The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-16

! lation is therefore needed TO remedy
/ this defect That model tax officer,
/ Controller General Wright, has on sew
| eral occasions sought to have these
/ corporations to include in their re-
turns the value of their franchises
/ Whenever he changed the return by
making an assessment as provided by
law, the corporations would demand,
as all taxpayers have a right TO de-
mand, an arbitration Of the return,
and the award of the arbitrators, un-
der the present law, is final and con-
elusive, as has been several times held
by our courts. Hence the question
viii continue to be an open one until
there is appropriate legislation upon
the subject. l therefore here and now
again commit myself to the policy out
lined in my letter of announcement to
the effect that the franchise of quasi
public corporations should be made to
bear an equitable share of the bur-
dens ot taxation
In this connection | desire to say
that, in my judgment, with appro-
pirate amendments to our tax laws,
sufficient money would be collected to
authorize considerable reduction Of
the present nigh rate of taxation
me present rate is too high Nothing
would beget more confidence with the
business world along this line than the
knowledge that there was a limit to
the amount which the citizen might
1 De called upon to contribute to the sup
Port of the government. I therefore
favor taking such steps as may be
necessary to ascertain the very low
est amount that would properly sup
port the government and by a suit
able amendment to the constitution
limit the authority Of the General
Assembly to that rate
Education.
our public schools have never
seemed TO fully meet the necessities
of the people. Some amendments are
desirable for the purpose of having
the common schools better adjusted to
present conditions, especially is this
true of the rural schools In view of
the continuous irregularity with which
the teachers are paid it is surprising
that the system has been of any SER
vice whatever to the people We have
laws which authorize and direct the
monthly payment of these faithful ser
wants and yet they are not even paid
quarterly, and sometimes not even an
nually.
Let the teachers stand upon the
same plane as all other officers and
agencies of the government. There is
but one obligation of the state that. in
my judgment, occupies such a position
as regards the welfare of the people
as to entitle il to priority in payment
and that obligation is the public debt
of the state Our standing in the finan-
cial world depends almost entirely up
on the promptness with which we meet
this obligation.
| am firm believer in the educa-
ton of the masses and my fondest hope
is to see the time when every white
child in Georgia. ten years of age.
may know how to read and write. Let
US of this generation do our part to-
ward that end and we may then well
assure ourselves that this glorious old
commonwealth will be safe in the
hands of the coming generation.
While / entertain these views on
common schools l would not detract in
| the slightest degree from the means
and advantages which afford the chill
dren or Georgia an opportunity for
higher education. On the other hand,
all the state institutions of this char
acter should be properly maintained
and supported. / think that we should
go a step further and amend the con-
stitution so as to authorize the Gen
eral Assembly to extend the tax ex-
emption to include the endowment of
all educational Institutions, where the
fund is not so invested as to come in
competition with the business and
commercial interests of other citizens.
Such was the policy of the state
prior to 1877, and in the interests of
the higher education of the white chill
dren of Georgia we should return to
that policy. Why do say of the white
children of Georgia? Because there is
a negro college in Atlanta that has a
larger endowment, contributed by the
people Of the North than that of all
the Institutions in Georgia devoted to
the higher education of the white chill
dren. Not one dollar of this endow-
ment Is invested in Georgia and there
fore not taxable here. There are several
of these institutions for negro chill
dren and their combined endowments
exceed by several times the combined
| endowments of the white schools. yet
not one dollar of same is invested here,