The Van Buren press., 1900-01-20

apprehend, condition which can
only be changed for the better by the
unanimous, concerted and earnest ef-
forts of the teachers of Arkansas.
They are today as they never were
before, power in shaping and
moulding public opinion and | appeal
to them as the makers and builders
of the citizenship that is to rule the
country, TO use their power for the
improvement of our institutions of
learning of high and low degree.
There are some strong provisions
in the organic law of Arkansas relat-
ing to education and our public
schools. In the most solemn and un-
equivocal manner the state Is com
mitted to the maintenance of her
common schools. | read from sec
ton /, article II, of the constitution
of 1874: Intelligence and virtue be-
ing the safeguards of liberty and the
bulwarks of free and good govern
ment, the state shall ever maintain n
general, suitable and efficient system
of free schools whereby all persons
in the state between the ages of six
and twenty-one years, may receive
gratuitous instruction" Is not this
a magnificent presentation of the OBJ
legation of the state to the children
of the state? Let me repeat it, and
[ ask that every teacher in this pres
ence shall bear it on the tablet of
memory as a thing never to be cifac-
ed or obscured.
Let us note the next provision of
the constitution: "No money or prop
erty belonging to the public school
fund, or to the state, for the benefit
of schools or universities, shall ever
be used for any other than the re-
spective purpose to which it be-
longs
Next in order is that section of the
organic law which provides the ways
and means necessary to the success OF
the SYSTEM: Section 3. The general
assembly shall provide by general
laws, for the support of common
schools, by taxes, which shall never
exceed in one year two mills on the
dollar on the taxable property of the
state, and by an annual per capita
tax of one dollar to be assessed on
every male inhabitant Of the state
over the age Of twenty-one years.
Provided, the general assembly may
by general law authorize school di-
rectors to levy, by vote of the quail
| fled electors of such district, n tax
not to exceed five mills on the dollar
in any one year, for school pur-
poses"
In the previous articles of the con-
stitution to which | have called your
attention you will readily perceive
some things which are clearly incon-
sistcnt and contradictory.
/. The state is committed to the
maintenance of system of public
schools, "a general, suitable and eff
cient system
2. he taxing power is so restrict
ed and limited that it is utterly i'm
possible to secure the money necessa-
ry to maintain an efficient and gen
eral system, To put it plainly, by
one provision of the supreme law of
the land, we are commanded to erect
and maintain public schools and by
the very next provision such limi-
tation is placed upon taxation that
an efficient system of schools is a,
mpossibility. We are required to
make bricks, but the straw Is denied
us. II in any school district the two
mill tax, the per capita tax and the
full limit of the five-mill tax are in
adequate to the maintenance Of n
good school for more than three or
four months in the year, what is the
remedy. TO secure the additional
funds necessary in such school dis
trict land .nere are hundreds of
them--perhaps thousand Of them
in Arkansas) we must add to our rev.
enues by an increase in local taxa
tion, or provide the money from 9th
er sources, So far rs other sources
Of revenue are concerned, | must
confess that they are not in sight A
little fund here and there may be-
diverted TO the school fund-moneys
derived from certain penalties, privi-
lcgcs, fines, etc, but such revenues
are precarious and not to be depend
ed on In the maintenance of well
ordered and substantial system. How
then shall we get the needed revc-
nues? The only feasible means APP
pears to be In the increase of the
general school tax fund from two TO,
say, four mills, and u like limit Of the
local option tax from five TO eight or
ten mills. | confess that | am dccd-
cdly In favor Of an increase in the
limit of both the state and the local
tax, am indebted TO our able and
efficient superintendent OF public In
struction, Hon. j. j, Doync, for GER
tain statistics Ns TO school revenues
in Arkansas that bear upon the sub
Ject under discussion, find that for
the year 1898 the receipts from all
sources amounted to Si,S6i ,20a, 10;
the receipts from the five.mll tax
amounted to S762,ll0,55, When we
| inuuire what length of school form IN