The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-11-27
DIVISION OF THE FREE BOOK FUND.
Remarks of School Examiner George A.
DAVIS, of Carroll County.

At the annual meeting Of the Association
Of School Commissioners OF the State OF
MARYLAND held on Tuesday morning at the
State Normal School building, Carrollton
and LAFAYETTE avenues, Baltimore, the fol-
lowing paper was read by Mr.. George A..
Davis of Westminster, secretary of the Car
roll County School Board.
.eTbat the Free Book law, or the present inter
probation of It, is manifesty unjust VIII easily pc
seen if we spend few moments in going over the
distribution Of the fund. The law provides that 1t
shall be aportioned as the state school tax is now
apportioned In the month of July, 1896, the sum
OF Sl50000 THAT being the amount APPROPRIATED
under the law was divided among the several
counties and Baltimore city, of which sum Silo.-
Ol3.5l was apportioned for the use OF the whlte
schools Now, let us go over a few figures In my
own county Carroll for the year ending July, $3.50,
we had enrolment of 6,39l whites ana 4jO eolor-
ed pupils. We received for the white schools IN
August, 1896. S37l350, and for the eolored senoos
S34T3 being seVenty-nine cents per capita for the
colored pupils against tifty-eight cents per caplt
for the white pupils. The distribution Tor the pres
ent wear made upon the enrolment of the pupils
for the year ending July. 1896 gives the same per
capita as the preceding year TINS excess III the
amount per capita of the colored pupils over the
whIte shows MS clearly the untarness OF apporllon-
ing the free book fund OH the same basis tnaI tne
state school tax is apportioned IN al put a lew .,
the counties the colored population Is very mucIl
less than the white and so widely scattered tnat
certain number of colored pupils require ABOUT
twice as many schoohouses as the same NUMBER Oh
white pupils, and, consequently, at a greater COST
but the same rule does not apply to the books. for
textbooks can be furnished at the same cost TO ten
colored children as to ten white children, ana, as
much smaller percentage of the colored chllufeh
advance farther than the third or fourth grades
than of the white children, their books can De
furnished at less cost per capita than those Iur-
nished to white pupils
county received Si054.91 for the year 1896 and "
our school board hesitated as to whether or not
they should undertake to furnish tree DOCKS 70 al
the grades, but, fearing that TO furnsh some OF Tue
grades and not all would create discomfort among
the school patrons, the board decided 10 try the eA
pertinent and, by reason of their already owning
majority of the books used in the public schools
of the county, they were able to do it at cost oil
81 5402S, that being only S4S537 more than the ap
so few that they are hardly worth considering IN
our appOrtionment of the free book fund. CHASING
them with Inc whlte pupiis leeI s1le ~ say s
that seventy cents per capita would inrnlSi dhlu
ally all the needed books to both our white anu
eolored schools. Making some allowance for the
cost of books used, would not seventy-nVe cSuts
per capita be adequate everywhere? Mr.. President,
the Free Book law says: The several boards snail
keep an account of all moneys expended under the
provisions OF said law and report the same IN the
annual financial accounts, as required by law ana
no money so received by them shall ever be USED
for any other purpose than for the purchase OF
school books as provided by the law. Now the
question arises, if seventyive cents per capita Is
sufficient, what will the boards of somerset Prlnce
George, Calvert, Anne Arundel, st. Mary,S anu anu
Charles, each of which gets more than SlOO per
capita for its white pupils, do with their surplus!
1t certainly leads to one of two thlngs-a laVsh eA
penditure of money or an accumulation OF money
in the hands of the treasurers thereof that cannot
be used for any other purpose without further leg
iSation.
THE USE OF THE ENROLMENT.
"Under the operations of the present law, M.
President it seems to that some of the counties
reap greater benefits than Others for instance;
Why should Queen Anne's, with an enrollinent OF
2SG0 white pupils, receive S2,S53, and Caroline,
with an enrolment OF but forty less receive 81 7SS
90 for their white schools? Orwhy should Carroll,
with an enrolment of 639l white pupils, receive
but 7I3 for its white schools, and Charles, with
an enrolment of 529 white pupils, receive
s. Ola for its white schools2 Can such a dlstrl-
button be fair? If So l would like to know
upon what grounds And now for whose beneht
is this fund provided? Is it not for the children
who attend the public schools of the state ana
those only? The public school system is not CON
eerned with those children who receive their edu-
cation from other sOurcesnO. ii only regards those
who attend the public schools. Then would not
the enrolment be the faires basis which the ap-
portionment could be made?
HAIr. President as you well know, Carroll county
ranks among the wealthy counties of the state:
Believing in the principles that the strong should
help the weak, it stands ready to lend IA helping
hand but, falling to get what is justly due her
fair treatment-haltsat the idea Of helping to create
fund in of the counties far in excess of their
needs Until convinced to the contrary, Mr.. PreSl-
dent must record myself as being in favor OF tax
ing the enrolment of pupils as the proper basis
uuon which to make the apportonment OF the
free school fund"