Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-04-25
INDIAN TERRITORY SCHOOLS.
secretary Hitchcock Has Plan for Rats
ing Money for 'rnNauon.

secretary Hitchcock Has a Plan Tor Rats
ing Money for rnNation.
WASHINGTON. The secretary of the
interior has sent to the senate the report
of Frank Churchill, who was appointed
under a provision of the last Indian up.
plopriauun bill, 10 investigate aud rr-
port rs TO whether 1t is practicable 20
provide system Ct taxation of personal
property occupation aud franchises In
the Indian Territory sufficient TO main.
tain system Of free schools for all the
children of the territory. Mr.. Church
i'll = report l. one of the most complete
that has been made on the affairs of the
Indian territory. llo presents detailed
facts concerning each Of the five tribes
and statistics on area, population, litter
ucy and other subjects of that character.
lie summarizes the conditions as fol
lows:
81 find that upwards of a hundred
thousand persons of school age reside
in the Indian territory without FREQ
schools. Nearly 5000 of Indian
funds is expended annually for the main
tenance of tribal schools in which only
from $4,000 to 10, 900 pupils are enrolled.
Only thirty towns authorized to do so
have raised a tax for schools amounting
to about about $50, 600 There is not
less that 90 million dollars of taxable
property, to which additions are being
made almost hourly, upon which tax
of one third of per cent would amount
to million dollars An occupation
tax would yield $3.50 and poll tax
not less than 100000, to which St0O, 600
to 5000, 900 should be added for the tax
ON railroads, telegraph, telephone and
other corporations and franchises to
correspond with the above amounts. A
small average income from land leases
would amount TO 100000. The total
of these items is S675, ,000 and, i'm my
opinion, that amount can be raised
without proving burden upon any
person.
ITO institute a system of free schools
IT will first be necessary to divide the
territory into districts, not to exceed
thirty, and tax provided, the districts
to be sub-divided into municipal town
ships for school purposes, each of said
townships being authorized to levy
special tax for school purposes when
regularly voted, not 10 exceed 1 per
cent of the valuation of taxable proper
ty. The thirty districts should be es-
tablished at once under the direction of
the secretary of the interior and the
sub divisions made in order to place the
interior section upon the same footing
ms to authority to tax themselves for
schools as the Incorporated towns now
are, under the Curtis act Under such
authority these proposed districts may
levy tax to supplement the pro-rata
amounts from the general tax thus
enabling them to provide better schools
and school houses than the general or
state tax will at first supply. Com
missioners for each district might be
provided by election or appointment,
who should constitute district school
board and also be board of assessors
for return taxable property to a tax
commissioner for the territory to be APP
pointed by the secretary of the interior.
A board of equalization will be neces-
sary for assessing taxes on railroads,
telegraph, telephone, insurance and like
companies and franchises 1t will also
be necessary to appoint supervisors 10
pass upon the qualifications of teachers "