Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-01-27
GETTING VERY WARM,
The Council INDUCES in a Lively De-
bate Over the Distribution Of
School Funds.
Worlds Fair Observation-Disclosures q
Standardization County Again
Coal Oil Inspection.
COUNCIL.
YESTERDAYS AFTERNOON SESSION.

the question before the body was what
disposition to make of c. B. No. IS,
which gave the funds arising from saloon
licenses to the county school funds Of the
counties wherein such licenses were col
lected. The committee on education
made majority report to lay the bill on
the table, and Mr.. Hall presented a
minority report amending the bill so that
only ssh per cent of the licences should
go to the county fund. These two reports
were pending on the table.
Mr.. Fall opened the debate and said
that there was great deal to be said
upon both sides of this question, and that
it should be discussed spassionately,
while the speakers should contine them
selves to argument, seeking to convince
rather by appeals to reason than to pre-
judice or passion. Continuing Mr.. Fall
said:
For forty-five years, or from the date
of Kearney's bill of rights until the legis-
lative session of 1891, the territory had
no school system which deserved the
name.
"The idea had gone out through the
United States that our people did not de-
sire education, and were opposed to the
free school system; this had been stated
in opposition to our applications for
statehood; had been set up in famous
minority report of congressional COM
mittee; had resulted in the introduction of
a congressional resolution to deprive the
citizens of this territory of the elective
franchise and the right to serve on juries
and which finally resulted in the introduce
ton in that congress of bill to provide
public school system for our territory.
1.-THE Perkins congressional school bill
was the foundation of the present school
law which has been tried for two years, and
under the provisions of which we have
made more educational progress within
the last two years than was made within
the entire forty-fve years preceding. The
idea which was entertained by the legis-
lators of 1891 in regard to the distribu-
ton of the license fund was assuredly
just one, in that recognizing that saloons
in community were doors of vice into
which the children of that community
were tempted and lured to destruction,
they sought to compensate the people who
were burdened by the proximity of saloons
by providing that the revenue from those
saloons should be applied to building up
educational institutions and arousing
them to fight the lowering influences of
the saloon. This seems peculiarly appro
pirate.
"But, more than all, it laid the founda-
ton of the superstructure which was
builded by the 29th assembly, and will
permit it to settle until it becomes so
firmly established in the minds and hearts
of our people that any vicious attempt to
shake it AZ attack it will be resisted by
strong and earnest public sentiment.
"Hands off the public schools; let them
stand as they are until the people demand
change; let we'll enough alone; let time
and growing public sentiment work the
necessary changes. Give us rather one
good school than ten poor ones. Let us
hear something of the wants and the de-
sires of that great middle class who are
the standby of our government in the
time of peril and its support in times of
peace, and fewer appeals in the name of
the poor people and less abuse of the
rich"
Mr.. Hubbell followed, saying: II will
be very glad to explain my position on
the right of distributing the license fund
among the different precincts. The ar
guments of the gentlemen from Dona
Ana and San Miguel show that it is moth
ing more than monopoly. They have
this money in their hands and they pro-
pose that this legislature allow them to
keep it. Every citizen not living within
these large towns will favor our cause,
which is to educate the ignorant. We can
not educate them as we'll in the public
schools as in the more expensive private
institutions, but four-ffths of our people
demand this change.
according to the report of the superin-
tendent of public instruction. the city of
Albuquerque, according to the school
census, has 948 children of school age,
and the average daily attendance is 1916.
Those schools receive from taxes $685.
10, from licences $27,S88.40, and SO on
amounting to $4,000 for each of the
years 1891 and 1892. This is at the rate
of $40 collected to educate each one Of
these 375 children. Among the outside
precincts take No. 6, with 1OS children,
they have only $165, or $1.63 for each
child.
"They say they ask what the people de-
mand. Now here is Mr.. Hinkle from the
house of representatives representing part
of Mr.. Falls district. They were elected
on the same platform, but they represent
opposite views of the people. My col
league also expresses his views of the
matter and says he represents Albupuer-
que; I represent that city also and tha
county of Bernailllo. If there is any
legislation that will favor that city am
friend is consistent when he says they are
entitled to all the money collected from
the licenses. They will try to keep it of
course, as they do not care anything for
| the outside precincts. They believe in
| collecting $40 to educate one child and
only $l.63 for another. The poor may
remain ignorant"
Mr.. Martinez said, the people who
helped SO largely to support the saloons
and thus pay the licenses were certainly
entitled to some consideration. His
argument was naive and ingenious, and
made no pretense of false modesty. The
country people were among the best
| supporters of the saloons, and should
enjoy some of the school benefits arising
from the license fund. Therefore he was
in favor of giving them rs per cent ofthe
proceeds. At the proper time the con-
sideration of this amendment would be
pressed. Ninety per cent of all the little
he owned was located in towns, but he
would not bring himself to do any in
justice to the majority of the people.
This talk about fine school buildings re-
minded him of an English duke who
built a splendid villa in Colorado, and
then went broke. Calling his creditors
he said: II have always been used to
living in house like this and built it to
suit my own particular tastes; you GER
tainly would not deprive me of this COM
tort" That is just the case with the fine
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