Fort Pierce news., 1911-05-19
Calls The NeWs
for Explanation
School Officials object
TO our Contention
They Claim the LaO Mas
FOIIoWedm the Recent
School Tax Election.
Fort plerce, FIa., May Is, l9Il.

Fort Pierce, Fla, May 15, 1911.
Editor Of the News,
Dear Sir lin an article appearing In
the News Of the 18th inst, entitled "Spe.
cia Sub District School Tax Election
You say, There were no votes cast
against special tax because there was
no place on the ticket for such vote,
and the electors were given no choice
to express themsel YES against the meas
ure." If you mean no choice to vote
no millage you are wrong, for blank
spaca was left for that purpose. Please
examine the ticket.
If you mean 40 choice to vote for or
against a Sub-District being formed,
you.are right, for the Board Of Public
Instruction, can not call such elections
except by petition, nor can we call
elections for abolishing Sub-Districts
except by petitions, The Digest Of the
School Laws of Fla. 1909, Page Al, gives
directions concerning petitions. One
fourth of the qualified electors that pay
tax on real or personal property Is
sufficient for the Board to call an elec-
tion for such purpose. Ft. Pierce and
all other Sub. Districts were already
formed and if you refer to page "A Of
the Digest. article 92 you will see note,
that elections shall be held biennially
in each special tax school district, un-
der the direction of the County Board
ofPublic Instruction, to determine who
shall be trustees for the next succeed
ing two years, and the number OF mills
of district school tax to be levied for
each of said years.
Not one word is said about voting for
or againsta a sub-district. It Is evident
that sub-dlstrict once formed is such,
until it is abolished. Please turn to
page 81 of 1909 Laws, chapter $3.50, Sec
tion 2, "That any special tax school dis
trict may be abolished. ETC., by ma
jority vote at an election called by the
f.
Board of Public Instr, of the county,
for the purpose, after publication Of
such notice as is required to create
such special tax district"
When the Board of Public Instruc.
tion thinks it wise to abolish any sub
district, it will have some one to circu-
late petition among the qualified vot-
ers of such sub-district and will call an
election for that purpose or will leave
1t to the district itself to act upon.
i The above is sufficient to show that
the Board of Puulic Instruction for St.
Lucie county acted according to the
law in the call for the recent election.
and in the form OF che tickets for same,
The tickets for Sebastion were print
cd with For and against, sub-district,
for the reason that Sebastian had not
been formed into sub-district. The
Board received petition from ma.
jority Of the qualified electors Of Sebas'
tian precinct, asking for an election tc
be held for the purpose of forming II
into Sub-district,
, Does the News think it a wise plar
to suggest that the election might b'
declared void before examining th'
: law concerning It? Might mol thes'
; corporations get an idea that the spe
cial tax is Illegal on the grounds Of Al
invalid election, and refuse TO pey tb'
special tax? ANY one wishing 70 IN
I yestigate the school law viii be vel
d come 10 callupon the undersigned
j. w. HODGE,, Sufb.
=. ~ HaEdesty ChairmapiJ J F. Bell
i