The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-10

til the new constitution was adopted the people were quite powerless to help it themselves. They had handed their children over to the State, and the State did not or was not able to care for their education in that ann pie way the children required: and the State was to do 1t all or none, as the case might be. The parents could do nothing. The new constitution, how ever, permits the people to help them selves a little, just a little. If they desire to improve the educational fa- cilities they are allowed to tax them selves one mill, or 10 cents on the $100. The idea of there being any limit up- on the power of a people to tax them selves for the education of their chill dren! Is it not a commentary upon our regard for our own best interests2 "still, something Is better than noth- ing; and 10 cents on the $100 will pro-
 duce a fund averaging from one-third to one-half of the amount a County receives from the State. One-thlrd, or one-half. added to the State appor- tionment, does not total a very large amount, but 1t will give some addi- | tional days schooling and will pro- vide a little better pay for teachers we are glad to be able to say that the people are readily taking the op- portunity to vote this additional or special tax for school purposes. The tax has to be favored by a two-thirds vote, and the fact that seventeen counties have had elections, and six teen of the seventeen have voted fa- vorably shows that the people are alive to the importance of this thing. It shows that Alabama is awake. and that the question of educating the children hes taken hold. Let the good campaign go on It means everything for our beloved Commonwealth.
 Battle Against Illlteracy.
 "It is a matter of congratulation that two of the strongest of the black belt counties--Greene and Perry have learned this too. The other coun- ties are Autauga. Clarke. Crenshaw, Cullman. Franklin, Jefferson, Lamar, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan. Talladega, Walker and BibD. The school fund for these sixteen counties has been increased by $106,046s7, very nearly one-haif as much as the whole State apportionment for these coun- ties. Jefferson County, indeed, will get more from the special tax than it gets from the State.
 "The work has begun we'll Let every teacher here enlist for its pros ecution. We have a State Education Board, of which 1 have the honor to be q member that Is especially en- gagged to help the progressive people of the counties convince their fellow citizens of utility of the special tax. I want to say that many of us are ready to do our part in the campaign, and we have strong hope that this Is but the beginning of a new and hap pier era in Alabama, where every child is to have a chance of an educa- tion and where the battle against H.
 literacy is to be fought braVely and
 persistently to a glorious victory"
 At the close of MT. Craighead's ad- dress the Committee on Resolutions through Professor T. W. Palmer, of Tuscaloosa, replied.
 Resolutions Adopted.
 A resolution amending the bylaws so that the President and Secretary are included on the executive committee and fixing the salary of the secretary at s55 per annum was adopted without discussion.
 resolution fixing the time for the annual meeting in April and providing that all teachers who attend would re-
 (Continned on PaGa seyenS