The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-19

VIII III. Crnig's Paper.
! paper by Will II. Craig. of Nobesville.
| on Defects of County and Township Gov
eminent in Indiana provoked an animated
discussion His papable hits at the State
| Universities Trust was much commended
by those who discussed it. There was some
| criticism of his ideas on massing response
| bility until it was more clearly explained.
In part he said:
I'VE need Legislature that will not only
not pass any aws, but will spend the entire
! session in repeating and revising the cum
| berSOme and bulky statutes that are already
| on the books. That there is need of reform
! in local government is evidenced by me gen
! eral compliant of eXtravagance, corruption
| and inetIcency in the administration OF To-
! cal affairs. Laws that have been
4 Pa ssed and patched up along the years for
1 half century are not adequate TO meet the
/ demands of the modern business era. 1t is
! strange that reforms originate with the peo-
! pie themselves, and that the law making
power is the last to be impressed with the
necessity of better ideas of government.
| There are two ways in which our local
! laws and government can be made simpler
and more efficient First by revision OF
| the laws by a commission; second, by
( constitutional convention. If no radical
! legislation is TO be had in either of these
| ways then all new laws should Tend to SIM
! plify the machinery and lop off useless at
The meaning of the Constitution when
I IL says LNdl the ScnOOlS OIL the stare Snail
be free to all and open to ALI does not mean
: that 500 shall be appropriated out OF the
| general taxation fund for the education of
a boy in the country district and $2O34 AZ FOR
| the education of more favored body that
| lives under the shadow of some great uni
| versity reared at the expense of all the
| people. Such a theory is contrary to the
| genius and spirit of American democracy;
! it is contrary to the rules of fairness, just
ness and equality The purpose of the franz
| ers of our Constitution was that we should
| educate all the children to be Intelligent,
| honest and upright citizens The object
J should be to make manly men and Womanly
women and not lawyers, doctors, engineers,
electricians, chemists, bOtaniStS, farmers
and cooks. These vocations are not within
| the scope OF the Constitution, and should
not be supported by general taxation. The
true purpose of our educational system
should be TO lift up the whole mass of hui
manity, and not to elevate the few at the
expense of the many.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY TRUST.
"There is not a word in the Constitution
about state Institutions The State Univer-
sity at Bloomington was engrafted into the
Constitution of 1916, but was left out of the
| Constitution of 1850. This was done for two
| reasons: First, it was not right to tax all
! the people for the benefit of a few; second,
| the ground was already occupied, as it is
to-day, by other colleges, doing equally as
! good work as the state institutions and not
costing the taxpayers a penny. Section 3,
| of the same article, provides that the prin-
| cpal of comulon-school funds shall be per-
| petual and the income thereof shall be in
! violably appropriated to the support OF COM
mon schools and to no other purpose what
| ever. Why this strong language, IL the
| state. institutions were to be provided for
! by state tax?
This octopus is getting a stronger hold
| on the State year by year, and our legfsla-
| lures almost fall down and worship the
! university lobby The country is trust
| ridden enough. Let us avoid an educational
| trust n Indiana. Ten the State
/ paid for the three state schools at Bloom
| ington Terre Haute and Lafayette about
| $50 900 For the year of 1896 and 1897 they
| received $40l, 52S4S. Nearly half a million a
! year for higher education and special train
9The general tax the State over for the
| common schools is II cents on the 500; for
! the state institutions IA cents on the $lUO.
! Beside this general tax these institutions
| receive large sums from endowment funds
/ and from the interest on bonds held by the
/ State for their benefit In round numbers
| there are 10000 SchoOlchildren in the State.
| In the three state institutions. In round
/ numbers. in 1886 and 1891, there were about
! who attend these schools at any time in the
/ year-many of whom were very old chill
! dren-even bald-headed professors who took
! some special course for a few weeks at the
| summer school. Counting all these, the
! State pays for the instruction of $500 stu
| dents the enormous sum Of 100000. or $3.50
/ head. and for the army of schoolchildren
| she pays, in round numbers, 81 ,000,OOO or
/ $270 head. Is this the boasted equality OF
| which speak so TnucnI
| Il realize that l am on tender ground
| when l attack the great school trust that
/ has become so thoroughly intTenched and
i has such autocratlc power in the control of
| the educational interests of the State. How
! ever l willing to stake the issue with
| the sovereign people, and would rejoice to
| in the form of a constitutional amendment
| The people of the State are ripe ana anx-
ious TOR q vote on TINS Is questlon ~, L, IL
| ii not the province of the State to train
| men in trades and professions. In this
| State to-day are enough colleges to do the
| work of higher education as well or better
as is done by the State, and not cost the
| State dollar. Then. why should the State
| spend nearly half "A million dollars annually
! for the purpose of competing with, and, if
| possible cXtermnating, the nonstate COL
! leges2 The trouble with the whole
| educa tional system is that 1t is top-heavy
| too much time and money being spent on
| the tower and not enough on the foundation
i and main body Of the structure. Those in
| tho high places of power and authority are
| ever devsing ways and means to increase
their salaries and lessen their work. while
1 the district and grade teacher does the
! hard work and gets the small pay"
CENTRALIZING AUTHORITY.
Mr.. Craig favored more Capitalization of
authority in the management Of county and
township affairs holding that the adoption
of system similar 20 that of cities. which
makes the mayor the responsible head was
TO be desired. THE plan" he said. would
not suit oflce-holders and those who expect
to be ofiice-holders but L would secure
much more competent men than counties
| generally have. and at much less expense.
1t would also fix responsibility, and parties
would be more careful in the selection Of
| candidates for the important positions. Of
| fees are being multiplied and responsibility
! scattered. II centralized author
/ ity and fixing responsibility in the national
! government and in city governments are
| wise and effective, why would they not also
be proper IN county government .
1--WE could abolish all the county and town
| ship offices of the county and vest the
government in d board Of commissioners
and a Circuit Court. Sufficient salaries
! should be given TO members of this board
| to induce the best business men of the
| county TO aspire TO such positions. and they
| should give all their time 10 the work. AS
| most OF the work IN the different offices is
i clerical. the board could easily appoint good
i and efficient clerks 10 DO the work Just as
| most officers do now The same clerks could
work in different Offices as the work at