The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-12-04

All other causes. II was prime cause
of the French Revolution, and indeed
Of our own Revolution of 1T76, when
our forefathers declared that taxa
ton without representation Is tyranny
and pitched the British tea into Bos
ton harbor. We are now engaged in
this State in working out this prob
lem of a just equitable and efficient
system Of taxation : for, amidst all the
criticism. honest and dishonest. and
all the Misrepresentation Of the new
laws, this is their object and ten
dency. No other class Of persons in
this State are more interested in this
lhan are those engaged in school
work. For it Is evident that We must
have more money for our schools land
We ought to have more money for our
roads,: more aid from central
fund, State or county, or both, to as
sIst the proper parts Of tae State.
Along with this l think We should
have a change In the principle Of the
distribution of this money. We now
distribute per capita; we ought to APP
portion this State fund, or at least a
portion of II, on need, so that when
district has levied on itself up to
certain per centage, the balance nee
essary to run their schools for the
term should be furnished from this
central fund. ~.
1t is sometimes said that the prtn,
cple of our free school system is that
all the property of the State should
contribute to educate all the children
Of the State. This is true in very
general sense; but is not true in the
sense in which It is so often uttered.
The principle is rather of State all
to supplement local levies. To raise
all the money by a general tax and
none by local leVies would be unwise,
and it would promote extravaganza,
lmprovidence, and lessen interest.
The people of given territory will
always be more economical, more pro.
vident, ana take more interest in the
expenditures Of their own money
than in the money that comes from a
general or common fund from the out
side. If their own money is neCessar.
lily involved in the expenditure Of the
other money, as Is the case nOw-well,
they will not waste their own money
in order to waste the other money.
But where isithis money that is
needed to meet the increase in school.
term and in teachers wages, to come
from? have some ideas, but | think
1t would be northumberland imprudent
to give expression to them now. Be
sides, hope to see this question OF
more money for schools and roads
discussed by the newspapers, the
teachers and farmers institutes, the
boards Of trade, chambers of commerce
and elsewhere, in broad and liberal
spirit, free from @small politics" AMI
a desire to make party capital 1t
is evident, however, that If we can
reduce or abolish entirely the direct
ad vaIorem tax levied on property
for the expenses of the State govern
ment, what we.call the State tax, we
thereby and to the extent Of that re-
duction enable the. people to contrib,
ute more money for their home pur-
poses.
West Virginia Is a very rich State
in material resources and we are at.
tracing the attention of the whole
world. But, my friends, let the truth,
though not pleasant, be uttered-the
State of our public schols and Of our
public highways do us no credit. We
are a rich State. The value Of our
coal, natural gas, oil, and other miner
ell wealth is beyond estimate. These
were created neither by the work nor
the ingenuity of man; they are the
gift of God. A portion of these be-
long to the public, to be used for the
public benefit. What greater pub
lie benefit than public education?
Our laws need amendment in re-
spect TO a better systematizing of our
educational system. l ask this Ques-
ton for consideration and discussion,
Would 1t be better to have State
board OF education, which would have
the control and management Of our
Normal schools and the University, and
act in an advisory relation to the State
Superintendent in respect to the pub
lie schools, to the end that each of
these might be made parts of a sys'
TEN, and not do the work done by
another? hope to see the day speed
lily come when there shall be at least