The age-herald., 1900-03-26
DEFENDS THE FAIR NAME OF ALABAMA Supt. of Education AbercrOmbie
 Writes Open Letter. REPLY TO MINORITY REPORT Of the Committee on Public Lands of Congress on a Bill Donating
 Certain Lands to Ala
 bama Schools
REPLY TO MINORITY REPORT

intendent of education, has addressed the following open letter to the Alabama rep resentatives in congress in reply to the mi- nority report of the committee on public lands of congress on a bill donating certain lands to Florence and Huntsville Normal schools:
 To the Honorable Senators and Represent
 atives in Congress from Alabama Gentlemen: Having noticed the minority report of the house committee on public lands bill granting lands to Alabama schools, and believing that said report Is based largely upon a misapprehension of facts, I feel that justice to the state gem erally and to these schools particularly, requires that should submit for your con- sideration and use the following facts: In the first place. then, let us admit that Alabama is not doing all she could do for the education of her citizens. Can it be truthfully said that any other state in the | union has reached that point?
 In the second place, the state is doing I great deal more than she receives credit for It has been said that the people of New England are born with a pen In their hand" so faithfully have they recorded every detail of their history. The southern people, on the contrary. have been careless and indifferent about such matters. The general school laws of Alabama take cogni- zance only of the educational institutions under state control; but these are by means all of such institutions. There are thirty-two cities and towns, and three en- tire counties, which derive the larger part of the support of their schools from Spe cdal taxes; but as these taxes are levied under local laws, no report of them is made to the state authorities, and they are there fore not recorded. Again in a large ma jority of cases the public funds of the state are supplemented by tuition fees and wheii tO hOth of thpSa 6 added maid to private and denominational schools, the sum total goes considerably beyond the million-dollar mark, and the per capita amount away above 46 cents, as stated in the minority report.
 Some Figures
 On page five of the auditors report for the year ending September 30, 1898, it is stated that ''the total receipts of the treas ury for the fiscal year were $2 2242. .S94. 73;' and on the same page ''that the state dis bursed on account of education and benevo- fence the sum of $1 01S,0S6.9S for the year 1S97-S." This sum exceeded that given two years previously by s191 200. .5S. On page six of the same report Auditor White uses the following language: "I think this will prove a revelation to a great many who are de- manding larger appropriations for public schools. This one item is nearly 50 per cent. Cit is actually 45 9-22 per cent) of the total disbursements. Besides the above SluIeQ dHlOu1t, Wnlcn IS QlSDuTSeu IHTOuSH this office. Mobile is permitted by law to retain from taxes and licenses collected the sum of $56, 033.1 IT for her schools. From a careful study of these facts and figures I think 1t will be concluded that, of the revenue coming to the state, the schools get about all that can well be allowed them"
 The minority report complains especially of the constitutional provision which pro- hibits local taxation for school purposes. I think myself that the time has come for a repeal of this prohibition, and the educa- tors of the state have been laboring to this end for several years; but when the honor able gentlemen who signed that report re- call the conditions which existed in Ala bama when that provision was made sure qy they will not wonder that such a step was deemed wise. When they remember that Alabama's public debt was increased in eight years from $5,9s9,654.S7 to sSS,SS1,- 967.37 (for figures see speech of the Hon. St. George Tucker, D. 6,566 Congressional Record, first session, Fifty-ftrst congress), or more than 546 per cent, and that 54 per cent of the people pay probably 95 per cent. of the taxes, they should not hastily con- demn measure which was adopted by the white tax payers of the state for their pro- tectaon just as soon as they regained power after reconstruction. It Is doubtful whether the removal of this constitutional restraint to general taxation would be
 
 would be wise to remove 1t so to allow local taxation for educational purposes Many of our people would doubtless prefer to have our constitutional limit of general taxation raised rather than remove the re- strietion entirely.
 Interesting Comparison
 Perhaps a short comparison of Alabama with some of her sister states would be both Interesting and instructive, and I se- 1ant haoa .ha ic fai tive of one section, while Alabama is of another.
 In Part l. Public Debt of the census of 1890, page 146, it will be seen that, exclu- sive of the sinking fund, the public debt of Alabama in 1890 was SIP, ,41S 196 CO., while that of Iowa was only $245, ,435. .00-not quite per cent of Alabama's. The per capita of total bonded Indebtedness of Alabama less the sinking fund, found on the same page as the foregoing, was $S20; in Iowa, it was 13 cents. In Alabama, according to the census of 1S9O out of a school enroll ment of 325, TSP, there were 122, SS9 negroes; In Iowa, out of an enrolment of 53S 576, there were only 1,2S6 negroes On page IS of Part II of the census report for 1890 on Valuation and Taxation, it will be seen that more than 57 per cent of the real val uation of property in Alabama was listed for taxation; while in Iowa, only about 29 per cent was so listed. On page 59 of the same volume, will be found the following facts and figures: The per capita assessed valuation of real and personal property in Alabama in 1850 was $312.76; in 1860, $44S25; in 1870, $156.05; in 1SS0 $97.32 In 1890, $11.17. Iowa began in 1850 at $112S5 and gradually Increased, except In two instances, to $271.59 in 1S90 These last figures show that at the very time Alabamas per capita val uation was decreased nearly 66 per cent (from 1860 to 1s70 her public debt was in- creased more than 546 per cent, and her war debt Is not included in this estimate. Auditor Whites report, page 5, shows that the state paid on this debt $44S ,74000 interest In 1898. Alabama contributes more than four times as much as she receives from the pension fund; Iowa receives two and a half times as much as she contributes When all of these facts are properly con- sidered, think the minority report of the committee Is right in saying, "The only wonder Is, that Alabama shows as good a record as she does in her school system" According to the report of Dr. Wm. T. Har- ris, U. S. commissioner of education, for 1899, Introductory Statement page 19, the lanpth of inc avara Sohnol life in fha