The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-29

Now, these facts are admitted by ev- ierybody. What name shall be used in
 It's designation IS pnimportant. The liows? If no assessment had been iev- @ jed in 1so4. and if no collections would
 be made for the fiscal year from Ccto- of course we should keep the money on hand to meet maturing obligations
 But assessments were, made in 1904. and money will be collected in 1905 -0S' based on such assessments. We know Ithis as certainly as. we know the day of the week that Christmas comes on. Ienue than was produced last year. and tion of the schools, the pensions, and the State administration as they ac- crue. A man who pretends that he does not know that sufficient money will be collected next year to pay the fted at once for 1t has been truly stated
 that there is nothing certain except death and taxes.
 It is Lawful to Use Money a: Collected. only material question. can you lawful iy use money collected in the current to gay i5s Sf srossSt fos fer
 ward from last year can be lawfully applied to the payment of the bonds. If not, the sooner the Legisiature
 We have no laws of the Medes and persiaps in tss state bss ssafss ssen passed that makes the law ridiculous, then 1t Is a function of the Legislature to change it.
 state Revenues Increasing. Moreover, the State revenues nave been increasing constantly from year to year. notwithstanding a decrease of stase m nss in isod %ss yesi year 1t 1t viii probably exceed ssi6. .ooo.- 9eS ss saia R fouS MoSia aad Mon gomery, being about $6,000,000. Added thereto is the gain in the convict fund and ether sources or revenue: nsv In ,ha treasury has increased from year to year. Ali funds in the treasury have been consolidated by law, and no one the State can pay these s9ss,0oo of bonds and at the same time meet every other demand upon it without delay. With this matter disposed of, what can be done for the benefit of the public schools, which the Governor, in common with every good citizeh of the State, desires to improve as far as pos sible? I answer that the Legislature can and should make a liberal addition al appropriation for @ that hat purpose
 To begin with, by retiring nine hun- dred and sixty-six thousand dollars worth of bonds on the first of January, 1906, we will permanently save $4S,- 800 per annum interest on that item plus in the treasury that much every year. Then. again, the bonds due SIX months later, bearing per cent in- terest, can be refunded at rate, cer- tainly of s43 per cent, and possibly lower This interest so saved on these bonds will exceed $160,000 per annurn. The total savings from these sources Added to this will be about $40,000 per annum, increase through the new. tax | assessment. Inasmuch as we are now expenses, we will. even though tax values do not increase at all, have about | S375, ,000 or more annually which can be expended for the public schools 1T the Legislature sees fit to do so.
 This sum must increase instead of diminish.
 That the State is growing rapidly every year is a fact which no man can deny; that the revenues are constantly | increasing Is also incapable of denial. | In my judgment, as soon as the bonds are refunded. the surplus in the treasu- | ry. If present appropriations only are considered. will exceed $S75,0OO per an-
 This sum. at least the bulk of 1t. ' should be appropriated to the public | schools. No other demand is so urgent, | no other use could be so profitable \ Use the COnvicts to Educate the People.
 My. idea is, that instead of appro- I schools, a method adopted in Tennes-
 sec. a better plan would be to turn | the profits from the convlcts into the | school fund. This will add to the pre-
 sent appropriation about sSOO,OOO per | annum if the present profits are main
 tained. It will increase If the pro
 fits increase. and decrease IT the pronts in this fund, the charge on the treasury decreases; on the other hand, If the profits increase. the State can afford the present appropriation for the public | schools be reduced one iota. even if the convicts should produce no profit at all
 By adopting this course we will use
 duee duo the convicts of tomorrow. No better use of the convict fund could be
 made than to spend 1t for education A pound you save in education, you will | spend five in prosecutions, In prisons, in penal settlements" The plan Is not
 Is in iSr9s in ta GeGrsa ednS tS: | Schools.
 Section 260 of the new Constitution.
 in addition to the fund therein created, | specially provides that:
 l Tt shall be the duty of the Legisla- ture to increase the public school fund from time to time as the necessity therefor and the condition Of the treas
 justify'' H fg" '"' ''
 That the necessity therefor" exist, nobody can deny. That the condition of the treasury and the resources of the State" justify an increase Of the public school fund is the most gratify" Ing and inspiring fact in our recent hiss tory, and in itself is the highest en- comium that can be paid to the splen- did business administration of our af-
 Let us examine for a moment the uuestion-"Can we afford to increase our public school fundT The ques- lion. I assume, would be better stated if we asked-"Can we afford not to do itY' ....-,.
 That our larger towns have made fairly adequate provisions for public
 schools is true, but they compose only I 10 per cent. of our total population That many of them could be improved to the distinct advantage of their com
 munities is likewise true. That many of the rural schools have wholly failed
 in meeting the just demands upon them
 Is so apparent as to be not open to
 question It is said that comparisons
 are odious. It Is said that figures
 which establish our actual conditions as
 to illiteracy are unpatriotic; that they
 make us uncomfortable and should be
 hidden from our gaze. But to me II
 he takes notice of the fact and gets
 physician, the better 1t will be for him. if an evil exists in a State, the sooner it is laid bare and corrected, the better
 1t Is for the State.
 A fact cannot be changed by ignoring
 The fact is, that our rural schools are new Constitution, unless the Legisla-
 ture can and will make liberal appro- | priation to the funds for that purpose they must remain inadequate.