Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-24

rears dine IN teachers for last years work, to
pay my warrants drawn on him to pay teach
To settle the question finally, directed the
| attorney general TO bring mandamus proceed
| ings against the treasurer and let the supreme
court settle the question, This he did. ana tne
! I'D to this time the teaehers had been paid
! for only month s work and there was IN the
only S77 600 To supplement this sum and pay
the teachers for another months work, or as
much thereof as possible, borrowed two hum
dred thousand doIlars-alII was permitted by
the constitution to borrow, and paid them 20
per cent OF their second tnpnth's earnings. Thus
will be due them at the end OF the year about
$4,000 to which must be added the 100000
borrowed and paid to them. When this Is done
the total Indebtedness Of the state on account
of free schools will be about 81, 040,OOO, which
has to be provided for SEINE how or othe Ell, ana
general assembly applies remedy. In another
part OF this message have suggested what
seems to to be the only feasible way OF
paying off and getting rid of this annually re-
curing deficiency in school revenues.
When this deficiency Is made mp and teachers
are paid all that is due them, legislation is
necessary to put our schools on safe business
footing In my last annual message sugges.ed
I advised that changefbe made in the mode
of raising revenue for the support of our free
state and the counties said, and now repeat,
that lit will be found upon investigation that
Georgia pays a larger percentage OF her lOtdl
revenue TO the support Of her common school
than any other state IN the union, while local
communities. with the execution Of our cities
and some of the larger towns. contribute moth
ing to this purpose. Counties, with two or three
exceptions, and most of the towns pay nothing,
but look TO the state for everything. This fos-
tiers a spirit OF paternalism utterly repugnant
TO our theory Of government and destructive OF
the self-reliance and Individuality of the citi-
zen. In New England. the cradle of common
schools, where they have reached their greatest
perfection. the mudsii e the system is local
profit by the experience iof these older states
and amend our system 80 as to conform to that
which experience has de1nopstrated to be best.
Under the present law codnties may impose up
on themselves taxes TO aid in the support OF
schools. but they do not % 4 because the law
is not compulsory, but merely permissive. II is
not right for the state to bear all Of this bur
then, neither is It expedient The law should re-
Quire part OF 1t to be borne by the counties:
This would not only be more equitable and just
! to the taxpayers but II would be TO the best
interest of the schools and teachers, who are
the chief sufferers under the present unsatisfac-
tory system. Under the proposed change patrons
would feel more Responsibility for and take
more interest IN their school and in the selec-
ton of teachers, the standard Of scholarship in
our country schools would be elevated and the
ana teachers. the amount OF local taxation
for the support of schools would be increased
from year to year, the school term would be
the taxpayers would be better satisfied with the
burthen put upon them
therefore recommend that the law be 50
O0O. GOO per annun. to be distributed among the
counties as now provided ~ iaw. but that the
able until that county shan have raised by tax
alton upon the taxable property within its own
borders. amount not less than 40 per cent
of its share OF the state school fund"
WE MUST REFRENCH.
In 1883 the state tax vy was $3.50 on the
year tin IN 1898 a had ,eached 1874 on the
thousand, Notwithstanding The taxable values
of the property of the state had in the mean
time Increased more than a hundred millions OF
dollars The increase in the county rate in most
of the counties had kept pace as is almost 81 .st
state rate, and when to these heavy state and
county levies was added In the towns ana
these accumulated taxes became 50 onerous
that the taxpayers justly complained under the
5ena and FIR retrenchment Believing this de-
mand to be just and that the people ought
not to be so heavily burthened l, in special
message to the general assembly IN November
1s9s urged retrenchment, and the greatest pos
sible reduction in the state tax rate. To this
end recommended that the pension laws be
so amended as to grant pensions only to
those Confederate soldiers and those widows
of Confederate soldiers who actually need the
aid of the state to supply their necessities
and save them from want" also advised that
the act of former legislature adding, on pa
per- to the common school fund 100000 but
providing no means of paying II be repealed
After much discussion the pension laws were
left intuct and the direct appropriation from
the state treasury for the support OF the COM
mon schools was fixed at 100000 in addition to
the poll taxes, the specific taxes, the hire OF
convicts, the half rental or the state ROAD etc.
Thus we were enabled to reduce the tax rate
for the year 1899 from 1921 to 1886, and for the
year 1900 to 1920
~ demands were made upon the treasury by the
various institutions supported partly or wholly
raised the tax rate from So 20 to $5.44, and this
increase of "a mills will fall short by $I4sOOO OF
raistng rsveltHe 81 yo last session notwitb
standing the taxable values of the state have
increased in the last three years more than
$40 900 900 We are thus confronted with a de-
hciency in revenue of S7l, 900 in addition to the
pensions allowed INDECENT widows and not yet
paid and more than a million which will be
due the teachers of the common schools at the
end of the present year, which can be met only
in the unsatisfactory way of the past by apply
ing the money which ought to go to pay them
next year TO the payment of arrearages due
them for work done in this. While the state
has seldom II ever, been more prosperous and
neither her credit nor that of any other state
has ever been better, the system heretofore en-
ployed in the management of her fiscal affairs
far as it relates to the common schools and
pensions, Is not satisfactory. We should be
honest and candid with the teachers and PEN
sioners and taxpayers. No statute should be al
lowed to remain on the books declaring that
teachers shall be paid monthly even quar-
terly, when no money is provided to pay them
1t is misleading, unfair and unjust
The enactment that INDECENT widows Of de-
ceased Confederate soldiers shall be paid pen
sion of $50 a year when money has been. pro-
vided to pay them, is delusion and disap-
pointment When promises to pay money are
provided to meet them. Let us get back to the
old rule pay as you go" But how can. we do
this There are but two ways, either increase
taxes or reduce appropriations. The former rem
edy is not to be thought of. Taxes should not
be- increased for any purpose whatever, except
those named in the constitution. We must
therefore reduce appropriations from the public
treasury. tt
We cannot reduce appropriations to pay the
principal and interest on the public debt, for
these are fixed charges that must be met at
whatever sacrifice. We cannot retrench In ap-
propriations for the support of the civil estab-
lishment. for the government Of no other state
in the union of the size and Importance OF
Georgia is administered at less cost. We cannot
afford to starVe out institutions for the blind
the deaf, the insane, for this would be cruel
and inhuman. In a word there are but two
appropriations can reduce so as to make any
reduction in the tax rate-the one for schools
the other for pensions. These two objects alb
sorb nearly two-thirds of the entire income OF
the state You may abolish every salary In the
state and require every officer legislative, ex-
ecutive and judicial, to work for nothing, and
you would not reduce to any appreciable ex-
tent the rate Of taxation, II appropriations
such as have been made In the recent past for
schools and pensions continue TO be made. But
for these two drains the treasury the state
government could be supported and ample pro-
vision made for the public debt without levying
a dollar of property tax.
The rental of the state road, the license
and specific taxes. and the hire Of the convicts
would pay all else and there would be a
plus left. l repeat. therefore, that the only
places where the knife be applied is to
the appropriations for schools and pensions.
Confne pensions to those surviving Confederate
soldiers and the widows OF those who are dead
who are physically unable TO support them
selves by their labor and who have no other