Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-09

receive fees and salaries from $4,000 to
$4,000 a year,
II would be a good plan for the leg
lsature to limit the aggregate fees
ana salaries OF the county officials up
on a graduated scale In proportion to
popuistlon and service. so that they
may be properly paid, while the spirit
OF extravaganza, encouraged and nur-
tured by wealth-producing offices. shall
be checked and prevented.
IL VIII be seen also that witness fees
are annually increasing to an aston
ishing extent. To check this il would
pc well either To return to tho old
Jaw. or TO require such fees in at
tached cases to be paid In whole or
IN part by the counties in which the
lflals are had. The taxpayers must
foot the bills anyway. and II will be
materially to their interest for the
county commissioners court to be COM
Ptlle1 10 inspect audit and pay such
zee plds where public interests demand
mat they shall be paid at all. 1T Is a
common thing now for sheriff or
deputy to attach and carry" wealthy
men hundreds OF miles across the state
10 court at the states expense. This
useless practice should be checked. and
also the law should provide that no
officer shall be paid any fees or costs
by the state until the final DISPOSE
uon of the case. To disguise the truth.
or deal with this subject mildly or in
Inherently, is but TO encourage abuses
iirausht with much danger to the pub
lie treasury.
The Public Free schools.
The following table shows for each
OF the preceding four years the scholas-
tic population, the annual apportion-
ment made by the state board of educa-
NlHaa IA.
Of:
Scholastic population-1ss1-9 2 5s3. ss5,
693. 752 '''' -'''-'''
state pportlonment-1s9l-92. s2.627.-
2oIi lSs2-9S, s2,90i3i2: 1s93-g4, S2.2i5.bOi;
ls94-95, $2,42S,l32.
Per capita observation-disclosures $3.50;
1928. $780, 1884, "a. so; 1Sgi-g5, 81. 80.
IRON the foregoing 1t will he scen
that while the aggregate school fund
from all sources in 1Sgi-g5 was about
two hundred thousand dollars less than
Tor the years lS9l-92, the scholastic pop
ulation increased about one hundred
thousand during that time
me constitutional mandate that the
legislature shall raise sufficient revenue
10 maintain and support the public
free schools of this state for period
of not less than six months of each
year, has never been complied with
and It canot and never Will be
obeyed without increased taxation. Tho
revenue has not been increased The
scholastic population has. This is the
trouble.
The available means derived from
the permanent school fund consist
ing Of the public free school lands,
the land notes and bonds, added to the
constitutional appropriation of / per
cent OF the permanent fund, fall Ear
short Of maintaining the schools up to
the standard required by the consti-
tuition. In my first message to the leg
islaiure, four years ago. these questions
were fully discussed, and advice was
therein given to increase taxation for
their support. The following quota
ton from that message on the sub
1ect Is given for the purpose OF reiterat-
ing the sentiments II contains:
This misleading opinion, that the
state Will educate the children at its
own expense, to some extent seems to
prevail. This may sound well and APP
pear as plausible; but the pertinent
question is, how will the state UT
the money with which to do this2 The
only answer Is. ftom the people. The
people compose the state. 1t exists
by their consent. for their convenience,
to promote their happiness. without
money 1t cannot exist, and that must
be raised by some method of taxa
ton. A partial and qualified exception
to this rule applies to the public
free schools. For their support, the
state-once owned vast
domain. At first It seemed TO be tho
general expectation that all the e&-
penses of the schools could be de-
frayed out OF il without resort 10
taxation. No longer does such an opin-
lon prevail among those who are In
formed on the subject; and there Is no
hope Of such a mistake ever again
being eXcusable. The proposition, mar
rowcd down to the line Of candor, Is.
that if the people ever expect TO have
an efficient system of free schools, they
must prepare to pay for It, Resort to
sophlstries and subterfuges may dis
gulse the truth, but its essence and eff
feet will nevertheless remain. Unmask
the facts. deal candidly, and let the
truth be known. If the people revolt
At the situation. they alone have the
power to change il"
advocated an increase OF taxes /
FOR this purpose then, and again dis
,hargc my constitutional obligation In |
his respect by repeating the self-evi-
lent proposition, that the mandate Of
he highest law known to the public 4
servant cannot be compiled with as to .
public schools without an increase OF .
he tax rate in proportion to the in 1
crease of scholastic population. 10 .
maintain them. the lcgis-
allure must raise the revenue, There .
$ little use OF attempting to dodge .
he question any further
AS the population increases, the rev.
MUGS remain comparatively unchanged.
rs consequence, the per capita APP
,ortioned by the state board OF educa-
lon necessarily must be decreased an
,ually. The present administration has
rot been able nor willing to check
he increase of scholastic population,
10 more than il has been able to in
crease the revenues without legisla.
i've action.
Two years ago, in order TO give all
he relief possible to the public free
chnols. the expenses OF the education
4 department. of the Agricultural and
Mechanical college, and of the medical
ranch of the university. previously
aid out of that fund and from the
revenues, were taken from
he general revenue, which, to a con-
iderable extent, accounts for its pres
mi inadequacy to meet the current
expenses. A discussion
Z the untold benefits OF the ell
lent maintenance Of the public free
ehools would seem to be superfluous
ere. This, now. Is not the question.
the proposition Is: Will the
scislature obey the plain mandate OF
M constitution, or will II follow the