The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-23
An Issue to Be Welcomed.

Some information of timely interest
is conveyed in the following dispatch,
dated Harrisburg, appearing in yester-
days New York Sun, a paper in no
way involved in Pennsylvania factlonal
politics.;
1t has been decided by the opponents of
the state administration to make the
governors cut of the school appropria-
tion the chief issue in the campaign this
year. Just now much Is bCing said about
the embarrassment of the various school
districts this year, when n, as n matter of
fact, there will be no reduction of the
state appropriation for the year begin
ming June |. There Is distinctly a mis-
| understanding about this matter, and the
anti-Quay politicians are not losing any
opportunity to spread throughout the
state the impression that the shortage
begins this year. The legislature of 1897
appropriated $500 900 for the support of
| the schools for the year ending the first
Monday of June, 1898, and an equal sum
| for the year ending the first Monday of
June, 1899. The appropriation for the year
| 1897 has been paid in full, and the APP
preparation for 1899 will be paid after
| June of this year at such times as State
Treasurer Beacon may be able to meet
the obligation. Deputy Superintendent
| Stewart insists that the school board that
reduces the salaries of teachers or in any
way modifies the school facilities during
| the next year will have absolutely no eX-
| cuse. He says on the contrary, that
they should provide all the facilities pos
| sible and make such liberal provision IN
| the way of compensation as to secure the
| best teaching talent. The change of the
minimum school term from six to seven
| months will go into effect this year and
will require those townships which have
| been imposing a nominal school tax 70
| levy a sufficient sum to make up the dit-
| ference in expense. In many cases dis
tricts have been receiving more from the
| state than they have raised by local tax
| alton hut with the extension or the
| school term these districts Will nave 10
raise a larger local fund for the support
| of the schools.
| If the so-called insurgents of Penn
| sylvania Republican politics want tt
| make a campaign issue of the gov
ernors economy vetoes and go before
the people advocating the piling up Of
floating state debt, it should be
welcome issue to the supporters OF reg
| ular Republicanism. If they want tC
take the position before the voter
that certain school districts should ge
more money from the commonwealth
| for school purposes than those districts
themselves by local taxation raise TO
those purposes, let them. II the!
wish to defend the mistaken policy o
throwing upon the state, when tn
state is hard up. greater share of tn
cost of free schools than is assumed b!
| the taxpayers Immediately in terested
and it they desire to sanction the polio!
of appropriating money from the stat
treasury when there is not sutficien
revenue in sight to make possible tn
payment of that appropriation withou
| recourse to loan, all we can say is
! Go ahead" The carrying of an issu
of this kind before the people for thei
| decision would be in itself an educa
tional step of marked value to all con
| cerned.
Our "insurgent' friends may dislik
Senator Quay as emphatically as the
please and conspire against him as bit
terly and as ferociously as ever the
can, but when they go before the peopl
with an arraignment of the governo
of the peoples election they must b
prepared to sustain their accusations o
themselves suffer discredit.
|