The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-01-06

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| constitution.
| The taxation of inleritances IS
matter which should be considered
this session Efforts have been made
along this line by preceding lcgisi;
| lures, but in every instance such leglS
| laIion has been found unconstitutional
| The defects having been pointed on
| by the supreme court it is possible Il,
| pass a law which will be approved b.
| that court An Inheritance tax Law
| which is proper and just would Ill
| crease our revenue fund and wOul'
not be q serious burden to the class O
| property coming under the provisions
! Of such law
EDUCATION.
Minnesota has just reason to be
| proud OF her splendid school system
and easily takes rank with progressive
| states such as New YORK, MasSacha
sets and othc-s. IN TACT our publ,
| school system is unexle iiel in the n&
ton. Our hlgh and graded schools
are well established and well organ
lied.
The branch Of cur educational sys-
tenn which demands the most caretui
attention and in which there is yet
vancement is the rural school. Ii
these schools ct least GO per cent O
the public school population is enrolled
and the great majority OF the pupils
and students attending them receive
no instruction beyond that received
there OF over half 4 million pupils in
I'll the public schools during the past
year more than one-half are enrolled
II the rural schools. Ey reason CT the
primitive method still employed the
pupils attendant upon the rural schools
lack the advantage Of we'll construct
ed buildings, adequate books and Ii
Drary, trained and experienced teach
erS, and in addition thereto are sub
jCct to the disadvantage OF living re-
mote from the schoolhOuSe. The pri-
mary education of the youth is the real
basis of our citizenship and every OPP
portunity for the encouragement of
the early training of our youth should
be employed. The inducement for a
more general attendance should be
held out by every possible assistance
of the state | suggest that there is
much occasion for improvement in our
rural SchoOlhouseS with regard to heat
ing, lighting and ventilation, with
view to the greater comfort of the
,, pupils. TO secure this result ! would
recommend the adoption OF some gen.
eIal plan whereby all rural school
houses should be constructed in the
future upon plans submitted TO and
approved by competent authority. /
| believe the special state aid provided
| during recent years has done much tc
raise the standard and increase the
efficiency OF rural schools, and | trust
this liberal policy will be continued.
Adequate and intelligent supervision
| for this class Of schools is as essential
as for those in towns ana cities. To
obtain this | think a change in our
| law is necessary whereby our county
superintendent will not only be paid
adequately for their services but
which will also insure more competent
supervision. Their salaries should be
| at least commensurate with those CT
other county officers and with those
| of school supervisors in cities who do
! like amount OF work, and in return
| for proper compensation there should
| be some requirement which would
| guarantee professional service in the
| supervision OF our rural schools. Be-
| liaving that the educational system of
our state should be divorced from par
! tisan politics as far as possible and
that superintendent should be chosen
/ because of their educational qualifica-
! tons instead of their partisan politics
| / would urge and recommend such
changes in cur laws as would provide
| county board OF education whose
| duty would include the appointment OF
a county superintendent and such
other school duties only as are now
performed by the board of county COM
missioners.
During the last ten years the duties
imposed upon the department OF public
instruction have practically doubled,
while the working force during all this
time has increased with but single
clerk and - funds at the disposal of
the department have been only CORE
spondingly increased. In view of the
/ increased duties of this department,
touching every branch of our public
schools and other educational service,
I recommend that the legislature make
| provision for another assistant and
| that the permanent fund of the work
! ing force of the office be made $4,000
annually.
TIMBER TREsPAss AND MINERAL
LEASES.
The public examiner of Minnesota
states IN his Official report that hun
dredS Of thousands OF dollars are due
the state by reason of timber trespass
and urges suits for the collection Oh
the amounts due. He states further
that suits have been instituted for the
recovery OF back taxes due the state
fror' 1ailway companies. The work OF
prosecuting these cases has been de-
layed, he reports, by the inability Of
the attorney general to reach them
because of multitude of other duties.
There should be no cessation in the
prosecution Of these claims and
would suggest to you the ACCESSIBILITY
OF making provision with sufficient ap-
preparation for the employment of spe-
cial counsel to take up the work OF
collecting the amounts claimed to be
due the state. The auditor in his re-
port makes reference also to timber
tresrass, bearing out the statement OF
the public examiner. From these two
offices the claim has been made that
the law has been openly violated and
it appears that the statement of the
public examiner, that it was cheaper
to steal the timber and settle for ii
than it was to buy it, is in some meas
ure true. It is alleged also that thou.
sands of dollars worth of timber has
been stolen from the state of which no
| <>rf mo 10 kC