The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-06

deems this method of securing funds for
needed improvements wiser than asking for
an appropriation.
Common Schools.
knowledge and learning generally diff
fused throughout community being essen
tial to the preservation of free government
it shall be the duty of the General Assem-
bly, to provide by law for a general and uni
form system of common schools wherein
tuition shall be without charge and equally
Herein is the education contemplated in
Inc State Constitution. If intelligence Is a
seek 10 prevent 1lteracy. Upon this lCSl-
cal reasoning is predicated the theory Of
compulsory education. / fear the weakness
OF our present law is the multiplicity Cf
truant officers. Through the cooperation
OF the township trustee and the teachers
the provisions Of the compulsory law can
be enforced in the township and district
schools
1t seems to me that broad and liberal
spirit demands some change in the school
management of the State. The United
States commissioner of education does not
confine educational statistics to state
schools but to private institutions as well.
IN many of the States the superintendent
Of public instruction is required by law to
gather all information, from whatever
source, state or private schools. Such re-
port would reflect the true educational
progress of the State. In former years the
report OF the superintendent of public in
struction of the State contained such statis-
teal information Without counting the
parochial schools, normals, and not taking
into account other higher educational insti-
tutions, male and female the statistics of
which are not at hand but computing some
facts from eight private colleges. shows
that they have more than So vvO. 900 invested
in plants and securities. These colleges
have in their libraries more than 10000 vol
umes. They have an enrolment of over
two thousand students, with alumni of
upwards OF five thousand besides from
twelve to fifteen thousand more who have
attended but did not graduate from these
colleges. These institutions, with their
magnificent work, should not be excluded
from the educational reports of the State,
although they are carrying forward their
great work unaided by the State. There is
a growing sentiment of commentator for
these institutions that ask no aid from the
State
There are some serious objections to the
present composition of the State Board of
Education. One of these objections, found
ed upon justice, is that the counties have
no representation on this board IT is in the
township and district schools that the poor
est school advantages are offered, and these
have no champion or representative on the
board. The three state institutions, num-
boring perhaps three thousand students,
have three representatives. The school
enumeration OF the State shows 754,945. OF
long to the city schools and have three rep
resentatives while 60 per cent, or 435, 165,
belong to township and district schools, and
| have no representation on the state board.
Indinna's Insurance Laws.
The fee and salary law of 1895 repealed
cent. of all fees collected from insurance
| companies. During Mr.. Dailys four years
| incumbency of the Office there has been col
| lected, in the insurance department. 1854
| 2499S. Under existing laws, prior to 1895, 10
per cent. of this amount, or $6S 424.9S would
| have been a part of the auditors emou-
| ments. Under laws now in force. it has only
| cost the State the salary of one insurance
clerk. at $1,SO0 a year.
Upon inquiry of the insurance department
| of Ohio, l have received a statement show
| ing the cost TO the State of the insurance
| commission to be N7,500 annually, and that
| the amount collected during the last fiscal
| year was $l30, COO a statement, in answer
| TO a similar inquiry directed to the insur-
ance commissioner of illinois, reveals that
| the cost in salaries of the insurance COM
| mission is $4,000 year, the amount col
| ected being $l75, 323.99. In Indiana the
! amount collected last year. through the in
| surance department of the auditor of states
Office, was in excess of $2OSO0O, at a cost
| to the State of only $1,000.
| 1t is clearly manifest therefore. that In
| diana does not need an insurance commits
! sion, with its multiplied expenses l would,
| however, recommend that one additional
| clerk he furnished the insurance depart
ment of the state auditors office. This will
enable the office to make a more thorough
! Investigation of the securities filed and of
| the financial standing of all companies do
| ing business in the State, thus guarantee
! ing to the people safety as far as possible
against irresponsible companies.
There were paid in premiums to foreign life
insurance companies for the fiscal year end
ing July !, 1898, &,209, ~ and there was
| received back to the State on policies
Il 294, 555.51, or loss to the State of
! 1914. 453. so.
Fire insurance companies should be held
| responsible for the actions of their agents.
| When an agent accepts and agrees upon a
| cash value of property and writes a policy
| based upon this value, and the insured pays
| premiums in good faith then. in the event
of total loss, the company should be com
! PEELED to abide by their agents appraise-
mont and pay the loss in full.
There was paid last fiscal year in pre-
| miums to foreign fire insurance companies
| $3G96. S42.4e, and received back on losses
$l.556, S06.64, net loss to the State of
Sanitation Laws.
Conditions conducive to good health are
| always of great Importance. Pure food and
| good sanitation laws should always receive
careful consideration. Judicious laws for the
| stamping out of infectious and contagious
| diseases are deserving of attention.
Apathy and neglect of sanitary conditions
| are superinduced by the temporary absence
| of infectious or contagious diseases. The
| State Board of Health should be given such
| powers as will enable them to afford i'm
munity as far possible from epidemics
and to stamp out contagious diseases.
Equity in Taxation.
| The Constitution (Sec /, Art. 100 stipulates
| that 1.-The General Assembly shall provide by
law for a uniform and equal rate of assess
| ment and taxation and shall prescribe such
! regulations as SNAIL secure a just valuation
! for taxation of all property, both real and
| personal excepting such only. for municipal
educational, literary, scientific, religious or
charitable purposes, as may be especially ex-
| empted by law"
| Following this constitutional mandate
| the General Assembly provided by Sec $40,
| r. S. 1894, that All property within the jur-
| isdiction of this State, not expressly ex-
| empted, shall be subject to taxation And
! by Sec. A12 r. S. 1894 the General Assembly
exempted the classes of property designated
| in Section l. Article 10, of the Const-
tuition above. In pursuance to the constitu-
| in the discharge of the duty imposed to see
! that all assessments of property in this
| State are made according to law and to
| see that all taxes due the Sthte are coll
! lecJed, this board in 1897 instructed the as
/ SCISSORS of the State to list and assess at
| their true cash value for the purposes of
taxation, all paid-up life insurance policies
AT the suit of certain holders of such in
| surance policies, this board and the taxing
ofhcialS of the State, were enjoined from
nsung and assessing such policies by the
| Marion Circuit Court, the action of which
| court was afterwards affirmed by the Su-
| preme Court. $50 Ind. ZIG
| Notwithstanding such action of the Su
| preme Court, aforesaid. in holding that such
| policies are not subject to taxation that
! court unanimously held that such policies
| were property, that they were not expressly
| exempted by law from taxation but that
| they were not subject to taxation for the
| reason that the General Assembly had made
| no provision or regulation for assessing or
| Valuing such policies
In addition to this finding of the court
! tEat they We're property and not especially