Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1904-03-12
Measure Can Not Pass Now
Even if Reported Upon
FavOrably.
Its Defeat Due to Watchful-
ness of Local Catholic
Federation.
FIFTY-TWO SOCIETIES FILE PROTEST

The Kentucky Legislature will adjourn
next week without passing the bill for an
act compelling the taxpayers of Louis
vile to furnish free text books to all the
pupils in the public schools. The bill is
dead, thanks to the fair minded men in
the General Assembly and to the watch
fulness of the leading members of the
Catholic Federation and the light thrown
on the matter in the columns of the Ken
lucky Irish American.
While the bill was unjust to all tax
payers it was particularly unfair to Cath
olics, who are now compelled to pay
taxes to keep up the public schools while
at the same time they support their own
private parochial schools. The bill
was unfair to all private schools
Catholic and non Catholic. 1t is amaz-
ing that member of the School Board
would ever think of introducing resoiu-
ton to furnish free text books to the
pupils in the face of the fact that where
ever 1t has been tried it has been source
of waste and scandal.
The City of Louisville now levies a tax
of thirty-three cents on the 800 valua-,
ton of all real and personal property for
the support of the public schools This
yields the enormous sum of nearly $780,
900. To add to this burden by mourning
the levy for free text books would simply
be an outrage. Many people wonder
what becomes Of all the money which
the School Board now draws from the
city treasury. 1t looks like $40O, 900
ought to go long ways. But that is an
other story.
Any politician or newspaper that attacks
"our glorious public school system" is
Immediately denounced as an enemy of
education, but people are beginning to
find that there is more graft in the
School Boards of the country than al
most anywhere else in the city govern
ments. OF course it is not to be inferred
from this that the Louisville School
Board is corrupt.
1t is to be hoped the free text book
scheme is dead for all time to come.
There are so many expensive fads now in
connection with the public school sys-
tenn in some of the cities that taxpayers
are justly complaining. If the pupils
are furnished free text books, the next
thing will be to serve luncheon for them
or possibly to supply them with clothing.
AS the Kentucky Irish American
pointed out when the bill was first
brought up, the free text book idea has
been failure wherever it has been tried.
1t would have been failure in Louisville.
The intention of the author of the meas
ure may have been good, but the step
was not a wise one. 1t is well that the
bill was put to sleep in the Legislature.
Last Friday night the Catholic Fedora
ton met in regular monthly session at
Hibernian Hall to hear reports from the
committee that visited Frankfort and the
societies that had Endorsed the protest
against the bill. President Kelly pre-
sided, and the Secretary announced that
fifty-two organizations were with the
Federation and approved the course OF
action recommended by that body. The
special committee that visited Frankfort
stated that the gross injustice of the free
text book proposition was SO manifest
to the members of the Legislature that it
would not even be reported. This much
was intimated last week in these col
umns. Several talks were made by
prominent delegates, and all expressed
themselves satisfied with the work per-
formed by the committee. There was
some talk about the coming State con-
vention, but no definite action was taken.
President Kelly urges all delegates to be
at the next meeting, when the proposed
change in the constitution will be voted
on.