The age-herald., 1901-03-01
STRONG FIGHT ON
 PRORAT|NG BILL
State Superintendent of Educa- tion Abercrombie States
 His Objections

Montgomery, February 2S.-(Special)- Hon. John w. Abercrombie, State super intendent of education, is making strong effort to defeat a bill that has been introduced in both houses of the Legislature which seeks to pro rate school funds.
 Questioned concerning his objection to the proposed legislation, he said;
 Senate bill No. 6333 which was intro duced by MT. Harrison and House bill No. 1546, which was introduced by Mir. Clarke, are exact copies of each other
 "The unanimity with which the bill passed the Senate on yesterday leads me to believe that the members of that body did not fully understand it's scope and effect.
 The bill provides that all funds now in the treasury except such as are requested by the constitution of Alabama and the acts of Congress, be consolidated Into one fund, and that all distinctions and special appropriations be abolished and held for naught. This would abolish the special school fund raised by the one mill tax It would also abolish the special confed- crate pension fund. The two hundred thousand dollars now in the treasury to the credit of the special school fund for the year beginning on the first day of next October, together with the unex- pended balance for this year, would be transferred to the general fund and used for paying general government expenses fo holding a constitutional convention and for other purposes. This would be a n a was paid by the people in good faith, under a law providing that it should be used exclusively in the support of the common schools To use it for any other purpose would be wrong, very wrong.
 The public school appropriations for the current year have been apportioned, contracts have been made with teachers. the schools are now running. To pass the bill would reduce the salary of all most every teacher, would shorten the term of almost every school and would deprive the children of a greatly needed educational advantage.
 There is now in the treasury, to the credit of the Confederate pension fund the sum of two hundred thousand dol loars, collected under law providing that 1t should be apart from all other funds and applied exclusively to the support of those entitled to its benefits.
 This bill proposed to convert this fund into the general fund where 1t may be used for general expenditures. l am of the opinion that those who paid this tax will not rejoice at its perversion. The proposition is wrong both in principle and in policy
 Tt is claimed by those who advocate the bill that a deficit Is staring us in the face and they propose to prevent 1t by the bill. After paying the expenses of the executive, judicial and legislative departments the interest on the public debt and the holding of a constitutional convention, if enough is not left to meet the other appropriations it is proposed to probate the deficit among them. The burden of the deficit, If there be one, would fall most heavily upon the public schools. The Confederate pension fund would suffer heavily also. In fact these two funds would have to bear almost the entire burden. The bill would greatly injure our school system.
 Now, while great many people, per haps a majority of the white people, de- sire a constitutional convention, I am of the opinion that but few of them would desire 1t held almost solely at the expense of the children and old soldiers 'The proposed law Is wrong in prin- ciple. wrong in policy, and should not be enacted. I am sure that in order to secure the defat of the bill 1t Is only necessary to call attention to it's de- fects."