The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-01-23

O11Ce should be abolished and tho
entire management Of the schools be
placed in tho hands Of tho county
boards OF examiners and tho local
trustees. In some cases men have
boon elected to this Office who could
net read and write, and certainly were
unable to write u sentence correctly,
ana whose moral character was not
well calculated to elevate the tono Of
tho teachers or pupils under their
supervision.
Tho common schools Of tho State arc
required TO be separate and distinct
for white 'and colorcd children, and
pupils OF either raco arc prohibited
from attending tho schools so sCt apart
Tor Tho other race.
rho county authorities arc required
to lcvy tax OF thr0o mills on the dol
lar upon all taxable property in their
respective counties, which tax shall
DO collected at the same timo and by
tho samo oilicors as other taxes. 1t is
mado tho duty Of the school trustees
10 eXpcnd and disbursc this tax as tho
Gonoral Assembly may provide.
would suggest that you leave this to
tho board OF trustcos as in their wis
dom may seem best for the interests OF
their several districts. Loaul-self
government in this particular is
| iSt'V'S w w oSSlICuI ituu DSIUcF re-
suits will be obtained than by any effort
OF your body TO prescribe rules and
regulations TO moot tho conflicting
conditions that necessarily exist in tho
various school districts. Tho people
who pay tho tax can better Judge as
how to apply It to t',rir own interest
than the General Assembly, with all
due respect to your body. The man
ncr OF SOLICITING trustees need not he
uniform, and cannot be throughout the
State If intelligence Is to govern In
such selections. The Representatives.
| from tho several counties arc the
Judges OF how to select these officers,
and their conclusions will no doubt be
accepted by your body.
a supplementary tax is provided for
whenever tho amount raised from tho
three mills levy fails to provide per
capita or thrCo dollars upon the num-
ber Of pupils enrolled. With this,
however, you have not to deal, us it is
made the duty OF tho Comptroller Con
cral to levy the supplementary tax if
needed. 1t is within your province to
prescribe the number OF months dur
ing which the free schools shall re.
main open, and in case the taxes hero
totorc mentioned arc insufficient to
maintain them you "ro required to
levy such additlOnal tax upon the prop
erty OF the State Us may be sufficient
for such purpose.
i TO provide a torn OF less than six
months would DC IL failure upon your
part to satisfy the great demand Of
our people for better common schools
Unless our youths arc bcttor prepared
in these foundation schools tho thirst
for higher education will be slakcd,
t and on, system of colleges will become
: top heavy and fall of it's own weight
4 All the net income to be derived by the
l State from tho sale or liccnsc for tho
+ sale of Intoxicating liquors, all gifts to
d! the State where the purpose is not
| designated, all cschcatcd property
= the net assets or funds Of all estates on
, o-partncrships in the hands of the
courts OF tho State where thcro have
Dccn no claimants for tho same within
the last seventy years and tho direct
tax fund, arc set apart rs Il permanent
school fund, to bc securely invested
} and the annual income shall be nppOr-
toned by the Goncral Assembly for
J the purpose OF maintaining tho public
schools. This sum will be q largo one,
and it " II be necessary for you to pre-
scribe tho manner in which and by
whom it is to be invested, as the con-
stitutiOn leaves this doubtful
1t is mauo the duty of tho General
|
OF the counties into suitable school
DISTRICTS. IS compact in form us pructi-
cable, having regard To natural boun-
dhrlcS, ana not TO exceed fOrLy-ninc nor
nc less than nine square miles in area,
etc. 1t is impossible for your body to
90 more than leave This matter in the
hands or the county boards Of cXamin-
crs ana other county school authOri-
ties, cDJOning upon them the oXccu-
tI0n OF this provision.
PENAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITU-
TIONS.
The name Of the I.unatic Asvlnmn
has boon changed to the State Hospi-
t;tl for tho insane.
1t is made tho duty OF your honorable
body at your first session after the
adoption OF the constitution to pro-
vide such proper and liberal lcgislu-
tion rs will guarantee and secure an
annual pension to every INDECENT or
disabled Confederate soldier and sailor
OF this State and Of the laLo Confcdcr-
rate States who arc citizens Of this
State, and also to the indigent widows
OF Confederate soldiers and sailors.
feel that it Is absolutely unnoccs-
sary for mc to say one word in refer
rncc to tNis matter TO enable you to
realize your duty. Most Of you arc
Confederate veterans, and those who
arc not arc sons Of Confederate soldiers
Ii there is one thing dear to the hearts
OF South Carolina, it is tho memory
OF the lost cause. a State that OK
hausted hcr all to maintain it cannot
. be ungratcful in her hodr Of prosperity
30 the INDECENT and disabled veteran
: who stands as a living monument of
tho principles which most finally pro-
vail to pcrpctuatc this republic. Let
your appropriation be, AZ the consti-
( tuition directs, proper and liberal.
Having thus gone over In cursory
; manner the various articles OF the
, constitution, 1t will be seen that tho
legislation required Of you at this scs-
| sion OF your honorable body may be
classified as follows:
/. An act TO regulate the right OF
| suffrage and for regulation of cleo
. tions.
: b An act defining and protecting
= the homestead for heads Of families
= and for persons not head OF families.
4 f,>,