Amador ledger., 1902-10-03
A DOUBTFUL AMENDMENT.

SbaGe ScnOOl IunQ ana from Lne gen.
eral state school tax shall be applied
exclusively to the support of primary
and grammar schools; but the legis-
lature may authorize and cause to be
levied a special state school tax for the
support of high schools and technical
schools, or either of such schools, in
cluded in the public school system, and
all revenue derived frem such special
tax shall be applied exclusively to the
support of the schools for which such
special tax shall be levied.
That portion included in brackets
embraces the proposed amendment
to the organic law relating to the
school system which the voters are
called to pass upon at the coming
election. We call the attention to
this subject at this time, not only
because of the vital Importance of
the amendment, but also because a
special effort is being made in some
quarters to secure a favorable vote
upon this sweeping provision. We
have received from A. J. Pillsbury,
editor of the Tulare Register, an
editorial article urging the adoption
of the amendment, and requesting
the publication of the article in these
columns, also rendering the infor-
nation that other articles on the
same subject will be forwarded week
ly until election time, in favor of
what the writer calls ''the poor
mans college," The kind offer of
our brother editor is respectfully
declined, inasmuch as the Ledger is
unalterably opposed to the radical
departure from existing conditions
which the amendment proposes. We
are well aware that any opposition
to an extension of the public school
system is apt to be looked upon as
an act of disloyalty to the vital in
terests of the state, but notwith-
standing this spirit we are decidedly
of the opinion that the proposed
amendment ought to be defeated.
AS the law now stands, any coun-
try school district, or union of two or
more school districts, can form a
high school district. If the resi-
dents of any district desire the bene-
fit of higher education, they can
have it by voting for its adoption,
and paying a special tax for the
maintenance of such high school.
Unquestionably, it is this question
of extra taxation that deters hun
dreds of districts from having high
school. If the cost of maintenance
were shifted from the taxpayers of
the district to the taxpayers of the
state at large, no doubt there would
be boom all along the line in the
high school business. Every graded
school in the state would immediate
ly aspire to have high school de-
partment. Taxpayers in Amador
county, who are exempt under the
present law from contributing to-
ward the support of these educa-
tional institutions in San Francisco,
Sacramento, and other large cities,
would, if the amendment were adopt
ed, be called upon to pay their share
of the cost of these schools. Hence,
they would Immediately agitate for
a share in the benefits, and want,
not one, but number of high schools
in the county. That such would be
the practical effect of the proposed
constitutional provision there can
be no doubt. People are, as a rule,
economical and prudent when it
comes to question of voting spe-
cial tax upon themselves. They
study up the ways and means care
fully, knowing that if they make a
mistake they will have to bear the
financial burden alone. But this
frugal spirit is entirely absent when
it comes to question of dipping
into the state treasury. Every com
munity in California wants to get as
much from the state treasury as it
possibly can. That legislator is
considered smart who succeeds in
getting generous donation from the
state for his constituents, no matter
whether the appropriation be wisely
expended or not.
Besides which we consider that
twelve years of continuous public
school life, if generally adopted,
would be a positive injury rather
than blessing in the majority of
cases. We are saying nothing
against education in the abstract.