Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-29
lRVlNGToN VIRGINIA. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 1905

II L AHMDEh ~, lJUt
dismissed, and the clerk convicted
and sent to the peuitentiary. lie
sald these two offenses were small
mole bills In comparison to the
mountains OF Republican corruption.
fraud aud misappropriations which
shocked and disgraced the State
during its four years of power. He
said for the Republican party now
to allude to graft in any party re.
quired a boldness and supply of
monumental cheek that was amaz.
ing. That every department in the
Federal government in Washington
bad been found reeking with graft
and corruption. That the War DE.
partment disclosures recently were
so outrageous that Eagau, who pur-
chased the supplies during the Span
lsh War was dismissed, and Aiger.
the Secretary of War, was forced TO
resign. That frauds in the land
othce were so glaring and infamous
that Hermanns, the former Commits
sioner. who had control of the de-
partment, is now under indictment.
and Republican Senator has been
convicted. That corruption aud graft
so permeated the Agricultural De-
partment that there high officials
have been detected and dismissed
That In the last few days exposures
OF fraud have been made in the
great printing office of the Govern
ment and the Public Priuter. Mr..
Palmer, forced to resign. That in
the papers of few days ago we see
1t stated that more than twenty. five
prominent Republicans of North
Carolina have been indicted for COM
PIicity In internal revenue frauds
and scandals.
THE SCHOOL MATTER.
be then proceeded to prove that
the claims of the Republicans that
they had been the founders and
friends of the public free school
system of Virginia were unfounded.
tie said that the public school sys-
TEN OF Virginia was inaugurated by
the Democratic party years before it
was imperative to do so under the
Underwood Constitution.
He continued: ''The fundinp bill.
with Its tax receivable coupon fea-
lures, and which, for years, injured
the public school system of Virginia.
received almost the entire vote of
the Republicans in the General As
sembly, and could only have passed
by their aid. 1t was antagonizad by
the leading Democrats, notably SEN
ator Daniel, who for years has been
the leader of the Virginia Democ.
racy aud its most able aud eIoouent
champion. When the funding bin
and the tax receivable coupons had
reduced the school fund in 1879 to
$511, ,902.53 it was Democratic lepis-
4ation and not Republican legisla-
ton, as stated by the Republican
nominee for Governor, which saved
the public free schools and rescued
them from the destructive effect of
tax receivable coupons. The Demo-
cratic Legislature on March 3, 1878.
passed the Henkel bill, which kept
In the counties aud cities that nor
tion Of the taxes that went to the
school fund. AS result of this act,
the school fund next year increased
to $943, ,1O9 33, nearly as much as it
was before the coupons began to
deplete the fund. In the school
year ending July 1st, 1881, before
the republicans came into power,
the school fund had increased to
81, 100, 1858, which was more than
1T was before the coupons began to
deplete the treasury. The Republi-
cans IN 1882 re-enacted, with some
slight amendments, this Henkel bill,
but it contained no new features,
and 1T failed to add materially to the
school fund, as the records will
show. Thus it was Democratic leg
islation and not Republican leg
islatIon which rescued and saved the
schools from the effect of the fund
ing bill.
1.-The Republicans have also
charged in this campaign that the
Democrats have never appropriated
more money for the public schools
than they are required to do under |
the Constitution. This is not true. |
Since the Democratic party came
into power after the Republican rule
of four years it has paid back in full |
all the arrearages of money due
the public schools aud in addition
has appropriated each year $500, 900 |
out of the State treasury more than
is assessed In State taxes for school
purposes. 1t is astonishing how men
of intelligence and position can
make such misleading statements.
The total expenditure for the public
schools in 1885, the last year of Re-
publican rule in this State, was
81, ,423, ,53l .69, while the total ex.
penditnre for this purpose in 1904,
under Democratic rule, was $2,5ll,-
093.20, nearly double the amount
appropriated for this purpose by the
Republicans. The value of school
property, including school houses
and equipment, has increased more
than 400 per cent. during this pc
riod. The average term of public
schools in Virginia in 1895 was
about five months a year. Now the
average term of public schools in
Virginia is about seven months
year. The records will show that
the pay of teachers has increased
also since 1885. These dry figures
furnish convincing proof of the
superior friendship and generosity
of the Democratic party over the
Republican party to the public
schools of the State.
FROM NEW SOURCES.