The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1904-10-02
A Blow Aimed at the Common
Schools Of Georgia.
Ratification of Two Proposed Constitutional Amends
ments Scheme to Withdraw States Aid
to Public Education

tive-looking proposition. but woe TO
the stHpls-HiRdsA votsr whs Is taken
10 by IT, 1t neans Nc sues thing. It
means - rsvelstseaiss the psblis sdu-
eatie@aI system Of Georgia. II means
the ultimate abandonment Of Sta:e
eaHOatieR AID the substitution Of edu-
eatisa BY lscsl ta&AAasa
The system lsf I0eel sazAsasn mag 30
Al right Fer Chic sAd Massachusetts,,
all T2rts Of which Ars thisAzw pegs
lated and ssithy, bat Il weaIA Pc
radically wreng and unjust "a georgia,
The greater portion Of wkieh IA sparss-
" populated and poor. y wesid ss
quite an just to sag that every esAAw
In the State had to AK ftseh to pay
pensions 10 its cid Confederate sol
diers. as 10 say that each county in
the State should tax itself 10 support
its schools. Will the people of Geor-
gia by the ratification Of this amend
ment commit themselves 10 this pr4np
ciple? | believe net. q
The proposed amendment Iimisfng
the rate of state taxation ts s nffis
is twin evil to the one discussed
above, The professed object IL to
prevent extravagant appropriations. Il
is also argued that 1t will induce tor
eign capital to come to Georgia What
ever may be It's purpose, the real ef
feet is to make I: .:nresssshssiis, sooner
or later, for the Legislature to bring
+, our public school system to perfection
by spprOpriating = sufficient amount
I OF money for this purpose.
! More than 40 per cent Of the total
amount now raised by taxation IN
Georgia is appropriated to public
schools. The tax rate for the present
year is $50 mills. The total taxab.s
property In Georgia for the present
year is $530.000,00o In 1892 II was
$444, 1000 900. in 1895. three years later,
II was $410.000,000. showing decrease
from 1892 TO 1895 OF $40 900 600. and
nm increase from 1898 to 1904 OF
/ l2O,000,000
/ Assuming that the present expendk
lures Of the State Of Georgia are fair.
ly economical, everybody knows that
the tax rate must depend In amount
upon the total OF taxable property Sn
the tax digest. This total is constant
ly changing as demonstrated by the
above figures. II is reasonable to sup
pose that we will. In future, as in the
past go through years OF commercial
1 depression. when there will be a large
falling on of the tax digest When
such periods come. II this amendment
Is ratified. the Legislature will have
no power 10 tax ut a greater rate than
mills. or 90 OF mill more than the
present tax rate. Therefore. they will
be confronted with the absolute Sc
cessity OF cutting down appropriations
lcorrespondlngly. Does anybody be-.
lieve that when the time comes 10 cut
these appropriations the salaries OF the
State officials. and the comparatively
small ameaats new appropriated TO
maintain public institutions, will be
cutf II not. such cuts must come
through the public school appropria.
ton. or from the amount appropriated
to pay pensions to Confederate soL
diers.
II this amendment Is adopted, WITHIN
less than ave years the appropriation
to public schools will have to be cut
in order to meet other mex essaw ie-
mands made upon the State.
| am a friend to the public school
system in Georgia. do not want to
see the tax rate limited. believe
that the question of tax rate can oe
safely left to the jud-ment OF future
| General Assemblies. believe that to
limit II will undoubtedly impair the
efficiency and prevent the growth of
our public school system.
| Vote down the amendment. and
leave the General Assembly in a posi-.
tion to appropriate as literally to pub.
! lie education as the needs OF the
schools and conditions of the peonIe
VIII warrant.
Our friends who really desire to see
our public school system perfected
should join hands with us in refusing
TO engraft the principle OF local tar.
alton on our Constitution. Let them
| join us in voting down TIE proposition
to tie the hands of the General AS.
sembly in the matter OF appropria-
tions to public schools, and then LET
us all unite In an effort to build up
/ the school system by larger sppropr,.
ations from the State.
THE foregoing article Is an edito-
rial from The Alpharetta Free Press.
! by George D. Rucker, Editor and Cour.
ty School Commissioner Of Milton
County,