Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-05-28
WILMLyGroN, THURSDAY. MAY rs



This is the news that comes from
Dover; welcome news to the people of
the State, especially outside of Whining
ton, if it shall prove that the bill can
yet legally become law by receiving the
lacking signature of Speaker Donahoe.
This is a question for those learned in the
law to pass on, though, since the
speakers signature is only an attcsta-
ton of the passage of the billiard its
passage is fact of which the Senate
journal contains proof-there will prob
ably be no trouble on this score. Our
Dover correspondent reports that there
are presidents in Delaware legislation
for the signing Of a bill after the adj
Z journment of legislature and we re-
call one case at least in which on account
of the stock of enrolling paper giving
out on the last day of a session, at least
one measure Of considerable local inter-
est could not be enrolled and signed I'M
til after the legislature had adjourned /;
yet the validity of that measure has
never been called in question, though it
had bitter opponents who would have
been only too glad to find loophole to
assail it.
This bill was known as the House
substitute for the Cooper bill, 1t was
one of the most important measures of
the session, 1t provided for free text
books for the public schools and for an
increase in the annual appropriation to
colored schools Of $4,000, making the
appropriation $4,000 instead of $4,000,
as it stands at present The failure Of
the bill would mean this loss Of $4,000
by the colored schools for two years
moro and, what would be much more
generally felt as a hardship, that the
people Of the State generally, outside Of
Wilmington, must go on for two years
more buying the school books for their
children. Here in Wilmington, under
our municipal management Of the pub
lie schools, we have had free text books
for so many years that our people can
hardly understand what q tax the pur-
chase Of these books imposes upon a
farmer or resident Of one Of the
smaller towns who has half n dozen
children attending school, These people
have trusted confidently ON being re-
lieved of this tax in future the
revenue received by the State from
liquor licenses, under the operation Of
the higher license act of 1880, is abund-
antly ample to justify the State in fur
nishing text books free this legislation
was advocated in the party platforms
and urged in the messages Of Governors
Biggs and Reynolds and in the reports
of the State Board of Education and 81
the superintendent Of free schools,
everybody was committed to it. The
two houses We're at loggerheads all
through the session over the Marvel and
Cooper text book bills, but every mem,
Der recognized that some measure pro
viding free text books must be enacted
the great fight being as to whether the
few men who wanted to make 81 ,50l
place for some favorite to fill could per
suade or bulldoze the many into over
loading the measure with an unneces
sary and supcrtiuous State Supcrintan
dent, The many carried the day in tn,
end and the few had to yield. But haC
it not been for this unwarranted fight t,
saddle somebody on the State Treasury
at 81 800 per year free text books hl