The Caucasian., 1897-09-09
THE COMMON SENSE OF IT.
HOW MUCH si.65 WOULD 90 FOR TINE
BeYS AND GIRLS

Sees his Mistake In Voting xaa,s, B~etsr
Public sehesis-A Cenvsrsssie. Bstvsss
George" and the Edlssx Of the Nsv
kEs'-"Gsorgs" Now Secs That he Psli.
ticians and the Monopoly Nsvspapsrs
Fooled Him.
We clip the following from the
Wilmington New Era. It is an in
teresting and instructive conversa-
ton that took place between the edi-
tor OF that paper and Pender County
farmer named George. 1t is AZ fol-
lows:
Hello! George! How did you vote
on the school question:"
81 voted against it,"
"Why did you not vote for it,
George7"
"Well, says he, because | am op-
posed to higher taxes"
"Well, are you also opposed to q
longer school term and better
schools?"
''Oh, no! l want to see better
schools, and to prove that l am in
favor of educating children, may
tell you that my wife and l are
thinking of moving to town. That
is, If | can get anything there to do,
just SO We can get our children in the
school five months in the year"
"Well, George, how many children
have you, that are old enough to at
tend school?'
"Well sir, we have five that ought
to be in the schoolroom at this very
moment
"Well, can't you send them at
home to your free school7'
"Oh, my. We only have about
two months school each year and
the children forget what they learn
from one school term to the other"
"Well, what would it cost you to
send them to a FIVE months pay
schooli"
at would cost me, sir, at least
$25 800"
"Well, would it not be wise for
you to send them to pay-school,
since you have no free school worth
speaking OFF,
"Well, sir, l would do it if l were
able, but am not, and none of my
neighbors are in q position to pay
for the schooling of their children.
So you see, we are all in the same
boat and our only hope is to either
move to town (and then our farm
goes to nothing) or to let them grow
up in ignorance and trust to chance
for their later education.''
"Well. George, how many hundred
dollars do you pay taxes on4'
"On 5000.
"Well; let's see! How much ex-
ira taxes would you have to pay un-
der this local school taxi"
II have not figured it up"
"Well, how much is it on the
$lOO9"
Fifteen cen1s."
GLOW much on the poll7'
'Thirty cents l believe
J"Well sir, then your extra taxes
to give you q FIVE months good
schooling at home would have been
only $1.65!'
What! Only $1.657'
"Yes, that's all. This small
amount would have enabled you to
keep your children FIVE or six months
in school during the year, staying
on the farm at that, where you could
raise your own supplies, which is
much better than to be dependent
on the cold charity of the city. Be-
sides, when you 60 to town, your
poll, city, state and county taxes
are about $500 extra. So if you are
opposed to higher taxes for schoo
purposes, you better keep out of the
city, especially when you and your
neil bors, who are too poor to send
THEN children to a pay school al
home.
You have thrown away the only
opportunity you have ever had t
give your children at home as goot
a school as they could get in th'
cities at the graded schools, and a
much less cost. You have votet
down a local tax that would not hav'
cost you more than ST. 65 extra. ant
would have kept your children il
the school room five to six month
in each year."
"Well sir" says George. Il ha,
never viewed it in that light before
but l must admit that have actet
the fool and in away that my futur
generation and my community may
| feel it forever. Had l taken q com
mon sense view of the matter
could have seen it was the co-opera
tion of all the taxpayers that coul'
} have given US longer school term
: for such a small increase of taxes
cheaper than any other way that
can ever possibly educate my chi
dren. Yes l have acted the fool, Q
rather / have been fooled.
At first I thought l would vot
} for the school tax. For awhil
every body seemed to be in favor {
it, but soon my party newspape
l came out against it. 1t said ths
3 we had to pay moro taxes now tina
we could afford to pay. knew tn
i was true, 50 did not stop to thinl
? see now that it is saving money
r pay ST. IS in extra taxes than to pa
! $25 90 for tuition at q pay scho'
Q or to move to town with my family.
3 With this, George (realizipg the 9,
= tent to which he had been fooled) b.
gan to warm up. Continuing
Q said:
y ''They also told me that l woul
j. be put in jail if did not pay m
/ taxes by a certain day and the
asked me if I could afford to vo
a for any more taxes to increase n
= chance of going to Jail. ! see no
r that if have to pay $500 for II
t tuition of my children or go to Il
; expense of moving totown that
l. will run more risk of not being ab
9 to pay my taxes than / would if
) had to pay only 81. .65 q year to edr
cate my children"
# "Have you seen line in your 8
called Democratic paper (which
+, the way is owned by the railroad
q about people being put in jail I
le not paying their taxes since Il