Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-05-08
SCHOOL FUND.
RIDICULOUS ACTION OF STONE
COUNTY REPUBLICANS.
PHELPS KNOWS BETTER,
Charge the Democrats With LOOting
the School Fund When the Rec
Ords Show That Stone County
Received More Money for
School Purpose Than 1t
Pays the State.


JEFFERSON CITY, May 1.-The reso-
buttons OF Stone county Republicans
charging the Democracy with ''loot-
ing and plundering' the State school
fund is made the subject of Secretary
Cooks latest chapter to his political
handbook.
II would be supposed, says Mr..
Cook, that Missouri Republican lead
ers would learn a valuable, though
humiliating, lesson from the cam
paign 1900, but evidently those
who direct the policy Of that party
are incapable of an intelligent under
standing of the State they once so
grossly mismanaged.
That the follies Of the campaign Of
two years ago are to be repeated this
year is already evident. Here is a
sample resolution which is being
adopted under direction Of Republic
can party managers:
ave deplore the condition Of the
once magnificent school fund Of the
State, which has been looted and
plundered until we now have only a
lot of worthless certificates Of indebt-
edneSs."
This resolution was adopted by the
Republicans of Stone county at their
convention held in March.
STONE coUNTY's BLUNDER.
Stone is one OF the rockribbed Re
publican counties of the Bald Knot
region. 1t has been steadfast in its
Republicanism ever since that party
had control in this State. In the last
campaign it gave a Republican ma.
jority OF more than two to n II
may be interesting, therefore, for the
remainder OF the State to know how
the Republicans OF Stone county hav,
been made 70 suffer under the 'loot
ing and plundering'' OF Democratic
State administrations. The onicia
records at the State capital show thai
Stone county paid into the Stat
treasury last year for all purposes, %,
761.4s.
The same records show that StonI
county received from the State treas
ury last year for the support OF he
schools alone 81, Ss1.3S.
In other words, Missouri gave StonI
county more money for the support 0
her district schools last year than tn.
county paid TO the State for all puI
poses. II we should add 10 this schoo
money, which the State supplies Ston.
county, the amounts paid that count
for costs in criminal cases, salary 70
her circuit judge, and cost Of asseSsinI
the revenue, it will be readily seel
that Missouri would be much bette.
off financially If Stone county was en-
/ Toying the benehcent Republican ad
ministration Of our sister state q
Kansas.
HOW STONE JARED UNDER REPUBL
CAN RULE.
But this is not all Of the record. l
view Of this declaration OF the Ston
! county Republicans, it is proper I
! compare the treatment that county
now receiving under Democratic Stat
: management with conditions whic
5 existed when the Republicans bel
J sway in Missouri.
During the six years Of Republica
rule Stone county received from II
State for the support Of her school
sI,5I6.73
During the last six years Of DEM
/ cratic management which the StOI
county Republicans so greatly d
! plore that county received from tn
State for the support Of her school
s2l, 1885.
In short, Stone county receive
from this 'looted" and "plundered
state treasury last year alone moi
than twice as much school money 3
that county received from the Stat
during the entire six years Of Republ
, can control.
. PHELPS KNOWS BETTER.
The Stone county Republicans, hog
! ever, are not alone in declaring ths
; the States obligations are "wortl
! less and that the school fund hi
been looted" and "plundered."
The Phelps county Republicans in
recent convention took occasion TO d
%nounce the present Democratic az
mi~nlstratiOn" for '1ooting'' this funC
/ There may be some degree Of ALLOW
ance made for the Republicans {
, Stone county because Of the fact tina
they evidently know but little Of the
State government Few OF them az
really aware that during the six yeal
their own party was In power In Mi
souri, their county received on a
average less than $500 annually Il
school purposes, or that during a COZ
! pesponding period OF Democratic con
troll their county received annual
more than 1850.
The Stone county Republicans rea
Republican newspapers and listen I
Republican campaign speeches el
cluslTely, and il is not surprising tina
they, like young Mr.. Allen, Of Kansa,
should have bad opinion Of thel
State.
But the Phelps county Republican
know better. They know when the
charge that the present 'administra
ton or any other administration, 70
that matter, has looted" the Stat
school fund, they are libeling thei
State.
Tka panuhIGearu ~ phoI,s ao,ntl