The record-union., 1891-09-28
HARPING ON MY DAUGHTER.

HARPING ON MY DAUGHTER.
There is one hobby upon which the
San Francisco Bulletin is maniacal; that
is the contribution by San Francisco tc
the State school fund. 1t went daft upon
that subject some seven years ago, and al
no time since has it recovered its reason
so far as that topic is concerned. 1t now
declares for the hundredth time (aftel
showing that San Francisco has paid in
$l70,933 more than it has drawn OUT that
there is no reason why we should con-
tribute to the support of schools in the in
terror. Our fellow-citizens there are as
well able to provide for the education OF
their children as we are."
The Bulletin has all these years stub
bornly refused to understand that the
policy of the State in the erection of the
school system was not determined by
county boundaries. The educational
scheme is State plan, and county lines
are observed only as means of conqen-
ience in distributing the aid fund
The State proceeds upon the doctrine
that all the children in the State are en-
titled to equal facilities for obtaining edu-
cation, so far as the free schools are con-
cerned. Accordingly, there is fixed per
capita which is applied regardless of the
residence locality Of the child. Now ii
happens that in the centers of population
the proportion of taxable values is
greater than the number of children OF
school age, those entitled to the per capita
from the State school fund. As a result
San Francisco and some other centers
pay more in taxes to the school fund than
the aggregate of the per capita apportion-
ment for the education of her children.
1t is of just as much importance to the
State that dozen children of school age
in remote mountain district in Siskiyou
or Modoc Counties should have common
school educational advantages as an equal
number of children in a given block in
San Francisco. Hence, the only equita-
table system possible to establish is the
per capita system of State aid
Apply the doctrine of the Bulletin, and
which it has persistently preached these
many years-that each district should
maintain its own schools - and what
would be the result? In the sparsely and
the moderately settled sections the taxa
ton necessary TO maintenance of free
schools would be so heavy as to be un-
bearable, and schools could not possibly
be opened. AS a result, the children
would be deprived of all educational IA
cilities, and ignorance would prevail des-
pite the States ability to aid education.
As it is, the cost to the people of thinIy-
settled sections is really far greater for
school purposes than to the people of con-
gested populations. The State aid is not
sufficient TO enable the former to erect the
school-houses they ought to have, or to fl
out classes with those educational appli-
ances that are so desirable. In addition
TO the per capita aid given by the State,
the districts have therefore to tax them
selves heavily in order to maintain
schools, and even then only here and
there are grammar school or high school
advantages open to the children of the
country. But in the cities, the number oi
the population and the concentration oil
taxable values enable the people at less
rates of taxation to build superior school
houses, TO fit out the classes with all the
best modern school appliances, to main.
tain a graded system, 10 avail of training
grammar and high schools, and more-o
the kindergarten schools.
The Bulletin ought to rejoice that il
exists under a system that regards edu.
cational aid by the State of as much inn
portance in Siskiyou and Alpine as il
san Francisco. But it will not: it viii
continue to do IS il has done for years
growl and grumble over what it i.
pleased TO term the injustice of taxing
san Francisco TO educate the children o
the interior.
As matter of fact nothing of the kind
is done; all the people and all property
bear the burden of the contribution 10 tn,
State school fund equally and draw
from it equally; it simply happens tha
in one section there is greater " ealth thar
in another; but the interests Of the rising
generation are the same. regardless Of tn,
concentration of values. The system
would be inhuman that would condemn
sparsely settled regions TO ignorance. anC
concentrate all educational blessing
where there are tho most people and tn
greatest wealth. The Bulletin ought {,
be able TO see, and it is, if it were not dom
mated by the stubbornness and queru
lousness of old fogyism that the wors
thing that could happen for San Francisc,