The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-01-21
the poor home-owner is taxed to the
m.

!
limit of endurance. This should cease
Every family should be able to live in
free home, exempt from taxation to
stipulated amount and made free
from fear of foreclosure and sale for
debt. When once this has been ar
rived at, the cause of human liberty
will have taken distinct and positive
forward step. Whenever our people
have been sufficiently educated by
hardship and privation to be ready for
a really radical measure of reform,
they first and most indispensably take
the step which shall finally secure to
all mans natural and God-given right
to sufficient portion of the earth's
surface for self-support When this
first and fundamental right of man has
been secured, he will be free and he
never will be free until this has been
gained. Whether men are yet ready
for freedom, I do not know
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Our state constitution provides: "It
is the paramount duty of the state to
make ample provision for the education
of all children residing within it's bor-
ders, without distinction or preference
on account of race, color, caste or sex.
The legislature shall provide for gen.
eral and uniform system of public
schools From this it is evident
that state tax for the support of
schools for the benefit of all children
in the state becomes a necessity. The
provision is mandatory upon the legis-
lature. Unless state tax is levied
how can there be general and uni
form system of public schools for the
equal benefit of all? Two years ago
the legislature, by an amendment to
the laws, known at the time as ''the
barefoot schoolboy law" established a
system of state taxation for the equal
benefit of all her children. By means
of this, taxes not to exceed mills on
the dollar are levied, and collected as
other state taxes are collected, suffi-
cient to produce a sum equal to Sc an
nually for each child of school age.
This is simply state tax for the sup
port of schools. The larger cities and
weather. communities have opposed
the law, and, it is said. will make
efforts to repeal it. 1t is claimed that
not enough is raised by the law to sup
port the schools, and, doubtless, this is
true. But the law does not prevent
counties or school districts from raising
more. As at first introduced, the bill
provides for the raising by taxation of
a sum equal to $40 for each child of
school age, and if taxes were all COL
lected, this would afford sufficient
sum for the support of common schools.
If, in addition to this, state taxes were
| levied as in Pennsylvania, our schools
might be entirely supported by taxa
ton of property which now largely es-
capes. Complaint has been made that
in some of the counties certain small
districts are unfairly treated. An
amendment to the law providing for a
special apportionment by the county
superintendent of each county would
very likely remedy this defect.
In pursuance of an intention to abol-
ish certain boards of control, and in
this way to unity and systematic the
work of our higher institutions of
learning, it has been proposed that the
state university, the agricultural col
lege and the three normal schools be
placed under the control of one central
board instead of a separate board for
each institution. The secretary of the
state board of education might serve as
member of this board and perform
the duties of travelling auditor, keeping
the central board fully informed re-
garding the condition and standing OF
each institution. It is believed that
an arrangement of this kind might be
made which would save money to the
state and secure greater efficiency. The
incoming state superintendent of in
struction has taken some steps toward
formulate plan of action in this
line, to whom further inquiry may be
directed.
FREE TEXTBOOKS.
| AS matter of principle the state
should furnish to each scholar in the
common school text books as freely as
it now provides shcoolhouses and
school furniture At present the state
has contract with private corpora
ton which has secured the privilege OF
furnishing schoolbooks at high cost
to the people of the state. By clause
in the contract it is provided that
whenever the state shall engage in the
manufacture of books, the contract is
to become Imperative. | am OF the
opinion that the state can, at compare
/ lively small outlay, establish an ex-
perimental book mandatory and man
ufacture for her citizens good school
books at from 25 to 33 1.-3 per cent of
the present cost. A. first-class printing
press and bindery can be bought and
established for about $4,000. Electro
type plates of a standard series OF
schoolbooks, with privilege to print
from them, can, it is thoughts be OBJ
tanned for a reasonable sum. This
plant might be established at the Walla
Walla penitentiary. Only two expert
workmen need be employed, a press
man and bOokbinder, and even these
services might soon be dispensed with.
Under instruction from these experts,
the inmates Of the prison, who, I am
told, spend much idle time, will soon
be able to make all the books needed
for all the children of the state. The
books thus manufactured might be sold
at cost to the different counties or
school districts, or supplied free, as
may be provided by statute. In very
short time, in this way, under the SUI
/ pervision of one man as supersntend-
/ emit, the state might be released from
an arbitrary tax, amounting in the ag-
Urocafn tn q very large sum. and also