The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-03-12
SENATOR BRYAN'S SCHOOL
BILL,

| Ais aH, vi buplin, has lTl-
troduced bill which provides that
the school fund of North Carolina.
from all sources whatever or where
ever derived, he apportioned equita-
bic and divided on per capita basis
among the children OF the State of
'he ages from six TO twenty-one
years of age. The text of the hill
is as follows:
BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT
TO APpoRTIoN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL
FUND AMONG THE SCHOOL PopuLA.
TION OF THE STATE.
Whereas, The existing system of
public schools in North Carolina i "A
county system, and furnishes very
unequal facilities To the children of
the State, the amount o. school fund
varying with the accidental location
of children i'm wealthy or poor coun-
ties; the terms of schools varying
from eight weeks in the poor coun-
ties, 10 twenty weeks in the more
fortunate and wealthy counties, in
contravention of the intent aud spirit
OF the Constitution OF North Caro-
lima, which evidently meant by "A
general and uniform system of pub
lie schools TO give each child IN the
State ali equal chance, and To give
special privileges to more; therefore
the General Assembly of North Car
olina Go enact:
| Section /. Thetal taxes levied by
the General Assembly of \. {.
for free school purposes shall be ac-
counted for at the State Treasury
subject to free school purposes lex
cept such school moneys as the Con-
stitution requires to remain in the
counties) and shall be equitably di-
vided among the children of the
State of the ages from six to twenty
one years upon per capita basis.
Section 2. The State Superinten-
dent of Public Instruction, by and
through the cooperation of the She
riffs and County Boards of Educa-
tiOn of the State, shall adopt such
methods as he may deem practical
BILE to put the above Act in execution,
and all laws or statutes i'm conflict
with this Act are hereby repealed.
Section 3. This Act shall be in
force from and after its ratification.
Mr.. Bryan's argument if favor OF
this bill is as follows:
"That it conforms to the demands
of the Constitution of North Caro-
lima, chapter 9, section :, which com.
mands general and uniform sys.
tenn of free schools for the State
wherever tuition shall be free OF
charge, to all tie children of the
State between the ages of six and
twenty-One years, and that the Gen.
eral Assembly of North Carolina
shall provide by taxation or other
wise the funds TO keep this system
of free schools in operation foul
months in the year in each school
district in the various counties of the
State; and that the commissioners
of the counties falling to execute
the above demand of the Constitu.
tion shall be liable to indictment.
Now it is evidently true that the
T good men who formed our State
, Constitution did not intend that
county commissioners of the various
counties should be indicted until the
, Assembly provided the funds, Z
, plain inference that the Constitution
demands four months free school IL
every school district in al! the c0un.
ties of the State. This last provi
, sion of the Constitutional gives strong
and plain evidence that the framer:
OF the Constitution meant to extend
to the poor children of the State tht
same opportunities for obtaining ar
: education as the rich children, so faI
as the free school system extends,
and from the general and recognized
fact by civilized christian nations
: that religion, virtue ond intelligence
are necessary to the happiness ant
prosperity of the people and to the
stability of good government.
, End. The inference is conclusive
that the enlightened nations OF the
earth adopt free schools to extend
: the means OF education to their poor
and INDECENT citizens, who are de
prived Of the means of education
} without State or national aid.
So strongly aIe nations Impressed
with the necessity Of education t'
good citizenship that they adopt
, laws compelling attendance at free
= schools, viz: Prussia has these com
); pelling laws and it was stated tha
in the Prussian division of the Ger
man army in the late war will
! France that there were only three
: soldiers i'm the 100 that could no
read and write.
The objection to the free school
system of North Carolina, as nov
!. executed, is that it does not affort
= equol and uniform opportunities o
education to the children of tn,
!, State. The school term varies il
= length with the wealth OF the coun
ties, from six weeks in poor countie
to twenty or more in the wealthie
: counties, defeating the object OF fre'
e schools, which is 10 give education
to those unable TO obtain it out o
t their own means. Whatever ma,
have been the motives Of the shrew,
unscrupulous men who cohtrive.
: the present methods of executin;
the free school system Of this State
the result is that it discriminate
against the poor children and give
special privileges to the rich. Ii ig
- nores that community OF intere-
which is and should be appreciate
q by citizens of all States and is mani
e festly unjust to the poor countie.
/ for the reason that all the counties
3 or nearly all, that own wealth abov
J. the average county has obt ,ine
y their wealth by having large VII
= lagos, towns or cities within thei
:. borders, to which the poor agricu
1t tural counties carry their product
'r and take the price given by citizen
t, of towns, and buy their clothe:
1t tools and groceries at prices fixed b
the merchants, and merchants an
dealers in cotton add tobacco, thoug
Il 4 e.. y n