The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1900-10-26
THE SCHOOL FUND AT CLOSE RANGH'

A few years ago an old and highly respected demo3
|crat Of this city, perceiving that his end was near at hand}
and wishing to set his earthly affairs right before he died.
{hasing toned thrce-score year and ten. and having seen tbeS
great need of popular education, bequeathed to the Public
}School District Of Montgomery City So, 300 for SCHOOL,
purposes. In that bequest he stated that the Board of
Education should hold that 5000 forever as a sacred fund 5
the income of which should be spent for the education o}
THE school children Of Montgomery City school district
Inc Board OF Education received the bequest and loaned thee
}S6,OOO out at 9 per cent interest, taking a note therefor}
Ssgned by 2 reliable and substantial men, secured by a frst
}~mortgage on land valued at $4,000. This bequest orr
trust fund of $4,000 brought into the school treasury. at,
20 per cent interest. 1850 every year. The school board
twas delighted with this. The taxpayers of Montgomery
went out in a body every summer to the grave of the deadS
}phlanthropist and covered it over with evergreens and}
$forget-me-nots. ;
BY and by the school board got in debt and were hard$
}up for funds. They took counsel among themselves and$
$said "Gentlenan, where are we at? What can we do?i5
The superintendent of the schools was called in and thew
said to him ''Where are we at?" He said .sGentlemen. s
}eave it to me and will fix it, He called to his assistanceS
$a shrewd banker and said to him ''Where are we at?' The}
}shrewd banker said ''Mum IS the word. . The 50, 900 loanS
was called in and the money received. The banker said too
Sthe Superintendent "take this So 900 Cess my commission 3
and pay the debts of this = school board. and here take}
}these certificates of Indebtedness, written on good
$parchment'' and put them in the place of the Sc, 900 mort3
}gage on which you were receiving $3.50 a year and levy as
IA ~ VIZ taxpayers u III ScnOO uStIlcI III y pf cent?
each year and you will have the same income you used to}
have, and then you, your school board and all the citizensS
you can get together, get on the streets and say ''Mont3
,gonery City has got the biggest Public School fund of any}
city in the United States then when you elect a new$
school board select the same ''ine breed'' and tell thep t8
out montgomery City has the largest Public SCHOOL,
fund of any city in the United States then the people wiD$
know .'where we are att BY and by the citizens of ou3
town began to say ''why do we have to tax ourselves $500
every year on that gift Of $4,000? We thought we were|
receiving $3.50 each year. In answer to these Inquiries
the school board said SITS a campaign lie; we've got the$
$4,000 invested IN certificates Of Indebtedness written onS
,good parehlpsnt bearing y per cent interest. Don't yoy}
see? aCan't you understand anything?'' The tax-rayefs{
said "Yes, we see and ut the next school election ssRome}
howled, and the earth trembled'' and ever after that the}
same '.iine breed that used to loot the school fund was}
for the taxpayer downed them, and the school boardS
the Superintendent and the shrewd banker all cried with}
accord, wont somebody tell us where us and theS
So 900 bequest is at? Selah! Moral: This story illustratesS
the loot of the state school fund and the fate Of the same>
Zine breed 8