The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-10-14
AN AMENDMENT
IS PROPOSED


Teachers, School Boards, and
Friends of Education in Oklahoma:
At the November election, you will
have the opportunity to adopt an
amendment to the state constitution
that will place common school edu-
cation within reach of every boy and
girl in the state; that will make Okla
homa one of the most attractice states
in the Union to the substantial far
mer, laborer and business man with a
family, and will redeem the pledges of
both the democratic and republican
parties made in the last campaign
namely:
Democratic) ITO lend sufficient
state aid TO enable every common
school to run five months in each
year." and (Republican} ITO place a
common school education within reach
Of every child in Oklahoma.
We request your most careful and
earnest consideration of House Joint
Resolution No. 2, which provides for
the following amendment to the con
stitution:
"The legislature shall have power to
levy taxes in aid of apportionment and
distribution thereof. Whenever the
amount realized from a five mill ad-
vaIorem levy and all other sources
shall be insufficient to maintain the
common schools in any district five
months in any year, the remaining
sum necessary to maintain such school
shall be apportioned and paid out Of
such state levy"
It will be seen that this amendment
proposes to help those who will help
themselves and that it guarantees to
every child in the state at least five
months free school, but leaves each
district free to maintain its schools
as much longer as it chooses The
necessity for such an amendment is
apparent to every one who has invest
igated the school conditions. In many
districts it is impossible to maintain
five months free school with the
maximum levy permitted under the
constitution, and the children in sucf
districts are deprived of the oppor
tunity to get even common school
education--a condition for which
neither they nor their parents are in
any way responsible. On account oi
the recent decision of the supreme
court regarding taxing Indian lands
this condition is more serious than
when the amendment was proposed
On district can maintain nine
months school on a one mill levy
while another in the same community
cannot run five months ON a fifteer
mill levy The children in the weak
districts should be educated-it is the
solemn duty of the state to place the
opportunity for common school edu
cation within their reach and the pro
posed amendment renders it possible
for the Legislature to extend relief tc
such districts. Missouri, Illinois, Ohio
South Carolina and number of Other
states extends state aid to weak dis
tricts AYE we less patriotic thar
they? We cannot afford to be-
The children throughout the United
States attend school an average of liz
days in each year The children ot
Oklahoma attend school an average O
only II days Throughout the United
States an average of $15.52 is spent fol
each child between and 1S years oi
age. Oklahoma spends measleS
$7O4. What are we doing? We are
neglecting our boys and girls. Let us
awake to the responsibility that rests
upon us!
Many of the leading educators ot
the state are awake and are actively
interested themselves in the proposed
amendment. While the measure was
pending in the legislature we had tht
active support Of the administration
many prominent school men of the
state, the state teachers association
county associations, county superin
tendents and other friends, by theil
hearty endorsement of the proposed
measure, greatly aided in arousing pop