Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-08
TESTERS RESOLUTION
For Appropriating from the Permanent to
the Public School Fund Engrossed.

the Public School Fund Engrossed.
Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX. April I'm explaining The
meaning and significance of his ioiHt resoIu
ton to-day for appropriating per cent an
nually Of the permanent school fund tC
maintaining the public schools, Jester
stated that the permanent fund now con.
siStS Of. cash s5O0,OO0, county bonds s., 623
62O, state bonds s., l4S 500, land notes So.
143, 600, railroad bonds 81, 1G3.3l1: total SIS
600, Geo. To this must be added y, 500. OOC
acres Of school land valued at 81 80 per acre.
or S56.250, 600, making q grand total of
about 225. 200. 600 as the extent of the pe,..
manent school fund The joint resolution
proposes to amend the constitution so as TO
permit the appropriation of l per cent OF
this amount or 500, 0UO annually to the use of
the public schools. The available revenue
from this colossal permanent fund was last
year 1881, 10. or barely enough to maintain
the public schools for two months. The
sum necessary TO maintain the schools lon
ger than two months must be made I'D by
taxation to the extent Of s., 900, 900 year.
Partly to relieve the people from taxation
and to make present use of the permanent
school fund the proposition OF Mir. Jester is
made. The appropriation of per cent will
not, is claimed, make any actual reduction
for some years in the permanent fund, as
the increase in the value OF the school land
IS GApeCttu W OHSeb the L per cent aDDrO-
priation. 1ilSon of Hunt assaulted the reso-
luton in the manner of tax and made the
greatest physical effort of his life in de-
nouucing the scheme to break the will OF
our fathers and despol poSterity of the
noble heritage provided for it. The orator
displayed as great solicitude for posterity
as though posterity had done wonders for
himself.
Jordan, Reynolds, Davis and others op-
,NOsAI cphnrrn q a,-;I
Browning of Donley regarded the res
olution as the most statesmanlike PROPOSE
ton of the session. and held that il should
be submitted to the people TO pass upon it.
Baker of Tom Green favored the res
olutiou and deprecated the oratorical out
bursts against il on the floor, as better cal
culated for the slumS than public forum. Ii
was q matter for the people rather than the
legislature TO pass upon. The disposition
of the school money was pressing problem
of momentous character that demanded
speedy solution.
The Gresham bill for investigation of
railroads seemed TO be out Of favor and
some other avenue must be soughto out for
an investment. Why not submit
this one Of using portion Of It 10 build UP
the schools Of to-day instead Of letting il
rust in the treasury vaults 10 the people
before whom it may be discussed, and a
rational conclusion arrived at
Owsley did not believe that il was good
policy to keep ourselves and children in
semi-ignorence in order that years hence
postcrity may have millions to spend in
making scholars and educated chumps of
all sorts Of people. Education, as well as
charity, Should begin at home, aad now.
after al, it vas matter for the people to
decide.
Curry did not favor the resolution, and
maintained that national banks should be
displaced by a system Of state banks so con-
stituted as TO guarantee the stability of each
other, to which banks the school fund may
be loaned.
Doggett seconded the idea. and Brown Of
Grayson thought it worthless. He favored
The resolution and thought It should be
submitted 10 the people. Something had
TO be done with the school money, and he
knew no better way Of using it than in
educating the children of to-day.
The discussion resulted in the ensross-
ment of the resolution b. big majority.