The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-01

), she Isl a sesal 4aleak sna Ne issia-
Aturets aat1efiey y &sons No. nanCs ~
~ olsnder tAroal = 'scons<soctten, = lie
breaktne a wAi<A would inv1lidAts many
imp<utont transactions ard wlps erem de
facs x ~ sssth securities rspressntins
millions.
Tners d ncshing 70 prevent che
higher courts from gsttsng tired Of having
to practically amend <he constitution on
their Own account to prevent ths doing Of
great injustice, ss they are now forced TO
do ID most cases involytuk Questions Of
municipal aasthcqdty. IN one notable In
stAnce the ssiprems court has already
manifested an inclinAtton 20 ss6ei AGAINST
beng almost compslisd - vaaidste munic-
ipai ordinances xauptsd under the Ques-
ticusble authority * . special charter.
Reference d had 70 tho courts opinion that
there h nothing IN t0ae ccnstitutson 70 aus
tain Z MUNICIPAL tax levy Tor street paw
Ing purposes that win opsrake - . lien
upon homestead. This opinion. based -
II h upon the Sect that The building OF
Sidewaiks. che construction a sewers, the
paving Of stfests and the making u NUM-
eruus other needed improvements can not,
extept by giving the nng1iAh Language
elastic properties which It doe not pos
sess. be snclaSded among the purposes Cor
which specific authority Il granted Ia the
constitution fer the levyinx Of special
taxes. makes II oldar that u IL necessary
that provision should DO made to enable
tina large, growing cities Of ~ State 70
supply their deficiencies IN this direction.
In other words. II Il time for the constitu-
ton to be made 30 CLAIM on the subject Of
speciaa city charters chat there vial no
longer be any necessity for the rendering
OF public policy opinions" to prevent
desslcation Of said charters from becoming
public calaanities.
Twenty years ago it might have ape
peared that the essence Of wisdom was
contained In what is today, for lack OF
something better, passing as ample pro-
vision for the management OF the school
FUND, but. as the constitution now stands.
about all that can be extracted therefrom
with regard to this fund Is that 1t pro-
vides for gradual extinction OF what
is supposed to be the permanent part
thereof AMI opens the door wide for the
squanderlng OF the portion yearly ac-
cumulatcd to help in keeping the schools
open for the constitutional term of Elk
months. With less honest State admin
istratiou than that with which Texas has
provided itself for the past quarter Of a
century the school fund might have dis
appeared long ago without, so far as that Is
concerned. violence having been done the
constitution. Fortunately, though, the
damOrrnfiC has 4, n fyrR in
this State included It's care OF the school
f,rnh among the performances by which
Its fitness to remain In power was to be
tested and none OF VI has been misappro-
prlated. It has not uniformly been handled
In business like manner, however, sub
3ect AZ is Its disposition to Legislative
caprice.
In the FIRST place the real permanent
school fund and the permanent school fund
which does duty as a sacred heritage" OF
che stump and serves as text for boom
literature, lack great deal Of being one
and the Same. The permanent school fund
OF fiction Is s50,0oo,o0o strong The sure
enough permanent school fund amounts In
round numbers to $18.500,000. We're this
fund actually as large as those who ro-
nance about 1t think 1t DIS there would be no
occasion for the leyying Of taxes for school
purposes. AS matters etand, however, the
permanent school fund yields barely one
third OF the amount expended In the at
tempt to keep the schools open six months
each year. The trouble with those who
are responsible for the $50, 000, 900 impress
sion IL that about three ffths OF their
capital is based upon the intangible re-
mains Of n much overratei land endow-
NEXT figured In at impossible figures. As
matter CT fact what they insist upon yalu-
icg at thirty or more millions produced but
$322.000 in 1897 or only about one-seventh
OF the available school fund.
~
The theory OF the trainers of the present
constitution was that turned into cash the
37.500,0oo acres of land given the schools
in 1876 would. aided to the nucleus OF
permanent fund in the shape of land notes
ans bonds then on hand, yield enough sup
plemented with slight taxation. to keep the
schools open for reasonable length of
time each year. This theory would have
banned out nil right had 1t been possible |
to check the increase in scholastic pop
ulation until the fur1 had grown suffl-
Gently to meet the requirements OF the
future. But the experience of twenty years
has demonstrated that the constitution Is |
a failure in so far as 1t relates to school |
fnai.cea. Much of the endowment arranged
fcr therein has resolved itself into wind
while its provisions for the perpetuation
OF such part of said endowment as has de-
yelcped substance are with time proving |
more and more inadequate. The amount OF
uninNested money belonging 10 the per-
manent fuy-ti is steadily growing In size.
while the expenses OF the department |
for the purpose OF handling the
wind In said fund are not diminishing. In
q few moro years. unless there is como
cha ige Of method to the care thereof, IL |
vii! Rave resolved iteelf into small pile |
OF idle cash subject 70 an annual plumber
ing by the Jester, amendment method. ana
2 big pile Of land notes requring bigger |
pile OF books, kept by an Imposing array
Of clerks In which to record the multi
tullrous and seaerally proftless transac-
tons Incidental 10 their carryirG.
<<
OF the ss.0ss.sl2 Of available school
FUNDS distributed DURING the year ending
August 81. 1893. but $l.l0s.9oo was pro-