The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-22


lima. IA; Georgia, %; Florida, 81; Ken
lucky. 45; Arkansas, &c; Louisiana, On;
Texas. L; Oklahoma Territory, 66; ONO
GA: Indiana, 46; Illinois, Sc; Michigan
10; Wisconsin, "A; Mississippi, CD; Iowa.
sc: Missouri, rs; Nebraska, 81; Kansas
So: Montana, SO; Wyoming, 81; Colo
RADIO, 60; Utah, 50; idaho, "a; Washing
ton. 90: Oregon, II; California, 4S;
United States, 81; South Atlantic State,
81.
The lowest per cent, you will observe.
is in North Carolina.
Massachusetts, which has, perhaps,
the most complete and successful public
schools in America, raises 90 per cent of
the money for these schools by LOCAL
TAXATION.
The only public schools in North Caro-
lima to-day adequate in teachers, build
ings, length of term, etc, to the task of
educating all the children of the school
district are those of the cities and larger
towns that have levied liberal local
tax, from which y or 2-3 of their school
fund is derived.
Further evidences is unnecessary to
show the failure of gcnral taxation alone
and the success of general taxation sup
plemented by local taxation.
<. The people of North Carolina stand
face to face with the best opportunity
they have ever hal and as good an OPP
porunity as they can ever expect or
ask for to secure local taxation. n more
complete and favorable law upon this
question than that passed by the last
LEGISLATURE is now directed, the most
ardent friends of local taxation could not
have asked BY it local taxation has
been made an easy possibility, and If
the friends of the lower puUlic schools
throughout the State will but cooperate
and agitate this question, it shall soon be
converted into q certainty and blessed
reality.
6. The adoption of local taxation under
this new law means for the public schools
of North Carolina, first MORE MONEY,
and this means, of couse, better teachers,
better schools, longer terms.
As Indicative of the increase in the
school funds of the various townships
and. public schools that may be expected
in the districts awaiting themselves of
this law, attention is directed to sug
gestion and interesting tabulated state
ment for al the townships of Wake c0un-
ty. except Raleigh, carefully prepared
and published for free distribution by the
efficient, public-spirited Register of
Deeds of that county.
This table shows that at the lowest
rate of taxation, allowed by the new law,
to-wit: ten cents on 800 valuation Of
property and thirty cents on the poll,
fourteen of the eighteen townships
would increase their public school fund
more than fifty per cent; three would
double their fund and one would nearly
treble it. The fund available to each
public school in these townships would
be increased in about the same ratio.
These schools would receive from $40 to
S129 more each. The average salary of
white teachers in axe county is S27 per
month, and of colored teachers $3.50 per
month, so that the terms Of the public
schools for white children would be
heightened from six to fourteen weeks
each, and the terms of those for colored
children from seven to twenty-three
weeks each AS Raleigh is omitted in
these estimates, we may fairly
take Wake county as an aver
age county The average length Of school
term of public schools for the State is:
White, 1912 weeks; colored, lilo weeks.
Local taxation then would mean for the
various counties of North Carolina the
lengthening of the terms of the public
schools from fifty to one hundred per
cent.
VII. Another result that would almost
certainly follow adoption of local taxa
ton is increased interest in public schools
from stimulation of local pride and local
interest. Each school would no longer
be the States school nor even the cOun-
tvs school, but the districts, the COM
munity's school-no longer indefinitely
their school, but very definitely our
school.
Men would thus biennially at least be
brought face to face with the RESPONSE
bility personal and individual OF provid-
ing such educational facilities as would
render it possible for every child in their
neighborhood to make the most possible
of himself, an obligation which one gener-
alton owes to another, one man to ms
fellow man, high moral obligation
grounded in the heaven-bornt Christ
taught principle Of the common brother
hood of man. Such questions must be
made very personal and individual be-
fore they will be rightly settled by men.
VIII. Local taxation is the only hope
of restoring and upbuilding the local
schools in rural districts and thus pre-
venting the disastrous drains upon the
very best life blood of so many of these
country neighborhOods that seem to
threaten their destruction. These drains
have resulted largely from the fiOcking
to towns and cities that have by local
taxation established successful graded
schools Of so many of the most ambitious
parents of all classes to secure suitable
educational facilities for their children.
TX. If general taxation has failed to
supply the things necessary for a sue
cessful and adequate system Of public
schools, if local taxation has supplied
these in other States and in the towns
and cities of our own State and promises
to supply them in our rural districts what
remains but for this State to wisely fol-
low their example?
X. We must talk to men, face to face
and eye to eye, upon this momentous
question. We need baptism Of the spir-
it of grand old Horace Mann. The burden
of this fight must fall upon the teachers
l. n