Evening journal., 1898-01-25
AN ERRONEOUS INTERPRETATION

AN NERRONEOUS INTERPRETATION
The Dover Index has made an erron-
eous Interpretation of the free school
provision of the new Constitution. In
an editorial recently published it had
the following to say
The General Assembly has appointed
a committee Of attorneys-at-law to
draft statutes necessary to execute the
changes in our government inaugur
ated by the new Constitution. They
will, no doubt, be relieved of any ques-
ton involved in the drafting OF bills,
and also as to the nature of the stat
utes required to be enacted. They will
still be left, however the grave and
important duty of determining the ma
ture of those statutes.
An illustration OF the serious task
before the present Legislature and
which its members alone can perform,
is to be found In the alteration OF our
state and county finances growing out
of certain provisions in the new char
ter.
One Of these provisions is that the
General Assembly must provide for the
payment of one hundred thousand dol
lars annually, for the Improvement of
our free schools in addition to the in
come from investments already de-
voted to that purpose.
The investments, the income OF
which was at the time Of the promul-
cation Of the new Constitution made
the public school fund, consist of
shares in the Farmers Bank the
Union Bank. the Delaware Bank, the
Bank OF Smyrna. loan to Sussex coun-
ty, mortgage upon the p. w. & B.
Railroad Company and the fees from
marriage and tavern licenses.
The income from those investments
for the present school year amounted
to the sum of one hundred and thirty
thousand dollars.
The new Constitution now provides
for the payment of one hundred thou
sand additional. which would make the
school fund amount to the sum OF
about two hundred and thirty thou
sand dollars year, taking the present
school year as an average.
It's lead was followed by other news
papers, until the belief Is common that
the statements contained therein are
correct. But such is not the case
There is not member of the Consti-
tutional Convention who will back up
the Interpretation made by the Index.
The matter Of the school fund was
carefully considered by the delegates,
and the new Constitution means what
It says-nothing less and nothing
more. Section OF Article X is as fol-
lows
In addition to the income OF the
investments of the public school fund,
A. H. hn1 n1r
vision for the annual payment of not
less than one hundred thousand dol
lars for the benefit OF the free public
schools, which, with the income of the
investments Of the public school fund
shall be eQuitably apportioned among
the school districts of the state as the
General Assembly shall provide; and
the money so apportioned shall be
used exclusively for the payment OF
teachers salaries and for furnishing
free textbooks: provided however
that in such apportionment, no dis
tinction shall be made on account o
race or color, and separate schools fol
white and colored children shall b'
maintained. All other expenses con
nected with the erection OF the FREE
public schools. and all expenses con
nected with the erection or repair o
free public school buildings shall b.
betrayed in such manner as shall b
provided by law.
The first question to consider is wha
constitutes the investments Of tn
school fund. Certainly not the fees de
rived from liquor licenses and othe
taxable things. They are not an invest
ment in any sense Of the word. The
constitute an income. It is true. bu
that income is not derived from an in
vestment, for there is no tangible O
stable thing from which that incom
is derived The receipts from sue
sources are liable to Quotation; yei
I, even to almost total cessation. SUI
posing the three counties were to d'
clare for local option, where would b
this Investment" that the Index an
other papers are discussing as an il
vestment? The men who framed tn,
section Of theConstitutions say thatwhe
they used that word investments it al
piled exclusively TO those sums
money which were, or are to be, out
Interest and represented by stocks ar
bonds held by the state The scho
fund investments consist OF 1884, ,S27
bank stock and $16l $50 in bonds, ma
ing a total of s546,577. The meaning
the Constitution is that the Gener
Assembly shall provide for the suppo
of the public schools Of the state
sum of not less than 100000 eve
year, in addition to the interest d
rived from such stocks and bonds. Tn
sum embraces all the revenue now 4
rived by taxation and applied to I
school fund. In fact, 1t about equi
the amount which the schools now
from such sources. If anything, it is
little less. for the liquor licenses alo
netted the fund about sSS 900 under [
old system. The other taxes app,icai
TO the fund make 1t little over $40
600.
So Il will be seen that, even if
laws are left as they are in their m.