The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
 OF ALABAMA DISCUSSED
President of the state UnIversIty at Tuscaloosa Points to constItutIonaI and statutory HIndranees to Progress and suggests Remedies that May be Applied to the system.
BY. DR. JOHN W. ABERCRoMBIE

|
 educational needs of state, it is nec- ! essary to consider many things, among l which may be mentioned population, l wealth. existing laws. industriab de- velopment, and the educational adS vancement already made Where these l conditions are favorable. the problem l Is not difficult, but where they are l found in such complicated relationship l as Is peculiar to Alabama, the problem i assumes proportions at once perplexing l and discouraging.
 While the law providing for the es- 1 tablIshment of a system of public 1 schools in Alabama was enacted in l 1854. the period of substantial growth | began with the close of the era of re- l construction. From 1854 till 1874, poli- i tIcal, Industrial and social conditions | were such as to prevent development. 1 Since 1874 considering defects in the 1 plan of organization and support, con
 siderable progEess has been made.
 It is generally conceded, however. by all students of education. that the l State is not abreast of the age in the 1 provisions made for providing uni- 1 varsal education at public expense. | Advancement has been retarded by many untoward conditions, among them l being Tack of means sparseness of | population, absence of passables high ways, presence of large ignorant
 electorate, remembrance of the abuses of taxation during the period of re- construction, and the fixed necessity for the maintenance of a dual system. The educational needs of Alabama which relate to laws, are both consti-
 tutional and statutory. As it will not 1 be possible for me to discuss all of them within the space allotted, and as the greatest needs are those which re- | late to defects In the constitution, I AA hal nh ha nf the subject.
 New Consultation Better than old.
 From the standpoint of those who believe in universal education at public l expense. the constitution of 1901 is far ] superior to that of 1875. That is the l reason why the educators of the State l advocated almost unanimously it's rati- | fication by the people. That accounts, l also, in great measure. for the ad- vancement of the public school system | But I know of no student of education l who believes or claims to believe that | the new constitution is perfect in it's | educational provisions On the contrary, | it is conceded that it contains many | defects of an educational nature. Those l defects were pointed out in the cam l paign for ratification, and the people
 were assured that at the proper time, efforts would be made to remedy them | The proper time has arrived
 i For the purposes of this discussion, 1 the educational provisions of the con
 stitution will be considered under the | headings: First, Those which relate to the raising of revenue; Second Those which relate to the work of admins tration.
 Provisions Relating to Revenue.
 The constitution should provide, and it does provide in a measure, for four
 sources of revenue, namely. the State, the county. the district, and the poll tax.
 The clause which relates to the
 State as a source of revenue is not open to criticism. Indeed, 1t is we'll nigh perfect. It not only directs the 1 legislature to appropriate annually
 thirty sixty -fifths of the maximum
 rate of taxation, but it also authorizes 1 and directs the Legislature to suple- ] ment this levy by direct approprla- l tions.
 Tn addition to the three-mnl tax 1 fixed by the constitution for general educational purposes, from which the
 seven normal schools also are support ed, special appropriations are now made to the University, to the Poly
 technic Institute, to the Girls Indus
 trial School, to the Institution for the
 Deaf, Dumb and Blind, to the Agricul- tural Schools and Experiment Stations. and to the Reformatory School for Boys. Combining the constitutional levy with the special appropriations
 mentioned, it will be found that a sum approximating fifty per cent of the taxes raised upon .-real and personal ] property Is now used for school pur- i poses. The most ardent advocate of public school education can find no objection to the constitution as it TO-
 lates to the State as a source of rev. l enue.
 l Revenues from Counties. So much cannot be said concerning | the provision relating to the county i as a source of revenue, though, in | that respect, the new constitution is
 an improvement on the old. Under the constitution of 1875, no power whatever ! was given to counties to levy, taxes for
 educational purposes. The new author | izes counties to levy for such purposes | a tax of one mill, or ten cents upon | each hundred dollars of assessed prop l erty but requires that three fifths of 1 the votes cast at the election shall
 be in favor of the levy.
 l recall no other state with the
 county unit that has seen fit to put | such a limitation upon the power of 1 county taxation for schools, and when 1 the inedcquacy of the revenues Is l considered. it is manifest that such | q limitation in Alabama is retarding 1 the development which should come ! from county initiative and county sup i port That the people are willing to ] tax themselves by counties Is shown by i the fact that within d brief period 1 majority of the counties have voted 1 for the tax. Of the counties that have ] voted upon the proposition. only four 1 have failed to give the required three ! fifths majority. and not single coun- ! ty has failed to give an actual major Ity of the votes cast.
 There exists no good and sufficient reason for not delegating to counties the power of levying a tax as large as
 that fixed for the state. In the eontinu-
 cd absence of such delegation of pow to languish.
 As to the Districts.
 BYt the greatest educational imper-
 lection in the constitution lies in the
 absence of provision authorizing dis
 trlcts to levy tax for the building
 and equipment of school houses, and
 for the general support of schools. This
 defect has existed in every constitu-
 tlon adopted by the state. and to that
 fact must be attributed the chief cause
 of the States failure to make satis-
 factory progress in education.
 The feature of every constitution
 has led the people to rely upon the
 state government for revenue, rather
 than upon community interest, initia-
 tive, and effort The history of educa-
 tional development elsewhere proves
 beyond doubt that this policy is un.
 wise and Tuinous. The result of such a
 policy is this, invariably this, that the
 people come gradually to look to the
 general state government for the per