
plicit and detailed in its provisions
to cover all questions that can arise
in connection with the district
schools, and the powers and duties
Of officers and teachers. 1t is also
the apparent intention to so frame
the bill that it will be easily under
stood AMI administered. From
such an examination as we have
been able to give the substitute.
we have been led to regard
it as well and carefully drawn.
and on the whole cornmendable. at
least so far as its mechanical con-
struction is concerned. Its fiscal
features will require to be consid-
cred in connection with the revenue
bill now pending in the House.
One provision Of the substitute
school bill which has had, in GER
tain quarters, an effect not unlike
that Of a red flag upon n bunch Of |
bovines, is the one in relation to |
elections. We reproduce 1t, as given
in section 1, article V:
"Every male person Of the age Of
-wenty-one years or over, who has
been resident of the school district
'or thirty days Immediately preceding
he day Of election, and who is the
parent of child of school age residing
n the district, or who paid territorial
n county school tax in any such
district during the preceding year, or
Who has been assessed for any terrific
,ial or county school tax in any such
district for the year in which any such
lection is held. shall be entitled to
'ote at any district school election
The, fathers of children in the
and the men who
'ay the taxes, are by this-provision
'iven a voice in the management
{ the school Of the district in which
hey reside, without regard TO other
qualifications respecting citizenship
nd the franchise. The theory
verywhere is that "a school election
not a public e'ection; that it is an
flair which concerns only a given
nd limited neighborhood. but in
Ihich the public at large has no /
interest," and that the qualifications
those who vote at it may be diff.
erent from those OF voters for pub Z
C officers. q
There are ultra Americans of .
reign birth in Utah who are /;
hooked at the idea Of an alien q
eing permitted to vote-unless for I
leir ticket: and the thought that y
man who at any time =
we'd with more than one 3