The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-25
THE TREASURER AND TEACHERS.

/
State Treasurer Park is being quite Sc
verely criticised for his refusal to pay the
school teachers out of the public property
fund. 1t does not seem to us that there
is any good ground for such criticism
1t may be that there is a precedent for
paying warrants of the school teachers
out of that fund, and the Attorney Cen
eral has given an opinion to the effect
that dt would be legal to use the fund
/ for that purpose. Some of the ablest
lawyers of the state, however. do not
agree with the Attorney General in this
matter. In their opinion Treasurer Park
has no legal right to use the public prop
erty fund for such a purpose. The con-
stitution forbids any such use of 1t. In
view of the existing doubt Treasurer
Park has taken the only course left open
to him If he wishes to keep strictly within
the letter and spirit of the law. He has
refused to use the public property fund
and the matter has gone to the courts for
adjustment.
The case ought to be pushed along as
rapidly as possible, because the teachers
want their money and ought to have 1t
as quickly as it is possible to get 1t for
them. II it should be decided that Treas
urer Park is right in refusing to use the
public property fund the Governor will
have to borrow the money.
1t is probable that no harm would have
come to Treasurer Park or his bondsmen
if he had acted in accordance with the
opinion of the Attorney General, but there
is chance that there would. There is
no good reason why he should take that
chance.
1t is true of course that the state de-
positories will be benefited by the course
taken by Treasurer Park, provided he
is sustained by the Supreme Court, and
so will that class of money lenders who
deal in teachers warrants, but that is
not his fault. 1t is the fault of the Legis-
lature for not providing the money with
which to pay the teachers when their sal
aries are due.
This trouble about the pay of the school
teachers is not a new one Every year,
for a number of years, there has been
a lack of funds with which to pay the
lack of money to pay the per diem of
the members OF the Legislature at the
time they were entitled to it, a way could
be found to have 1t in the treasury when
IL was needed The Legislature, however,
seems to think 1t is a matter of no conse-
quence whether the teachers get their
money promptly or not. Even the fact
that the teachers have to pay ruinous
discount to have their warrants cashed
by the money lenders does not seem to
make any impression on that body.
This action of Treasurer Park will have
the effect of drawing strongly public at
tention to the wrong of which the teach
ers are the victims. 1t may have the eff
feet of inducing the Legislature TO adopt
means for paying the teachers promptly.
The fiction has been INDUCED in these
many years that there is no deficit in the
school fund. In view of the fact that
the teachers cannot be paid out of the
taxes collected in the year in which their
services are rendered, but have 20 be paid
out of taxes for the following year, it
would be interesting to know what the
matter with the school fund is, if there
is no deficit. 1t is the duty of the Legis-
lature to provide for this deficit, and thus
avoid the annual trouble about the pay
of the school teachers. Treasurer Park
is not to blame for the shortage in the
school fund or for refusing to do what
he thinks would be violation of the con-
stitution,