The copper era., 1903-01-01
As to An Independent School Dis
 trict.

As was apprehended, the Guardian bowls with indignant rage over the suggestion recently made by the ERA that Clifton be incorporated as an in- dependent school district. The item seems to have touched tender spot. The Guardian does not deny that Clif- ton pays at least one-third of the school tax of the county, but considers 1t "mauiiestly unfair' that the pre- cinct should have the privilege Of spending its own money on its own schools and in its own way. The Guard ian gays:
 ''It is true a large per cent of the school money is collected In Clifton but that does not reason that she can not keep school open a full term and employ the proper number of teachers. When the school superintendent makes the proper estimate for school ex- penses for the county for a year, no school can fall short of funds if the trustees do their duty in seeing that children attend school, unless too mary teachers are employed"
 You are of, as usual, John. The apportionment Of funds Is made on the enrolment of the past year, which would be fair enough in a staudstill community, but in an up to date, pro- gressive and growing city, which has more than doubled its population in two years, why. it Is plain to be seen that Clifton gets decidedly the worst Of it.
 The apportionment is made honestly enough, but there should be some pro- vision made for communities which double their population every two years.
 The kernel to the whole proposition Is in the following:
 The great burden Of county govern ment is caused through the prOsecu- tion of criminals, none of them com ing from the small districts referred to, yet these same districts bear their proportion of the whole expense, and at the same time to tax them to pay eX- penses originating in other districts will not be thought Of by our law makers.
 The statement is exceedingly mod est. To put it plainly 1t means that Clifton furnishes the criminals while for their prosecution. And this is the principal reason why the ERA advo- cates county divisiOn-that the larger portion of this may be saved to the tax payers, and our criminals tried in the community where their crimes are committed. Let few Of them get the sentences which they deserve, and crime will decrease. The cost of trans porting prisoners and witnesses to the county seat is no small item in the eX- pense of the county, to say nothing Of the expense occasioned to witnesses and others who are compelled to at- tend court without pay. While the county generally is benefited by the school money collected in this pre- cinct, this is far more than offset by the cost of maintaining and prosecu- ting the criminal element, to use the words of the Guardian, "none of them coming from the smaller precincts"
 But to return to the original propo- sitfon. Either one Of two things must be done. Clifton must be incorpor ated as an independent school district or a law must be passed for an in creased apportionment based on the increased scholastic population. For instance, if last year showed an increase of twenty-five per cent. over the year before, then it should be given an in- creased allowance of that amount for the coming year. There is certainly nothing unfair about this. Our schools have been in a bad way ever since Cliff ton commenced to grow, and they will continue to be, the Guardian to the contrary notwithstanding. Clifton pays the big bulk of the school tax, and she is entitled to sufficient amount of money to conduct her schools for n regular term with full corps of teachers.