The Ordway new era., 1910-07-08
4 FIGHT ron 4 MILLION
State Teachers Association Movement
OF Vital Interest to Whole State

The Colorado State Teachers asso.
citation Is actively engaged In cam
paign which may result In the restnr-
alton OF one million dollars 10 the
public school fund OF the state.
The association proposes to do this
through the Cove amendment to the
constitution at the next general
election to be held In November. AS
Il means to this end, the state Is being
flooded with letters advocating the
adoption OF this amendment. and CIV
ing the genesis OF the long-neglected
debt OF the state to the school fund,
and some revelations as to the nature
OF It..
This great heritage to the children
OF the state OF Colorado. according to
the letter, was unwittingly lost to
them by an unexpected and startling
decision OF the supreme court.
The origin OF the debt dates back to
| the admission OF the state to the
Union. AT that time two sections nf
land In every township OF the public
domain within the states borders
was set aside by the United States AS
public school endowment.
Under the constitution Of Colorado,
accepting this eift the principal "f
this endowment could never be i'm
paired, but the annual income was to
be distributed each year to all school
districts OF the state In proportion to
the school population, and was thus
made available every year for actual
and immediate use.
The settlement and growth OF vari-
Gus parts OF the state gave value and
made demand for these school lands,
1 a large portion OF which have since
been sold by the state land board,
creating vast and perpetual cndow-
ment for all the school districts Of
the state.
As authorized by the statutes OF
the state, the state treasurer In 1887
80 with cash accrued from the sale Of
school lands, purchased state paper To
the amount OF Sass, ,5is.07. These
warrants which have been drawing
interest more than 90 years at the
rate OF Q per cent per annum, now
amounts to more than 81. 100000
Almost every kind Of warrant was
! purchased, warrants for salaries Of
state officials, buildings for penitcn-
| tiaries, insane asylums, soldiers and
sailors homes, etc. In plain facts
these warrants represent the 0pcrat-
ing expenses OF the state for parts Of
three years, and are still unpaid.
The warrants were not paid be-
cause the money raised by taxation,
which has been appropriated by the
legislature for the payment of these
warrants, was used In the payment of
warrants OF previous years.
This was not II new departure, but
was In accordance with II practice
prevailing in numerical order. At
the time these warrants were issued
the state was in arrears for several
years on running expenses.
In 1889 the supreme court. answer
ing an inquiry from the governor,
handed down Il decision that the war
rants Of any year must be paid out OF
the revenues OF the same year.
This decision came like Il thunder
bolt out of Il clear sky, and from that
day to this the warrants for the school
fund have remained dead asset.
ne ither principal nor interest avail
able for school purposes.
The Cove amendment provides that
the major portion OF the indebted
ness Is held In the state school fund,
as an Investment, which under the
constitution OF the state must forever
remain inviolate and intact, and loss
thereof to be supplied by the state.
| Former attempts tn do Justice To
the matter have failed because of lack
OF understanding on the part Of cdu-
Gators of the state.
| Every teacher has been enlisted IN
the present tight to regain the heri
tagc OF the children uf Colorado, and
the campaign OF publicity which has
been started will do much to swing
public sentiment In line. at the clcc-
tion in NOvcmbcr.-COlorad Springs
Telegram.