Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-03-17
THE TUITION FUND.
A Correspondent Who Objects to the
Change Made by the Legislature.
Kicks on the Change.

To the Editor of the Tribune:
Sir: The course of the Legislature in
changing the manner of the distribution
Of the state tuition funds for our schools,
is to condemned by every thoughtful
citizen who holds the cause of education
as of paramount Importance, and it is
simply amazing that so many of Ii
state papers have supported the legis-
lature in its action.
Now it seems to us a very simple mat
ter. For, if we assume it to be true, that
the state owes every child in it's borders
a good common school education, and
no n now denies this, then taxation for
the support of our schools should be
uniform in every section of the state as
possible. The state itself should levy a
tax sufficient to pay the salaries of COM
pstent teachers in every district of the
state, SO there would be no need of local
taxation, except to provide for a sinking
fund to meet bonded Indebtedness, and
for incidental expenses, which would
vary more or less in the separate dis
tricts. As it is true that it is a function
of the state government to provide edu-
cation for the children of the state, then
it follows as a matter of course, about
which there can be no question in fair
ness and Justice, that the state should
apportion the money it raises by tax
alton, or by its income derived from it's
invested school fund, among the several
districts in the state, according to the
number of children in the state to be
educated. Or while accepting this prin-
cipal as fundamental, it could perhaps
be modified somewhat, in order to slim
ulate the people in the various localities
to hold longer terms of school and COM
pei school boards to see that the chill
dren attended regularly for a certain
length of time each year. In Minnesota,
which state is greatly celebrated for the
interest all classes Of its population take
in its common schools, the state school
money is apportioned according to the
number of children in each district who
have attended not less than a certain
number of days in each school year.
This is indeed a wise provision, and
would make it impossible for any district
containing many foreigners to draw
tuition fund from the state without
having their children in school. We
certainly should adopt this feature of
the Minnesota school law.
One of the greatest evils of our time
is the;inequality of taxation. ALI admit
this. Nov this inequality is nowhere so
glaril3rEand so unjust and unfair as in
the 1&(6kter of taxation for school pur-
paseSsssThe writer has personal knowl-
edge OF a number of instances when in
adjoihipgd districts the rate of taxation
for sc44gl purposes is in the ratio of
three zone and there are cases all over
the NMthWest where it is ever more dis
proporti3(k We, This is a crying evil and
the wick54M6es of it is all the more
against pdtlic policy in North Dakota
than anyllttAer state, for we are encou
aging maa9$F thousand new settlers to
take upland in those counties where
theresSilE but little taxable property.
ManE eeements are composed entirely
of f. ers with large families OF
young 6eren who should come i'm
mediaAe lsshnder the influence of our
commons schools. The people take
homesteads mostly which cannot be
taxed for some time. All our newer
counties are receiving many new settlers
who will add5but little for some time tc
the amount of taxable property in the
county. Now if in. all these new com
munities schools could at once be organ.
lied and only competent, trained teach.
ers employedsthe gain to the state would
be ~incalculable. As it is in our newer
communities teachers are sometimes EN-.
ployed wh9sareaf Ter inexperienced OF
Of low mq1 6~tellectual force, vul.
gar and Md sometimes even
worse,s Yin truth must be
told, 9 4should be in all its
naked Ebse far better that no
scho there, than to en-
ployl me writer does not
wisM3 bod as saying any
thing kfo the many good,
estimh whose personal in
fuenceJ IND continues to be, a