Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-03-04
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. !
The Report of the COMMITTEES on Educaiio
Considered.

the Constitutional Convention yester-
day was quite spirited for time,
especially when the report OF the COM
mitfee on education was under con-
sideration in the afternoon, and from
present indications the printed report
will be unacceptable when the com
mite of the whole disposes OF it finally.
The first section OF the report was
entirely obliterated by committee OF
the whole and the following adopted
Sec. 1. It shall be the duty OF the General
Assembly to provide for the establishment
and maintenance of general, suitable and
efficient system of free schools.
The consideration of section occu-
pied over an hour, and the members
INDUCED freely in criticism OF the sec.
ton as reported. Some contended that
the adoption Of any clause which
favored the selection OF State superin.
tendent of public instruction would not
be advantageous to the cause OF euu-
cation, but would tend to review
troubles that existed before the
| present system Of county superin'
| tendents was adopted.
DR.. Pratt offered tho following sub
| stitute for the section as repurted:
County superintendent OF public
| 1DbITucLlDu lOT bdCu Couhty VI WV t1patS
| shall be appointed by the Governor and
confirmed by the Senate for term Of
years or until their successors are duly
qualified, whose powers, duties aud
compensation shall be defined by the
| General ssembly, which may also pro-
vide for n State superintendent and
other officers when in its judgment such
officers may be necessary.
| Ubia hrnunbt forth mira OpnOSltI0n
even than the section suggested in the
report of the committee, and was finally
rejected by decisive vote.
Section 3, which relates to the taxa
tion on property for school purposes,
and which provides that separate
schools shall BIO maintained for whites
and blacks, was passed over, Chairman
Giichrist moving to take up section A.
This section contains the cumpulsory
educational feature. and a motion by
MI. Spruance eliminated the first por.
tion Of the section. and Me-. Salisbury
succeeded in having the committee
strike out the balance.
This ended the consideration Of the
report and the committee then arose
and reported progress.
The committee on agriculture Mr..
dorsey chairman) submitted its report,
which was ordered printed.
Mr.. Spruance, on behalf of the com
miitee on elections, presented the report
Of that committee.
Dover. Feb. 26-In the Constitu'
tional Convention yesterday morning
Mr.. Evans presented letter from
President Biggs asking leave Of absence
on account OF illness. The request wal
granted and Mr.. Ellegood of Cedar
Creek was elected president pro tenn.
The discussion in committee of thu
whole on the report of tho committee
on education occupied tho balance o.
the morning session, and was no,
completed when the committee aros'
at II. 40.
Section of the report as printed
called forth considerable opposition,
and after long debate the committed
by vote of l6 to 7 adopted the follow
ing substitute offered by Mr.. johnson
of Wilmington:
; Sec. 1. The General Assembly shall pro
| vide for tine establishment and maintenance
of general, suitable and efficient system o
free schools, and may require by law tina
every child not physically nor mentally dis
} abled shall attend the public school unles
educated by other means.
1t will now be known as section ! o
the amended report.
Section was then called up. Thi
section relates to the matter of appro
. priating money for sectarian and de
nominational purposes, and Chairman
! Gilchrist read the protests, from tb
Stats Council OF the Junior Order O
} American Mechanics of Delaware an,
also from the National League for tn
Protection of American Institutions.
Mr.. Eliegood sal that he was oppose
to the suggestion abolishing the appro
priation to the Sunday-scnools an,
should vote against it. He made a.
earpes. and eloquent appeal to the com
: mittee, saying that those who lived il
the cities and larger towns could no
: realize what vast benefit the sma
. pittance allowed was to the Sunday
! schools in the rural districts. many Q
3 which could not be maintained withou
l this aid.
D Mr.. Gilchrist argued that the Sunday
schuols did not dosire the appropriation
an? that the State Sunday school Unto
bad some time ago requested the Gen
eral Assembly to repeal the statute.
Mr.. Spruance moved that the word
n "church" and "sectarian" as they ar
: peared in the printed report be trans
: posed, whiuh motion prevailed.
Mr.. Cooch then suggested afurthe
amendment. but before any action cuul
: be taken thereon the committee ros
. and the convention took recess unit
! $50.
9 Upon reassembling the report wa
y again taken up in committee of th
=, whole, and the amendment of Mr.. Coco
y was adopted. The section now reao
). as follows:
Sec. 5. No portion of any fund now exis
! ing, or that which may hereafter be appr
/ priated. or raised by tax for educational pu
t poses, shall be appropriated to, or used b.
y or in aid of any church, sectarian, or d
!. nominational school, provided that all re
a and personal property. used for school. pu
. poses, where the tuition IS free. shall
exempt from taxation and assessment fl
public purposes.
% The section STIMULATING what money
= shall be used for school purposes WI
:. then taken up, being the last sectio
70 in the report OF tho committee. Nj
!. Spruance offered the following subst
10 tute which was adopted:
No part of the principle or income of Il
public school fund now or hereafter eXis
ing shall be used for any other purpo
!, than the support Of public free schools.
y The section, consideration of whio
y was postponed ON Wednesday, was the
i called up. 1t relates to the provisic
- of funds to carry on the schools, an
"a Mr. Gilchrist offered an amendmel