San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-03-17
SCHOOL TAX.

4 petition mas been properly
signed and presented to the Coun-
ty Judge requesting him to or
dor an election fo- Incorporating
for Free School purposes only.
The ultimate aim Of this move is
to promote the school interest of
our town by giving a longer term
of free school, to advance the edu-
cational interest of our people, to
establish a school that will be
permanent source of good, whose
influence will be felt for all time to
come and that will be an induce
ment for families to come to our
town for the purpose of educating
their children. In short the OBJ
iect of this move is to establish
lust such school here as San
Saba ought and should have. But
we suppose that no one will ques-
ton the fact that San Saba should
have a good school, nor question
the good and lasting results to be
derived therefrom. There may
be objections, however, to the
means necessary to establish a
school, such as would produce the
desired results. This necessary
means is a special tax, and we hes
itate not in saying a tax of %
cents on the 500 valuation. From
a financial standpoint We can see
why those who are really wealthy
would object to this special tax.
But we fail to see any reason why
those who are poor or even of or
binary means should oppose the
tax. But it is said "that it is not
right to make one man educate
another mans children" That is
an old sentimental song without
any moral. Why make man work
a road over which he seldom or
never travels? Why make a man
pay a bridge tax, or courthouse
tax, when he does not cross the
bridge more than twice year and
never has a case in court? These
and in fact the basis of all taxes
are answered by the one phrase,
afor public good and not for IN
dividuaI aggrandizements. Indi-
vidual rights must subserve to pub
lie good. To say this special tax
is not just is to say that general
diffusion of knowledge IS not cal
culated to promote general good,
We pay a state and county school
TAX, is this unjust? If 50 why not
stop 1t? There is another reason
for opposing this special school
tax, mainly on principles of gener-
al "mossbackism."
Education is the basis of a Re
publican form of government, a
general diffusion of knowledge
among the people is the main hope
for a continuation of our rights
and liberties. The only legal
means of promoting education, of
producing a diffusion Of knowledge
is by taxation. We hope for the
good of our people, for the welfare
of the children and in the good
name of our town that the incor-
poration will carry, and then be
followed by a special tax of % cts
on the 500 valuation.
Again. It has been urged as
reason for opposing this special
tax, that @we have had a special
tax for four years and have not
seen any good that it has done.
TIst is true enough as not one dol
lar Of that tax was ever used for
any other purpose than paying for
the public school property. Our
school district now OWLS the
school buildings aud four blocks
of land. Then it certainly has
been of good to our town and PEG
pie. Now follow it up by tx
for the purpose of prolonging the
school term to at least eight or
nine months of free school each
year. IT'S useless to say such will
be of no public good. The house
is built now cover it and you will
see fhe GOOD II will do