The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-24

good citizenship. Good citizenship is
as important to the county as to the
state. If, however, we lose sight of
this higher aim and put it down on the
sordid plane of dollars and cents, the
county should help to bear the burden.
1t is the counties that have to bear
the burden of court costs and the con-
viction of criminals. If education less
ems crime it follows that the more and
better the education the less the
4 amount os crime and the less court
costs to try criminals. Hence, in or
der to reduce the cost to the counties
of trying and convicting criminals, they
can well afford to contribute to the
education of their own children. What
they lose in the one they gain in the
ether. The state is to an extent re-
lieved of a burden and the standard of
| intelligence and morality and good citi-
zenship is elevated, and both the state
and the county are equally benefited
/ When carefully considered / do not
! believe any valid objection can be
| found to the proposition to divide the
burden of the support of the schools
between the county and the state. 1t
is divided in all the states in which
free schools have been most successful.
! Why not in Georgia?
But when you have instituted these
for the future against a recurrence of
the unfortunate condition with which
we have wrestled in the past. The
million of dollars due your teachers
| for work done during the present year
will still be unpaid. Retrenchment and
reversion of your school and pension
laws will not have paid it. 1t is an
| honest debt and must be paid. The
obligation on the state to pay it with
! 0lT unnecessary dnlaX iS la-
gally and morally as bind
ing as the obligation to pay
the salaries of your governor, the
! judges of your courts, the per diem of
your legislators, or the principal and
/ interest of your public debt. The fact
that it is the result of bad
! law does not relieve us from the
obligation to pay. There are but two
ways in which to do it; one is to levy
a direct tax on the people to raise the
money; the other is to borrow the
money and owe those who are able and
willing to carry the debt, rather than
| your teachers who are neither able nor
willing to do so. The idea of raising
this deficiency by direct taxation is not
to be entertained for a moment. Taxes
are too high already.
l therefore recommend that an
amendment of the constitution be sub
| Hllll6Q TO people dl the next gem
eral election authorizing the issue OF a
sufficient amount of 3 per cent. state
bonds to pay the arrearages due teach
ers, these bonds to be paid off at he
rate of 100000 a year out of the rental
of the state road until all are paid.
The remainder of the rental after ap-
plying 100000 annually to the payment
of the bonds, to be applied as now, one
half TO the school fund and the other
half to general purposes.
The state Troops.
The Inspector General. who has been
kept almost constantly in the field dur
| ing the year inspecting the troops and
aiding company officers in an effort 10
| bring their commands up TO the highest
/ state Of efficiency, reports all the COM
mands with the exception OF few
/ companies. In good condition. Owing 20
] the disorganization OF the companies
/ and regiments during the Spanish
! American war there was az its close
| scarcely a company In the state NJ for
! effective service. But few, II any, had
| a full corps of officers and none were
up 20 the minimum in numbers. ana
al we're poorly equipped A. n ls im
/ possible 20 haze regiments without frst
/ having good companies. the money
] available for military purposes has