The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-20
Bills Are Now Pending in Both
Branches of the General
Assembly.
TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION.
Necessary to Adopt Amendment in
Order to Raise the Funds
Money Is Not in the
Treasury.


REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Jefferson City. Mo-. Jan. l9.-Free text
books for the school children is the subject
of a number of bills which have been intro
duced into the General Assembly. Members
of both parties seem united on the PROPOSE
tion TO supply books free to the children. In
the last campaign. Democratic and Repub-
lican speakers advocated free textbooks.
The Republicans failed to make an issue of
the subject because of the almost universal
acceptance of the idea. the only difference
being in the manner Of raising the money to
buy the books.
Two bills have been introduced into the
Senate which have their object to submit
constitutional amendment to the people pro-
viding for a levy which will be used for
free textbooks. the surplus, if any, TO be
turned back to the counties as a part of the
School Fund.
In the House Atkinson of Ripley has in
troduced the duplicate. Senator Ruhey of
Macon has introduced the duplicate of the
Atklnson resolution in the House. This res
clution Is Understood TO have the sanction
OF the administration. 1t would make the
levy not to exceed Z mills on the dollar
for free Textbook purposes. Senator Zeve-
iy's resolution, which was presented ct the
same time as Rubeys, provides for a lO-mill
levy the first year and mills thereafter.
On the Republican side Representative
Ing of Wayne proposes that tho money for
the free textbooks be taken out of the gen.
SiioS II is pEODdDle SOIHe
Of the Republicans will try to make an
issue on this proposition. claiming that the
state is rich enough to furnish the books
without 4 special levy"
Under the present Constitution. there is
no way in which free textbooks can he sup
piled, though the city of st. Louis. by rea-
son OF Charter provision, now supplies
books for the first four grades. A recent
charter amendment. increasing the levy foc
school purposes from mills to mills. will
enable st. Louis to extend the system to
higher grades.
MONEY NOT IN TREASURY.
IT Is folly to talk of the State being
constitutional amendment authorizing the
imposition OF additional taxation" said
INRepresentative Atkinson to-day. I do not
pelieve that the Republicans generally win
take up with the far-fetched idea of Mr.:
Ing: The money is not in the treasury, and
simple appropriation. by the General AS
sembiy will not bring 1t out.
1T will require about sl,O00.OO0 to get the
system in working order. After the first
ably not over s7O0.0O. However. this is
detail which will have to be worked out
later"
Superintendent of Public Schools w. T.
Darlington has taken up the subject in his
annual report which is just from the hands
of the printer. Some of the facts which he
has gathered bear directly on the issues at
hand. The following excerpts are from this
report:
'ns noes in not the using 6 aa
children. While i have nothing at hand upon upon
ha these Cites an pend ere than ns % Sse9d
nually for text-books The following Summaries Si
Number of pupils enrolled IN rur1ii - -,
Number of pupils enrolled in town schools sSsSs9
Number OF pupils enrolled in the three
Average cost per pupii in rural schools. a cents
average COS, per pupil in town schools. 20 cents
Amount spent annually in three cities
The 90 children enrolled in ali our 'ipg paS.ic
schools @ G have spent II the past six years nearly
about 40 cents per child.
A prominent educator in public address recent
to furnish every child in the State bdos s5sn
FREE II that expression was iniended to be
convey the IDEA that books for ali the ehidren
ss by aae dd L. f The out
dren free Such h thing is not done anywhere
been seriously proposed.
DISTRICT OWNERSHIP
District ownership for the free use OF the
S @ & a"ls ANY ~faHs ia%
siaI nsInding to eSn&ses &y s%s scaoSs sa
For years >, the ST. oba s%is s Board has
books used IN the frst four grades and nsed
IN aad s se ap are aes in
every school In our own State. as well in
wherever this system has been used. it is an
social wealth. Of the
is concentrating in the cities: so is the great
mass Of very poor people. Under such coEdi-
tions 1t s most natural that everything neces-
sary to bring children into the schools be sup
piled at public expense. The monday lunch is
supplied In certain districts in New York and
other large cities. Many forms of charity are
now under public control and suffering humanity
is relieved at public expense. This Is right and
as the centralzing influences bring both wealth
more necessary to apply such remedies as pub
lie ownership In many of its forms.
District ownership Of textbooks and other nee.
essary school supplies. as well as municipal
other public utilities. should be left to each To-
cality. at least for the present st. Louis has
announced its intention to extend free use OF
books to include all grades in its district schools
Ii can do this under its Charter and in doing
II the principle of local self-government is not
Massachusetts took the Initiative in legislating
| on this subject. One OF the most spirited dis
| cussions ever had in the Legislature OF that
State was on this question In 1854 Potiea! lines
passed by q vote of two TO one, compelling every
| town township to supply its schools with text
books for free use. Since then nine other states
! have enacted laws compelling every district unit
| use to the children. Nebraska and Idaho are
| the only States west of the Allegheny Mountains
, In none of them IL the pupil compelled to use a
book owned by the district II the parent chooses
T.. auring the school authorities in each school unit
to purchase books and offer the use Of them free
\ to all pupils.
Permissve district ownership laws are in force
| or the Ohio River except Illinois. Indiana and
| Missouri. In many localities in these three
States, however. municipalities do furnish In part
| or in whole some of the books used