Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-12-30
MORE ABOUT SCHOOL BONDS.
A Reply to Mr. Banta's Article on A
County High School.

Mr.. Banta, in his recent article en-
titled ga County High School," pro-
pounds the following query: "What
is the reason Barton county cannot
have County High SCHOOL,"
This nigh: be answered by a coun.
ter-inquiry: Why have we done with
out County High School for more
than eighteen years?
The answer to each inquiry is that
it requires majority vote of the
people of the county to establish,
locate and maintain a County High
Scho ol.
This suggestion of County High
School is not new or original idea.
1t is not even a recent discovery. AS
far sback in our legislative annals
as 1886 it received consideration and
a general law was then passed and has
ever since been in force authorizing
the county commissioners Of any
county to establish, locate and main
tain County High School. This
action might be taken, however, only
upon majority vote of the people,
the question being submitted at a
general or special election. The
county commissioners, under this Law,
might at any time whenever in their
discretion they deemed it proper have
submitted the question to a vote of
the people. Or upon a petition Of
one third of the electors of the county
they are compelled to submit the
question to vote. This has been
the law since 1886 and is now the
law.
In 1897 the legislature passed a
law authorizing the county commits
sioners of counties having population
of less than $500 to negotiate with
the school district at the county seat
for the establishment of a County
High School. In 1903 this law was
amended so as to apply to counties
having population of less-than 5000.
Under both of these acts of the legis-
lature no such County High School
could be established except upon
petition or vote of majority of the
electors of the county.
These latter acts of the legislature
apply only to the sparsely settled
counties of the western part of the
state, in which as a rule there is rot
more than one village of any consid-
erable size or Importance and that the
county seat. These counties are large
ly devotedto ranches and rivalries be-
tween competing localities do not
exist. Yet even here before anything
can be done majority of the electors
of the county must petition the COM
missioners or vote favorably upon the
proposition.
Under no provision of the law can
action be taken except by a majority
vote of the people regardless of pop
ulation. Nor is this feature likely tc
be changed by future legislation. II
every legislator resided at the county
seat and did not aspire to more than
one term, such legislation might
reasonably be anticipated. But our
legislators come from the field and
from the farm, from remote localities
as we'll as from county seats, and most
of them are human and want to play
the political game without committing
political suicide. For instance, what
standing would our own representa-.
tive have at his own home in Elin.
wood if he supported bill to estab-
lish County High School at Great
Bend, without giving the people a
a chance to vote on the question?
IF, then, the people have the final
voice in the matter, what reason have
we to expect more in the future than
we have accomplished in the past;
Why at any time during the past
eighteen years have We not obtained
County High School at Great Bend:
The way has been open all these
years. Have we been asleep? Surely