The leader., 1903-06-03
THE RIGHT TO TAX.
A Dispassionate Discussion Of the School
and Race Question.

All republican governments are
founded primarily on the theory that
by the concession of some portion of
the individual rights of each citizen the
general good of the whole body of the
people can be best promoted and pro-
tected. This admitted principle has
given rise to the generally accepted
maxim of "the greatest good to the
greatest number" meaning thereby
that the justice of any proposed policy
must be measured by the number of
people whose interests would be thereg
by promoted, and the number Of peo-
pie who would suffer detriment from
its adoption. If the former be 'numer-
ically greater than the latter, then
under that doctrine of the greatest
good to the greatest number the adop-
ton of the proposed measure is iusti-
fed. But it happens nearly invariably
that the measure which is designed to
help some must work hardship upon
other members of the commonwealth,
aud we doubt if any law has ever vet
been framed and placed upon the
statute book which did not in some in
stances entail injustice upon few in
div iduals, although it may have pro-
tected the rights and interests of the
great mass of people. But without the
concession of some part of the indi-
vidual rights of the citizen democratic
government would be out of the uues-
ton.
1t is upon this theory that the
taxation of the property of the wealthy
for the benefit of the less we'll do
taxpayers is justified. The law of COM
pensation comes in as a factor in de-
termining this question; for if the
rich man be required to pay larger
tax than his poorer brother it cannot
be denied that he has greater interest
at stake in maintaining good govern
ment to the end that his property in
terests may be thereby protected.
1t is generally conceded that edu-
cation has much to do with the charac-
ter of States legislation, and that
the more intelligent the people the
wiser are the laws by which they govern
themselves. 1t follows, then, that the
chief argument in favor of the COM
mon school system necessarily rests
upon the theory that that system by
the diffusion of knowledge is designed
and calculated to advance the general
welfare of the State by insuring more
intelligent, and therefore wiser, views
and more salutary laws. These being
the ends in view, and the rich having
greater interests at stake than the
poorer people, it is just and equitable
that the rich shall pay taxes in pro-
portion to their property interests, and
this justifies the method of distributing
the school fund by which the poorer
and more sparsely settled counties get
more from the State for educational
purposes than they pay into the State
treasury on all accounts. But for the
reasons stated, the present system of
levying taxes and the distribution of
apology or justification, and it would
be an outrage little short of robbery to
make a man without children pay
taxes for the education of the children
of other people, or to require corpora
tions (which are childless) to pay taxes
for school purposes. AS it is, however,
very large percentage of the taxes of
the State is paid by corporations
more than half, we think; and this
money is applied for the benefit of all
the people of the State, and quite a
large part of it finds its way into the
general school fund, and from thence
into the several counties of the COM
monwealth for the promotion of edu-
cation. Among the people of Missis-
slppi the larger part in point of num-
bers is of the negro race, and under
the Constitution of the United States
as we'll as that of our own State these
people are citizens and entitled to all
the rights enjoyed under the laws by
any other citizens. They are emit
tied to their pro rata share of the
taxes paid in by the corporations,
which we have seen stated as about
SO per cent. of all the taxes collected.
Being greater in numbers, their share
of the taxes from this source would be
preportionately greater than the share
of the white population. They pay
some taxes themselves - probably
about % per cent. of the total ad
valorem taX-and are entitled to their
pro rata share of this also. An. es-
innate we made last year of the COM
parative amounts received by the white
and colored children show that the
negroes, with larger number of edu-
cable children, received but 81 and a
fraction per cent. of the school taxes.
while the whites, with a smaller num-
Der of children, got IS and fraction
per cent. While this difference is in
some degree accounted for by the fact
that in the black counties there is a
congestion of negroes which enables
the colored teachers to instruct much
larger number of pupils than can be
gathered in the white schools of the
more sparsely populated eastern
counties, yet the fact remains that the
figures plainly indicate that if there
be any grievance at all about the dis
tribution of the school fund, it does
not rest with the white people to as
sert it. There is not in all Mississippi
to-day a single colored county super
intendent of education, and there is
not school in existence within our
borders that was not established by a
white school board. In the hands of
these two agencies rest the number
and the location of the schools, and
the pay which the teachers of those
schools shall receive for each pupil
taught. Should not these facts satisfy
even the most ultra of the opponents
of the present system, and prove the
folly of raising campaign cry that
is calculated to bring in it's train
grievous ill effects when the Presi-
Dental campaign comes on next
year? Being citizens of the United
States and of the State of Mississippi,
the negroes cannot be deprived of
their right to educational facilities
without repeating some part of
the amendments to the organic law
of the United States TO do this will
require the consent of two-thirds of
the States of the Union and a two
thirds majority of the votes cast in
Mississippi. Is it reasonable to
expect this? Has not the whole
agitation on this point the appearance
of something Matched up to mislead
and delude the voters by an ap-
peal to their race prejudices? Is
there not tenfold more room to an