Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-07-20
The APPORTl0NMENT OF SCHOOL FUNDS.

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tons to the construction given by the So
licitor general as to the disposition TO be
made OF the liquor licenses provided for
in the last legislature; his opinion being
that this money went into the general
county school fund to be distributed
among the various school districts in the
county according to the population OF
school age, while the Optic insists that
it would be an infamous outrage that the
licenses paid in East Las Vegas for the
running of saloons here should go to pay
the school expenses of some outlying
Mexican district. There is neither sense
nor law in such decision, and it is hoped
that the matter will be carried to the
highest courts" 1t heads this article
ubiquitous decision, the attorney general
violates the law and common sense in
the decision which he makes" The
article then goes on with half column of
abuse, but prints the letter from the go
licitor general to the school superintend-
ent of San Miguel county, in which he
adheres to his former opinion given to the
territorial superintendent of schools. In
this letter the solicitor general says: II
am very DESTROYS that my opinions upon
all the new laws should be reviewed by
the courts, in some of them / have been
sustained and in others reversed; give
the matters that come properly before me
my best judgment, and if l err it is only
an evidence of my humanity, and l cheer.
fully acquiesce in the result.
The cities and large towns have always
been able to take care of their public
schools after fashion, and it is the remote
and poor rural districts which need the
school fund most. Trusting that this
question may be brought to the attention
of the court at an early day, am, very
truly yours, ETC." The paper then goes
on to urge the people that an end to for
bearance has come, and says that East
Las Vegas will do well to spend every
cent of the school income this year in
fighting this most ubiquitous decision;'
thus adopting the very suggestion made
by the solicitor general, that the matter
be taken to the court as speedily as pos
sible.
1t is to be hoped that the school board
will not adopt these reckless suggestions
in regard to the expenditure of the school
income, for two reasons, first, if they at
tempted to divert the school money in
the manner suggested, they would find
themselves in very unpleasant situation
under the law, and secondly, it isn't
necessary to spend dollar to obtain the
decision Of the court upon this important
question. All that is necessary is to
agree upon the facts in the case, have them
submitted to Judge OBrien, passed upon
by him, and then an appeal can be taken
to the term of the supreme court which
begins next week and have it finally
settled. The solicitor general has already
this course to the school board
of Albuquerque, where it will be promptly
acted upon, without the tearing of any
garments, the Interpretations of school
funds or any blood-shed. This is purely |
a legal question, which is susceptible Of
two interpretations. The solicitor gen.
eral has given it the construction most
favorable to the poor children in the re-
mote precincts, and with it, the school
boards of the cities and towns naturally |
disagree, because it is against their inter-
ests. That is all there is to the question,
which will require the courts to decide
between the two views. The article in
the Optic is inspired by personal spite
and hostility, and can serve no useful
purpose whatever, except, perhaps, to
show its contempt for the native children
in outlying Mexican districts"