The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-12-24
The Free Book Fund.

To the Editor ofThe Republican.
The letter published in your col
umns last week from the pen of Prof.
L. q. Palmer should be read byevery
voter in the State of Maryland. The
present law for the distribution of
the fund for the purchase of free
school books, as also the one making
distribution of the State school fund,
is one which works great injustice to
the children of our county. With
Charles county getting $14.40 per
capita for the white children who at
tend its public schools, st. Mary's,
S13.O9, Calvert, $10.5G, Anne Arundel,
S10.62, while Garrett gets $2.S5, the
least of any county in the State.
This is a great injustice to our peo-
pie, an outrage perpetrated in the
name of law and civilization, which
would be disgrace to the highway
man who demands your money or
your life.
Our people are entitled to better
treatment at the hands of the sister
counties of our State.
Charles county, by the help it gets
from the State, pays by tax upon her
own people for the support of her
schools IL cents on the 800; St Mary's,
12I; Calvert, II, and they are enabled
to keep their schools open for long
terms. In Calvert the term each year
since 1870 has been ten months;
Charles not less than nine months in
any year and most years ten months,
and st. Mary's county ten months
most years during the same period,
while Garrett has only three years in
hnr hiStnr hnan oil tA la
schools open seven and a-half, al
though our people pay more accord
ing to our taxable basis than anv
county in the State and nearly three
times as much as the counties above
mentioned; we have had as low as
thirty-tive days, while several years
we had but two and a-half months.
This is terrible evil. There are boys
and girls growing up i'll our county
who at night gather around the fire
sides OF our people, who will soon be
men and women engaged in the fierce
battle for existence with those who
have had the privileges afforded them
to obtain an education in other coun-
ties. knowledge is power" never
was more true than to-day, and boys
and girls of Garrett will be pushed to
the wall and many of them will curse
the day when their lot fell to them in
this county. Our people have done
more than those OF any other county
in The State. We are being previously
wronged, unjustly treated by q law
enacted by the Legislature of this
State. This question must be agi-
tated until this unjust law is repealed
and the boys and girls of Garrett
county given the same rights and
privileges of those of other counties.
Prof. Palmer has sounded the key
note. Let it be kept up until the
law, which is a curse to our people, is
blotted out forever. In the mean
time, while it may seem hard and no
doubt is, can we not for the sake of
our children, for the sake of human
lty, do something more ourselves? Is
it not possible, although paying more
than any county in the State already?
Can we not (when we consider that
no remedy can come from the State
for nearly two years. do something
more ourselves? 1t is true that many
of our people feel the burden of taxa
'tion heavily, yet little more all
around and we could have another
months school.
This is a terrible. What we want
is remedy, and the only one | can
see for the next two years is for us to
help ourselves, and in the meantime
wake up on this question, demand
our rights from the State and fight
along until we get them.
Yours for justice for the boys and
girls of Garrett county.
a. T. GEORGE.