The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-12-25
The School Laws.

Copiah Signal, betrays II very de
eided ignorance of the facts, on
unreason ms to the remedy, of our
in contrived common school laws
1--WE believe that nineteenth oi
the people of Mississippi are in
favor of material change in our
school law. The fund must either
be divided or the method of dis
tribution changed If this is a
government Of the people by the
people then the peoples will
should be law. If the organic law
is in the way change it. No part
of the State would object to the
change except the Delta, and we
think they should not be allowed
tohave everything. Washington
county gets more school funds, we
believe. than any county in the
State, and pays as little poll tax
almost as any other. Either make
them pay it, or charge it up TO
them. "
The school laws are framed in
accordance with the constitution of
the State. In the convention
that adopted that instru-
ment the question was debated and
decided, 1t is historic truth that
the policy and the details of our
school system were adopted
over the prolong e d
and strenuous opposition of a
minority of the delegates. And
that in this minority were the four
delegates who lived in and hailed
from Washington county. If we
are not in error every Delta dele
gate voted likewise. So that our
esteemed contemporary, the Sig
nal, will recognize that the tone of
its reference to that section of the
State is not consistent with the
facts, and is unjust. In stead of
its being true that mo part of the
State will oppose Il change except
the Delta" no other section of
Mississippi is less satisfied with
the present school laws, or will
vote more unanimously for a re-
peal of the constitutional mandate
from which they proceed.
In truth and fact the school sys-
TEN devised by the constitutional
convention has not operated as the
leaders of the majority designed
And the Delta representatives, and
enough others to prevail have OPP
posed, and will continue to oppose,
a change which proposes to effect
that design. But they will not
object to simple change taking
the State back, approximately
and materially, to the old status
quo; to the distribution of a far {
less gross sum by the State. This {
would, or could, be supplemented 8
by the counties in fixed, or an l
optional, sum. t
There is no justice or reason in
counting the poll tax operations in
the Indictment against the school
laws. True accidentally, or incid- I
entally, the degree of payments 7
and non-payments of this tax ac-
rording to locality, has defeated =
The unfair effects designed in the
constitutions scheme. But count
es that contribute a larger pro q
portion Of poll taxes have no more
ust ground Of complaint against d
hose that pay smaller, than have
he dozen or more hill counties
paying saloon license against the
Try which pay none. Copiah
ounty was party to the optional %
'oll tax which has cut down hi
Vashington's contributions from a.
bat source. And Copiah, too, is s,al
full sharer in the gain Of pu- D
tied suffrage which has accrued
, the State from that provision.
The law should simply provide >,
)r the appropriation out of the =
tate Treasury of a fixed amount pc
money for school maintenance. c.
n no account should this sum be fir
ore than O half or two-thirds as n
UGH as that now supplied by the nc
ate. The remainder needed W
ould be supplied by the counties,
ties and towns. At present the -
of State to local aid is
eater in Mississippi than in any
her State. This policy has been
by the broadest educa-