The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-27

funds to bear their full proportion OF
delinquents lowered the amount OF
State school taxes m the very con-
siderable sum of $64,665.s0.
ons Mill on the Dollar.
THE minimum State school tau
under the Constitution ~ one mill on
the dollar ION property" That Is
exactly tbs rate fixed BY the Legisla-
ture. Property is word of broad
meaning. evidently So used in Article
Kill OF the Virginia Constitution. ! ne
standard Dictionary defines property
as "a valuable legal right in or to
particular things. including the right
to exercise a particular trade Of voca-
tion." These rights are reached In
Virginia by license and franchise taxes
In which the public schools do MOI
participate. II the public schools par
ticipated in the license taxes, their
revenues from State taxes would be
increased nearly one hundred per
cent. and the small rural school would
come into its own. Unrest would van
ish and the Legislature would be re-
Iieveti of the biennial task OF trying
to find out what is the matter with
the curriculum and teaching force OF
hundreds OF rural schools which, az
a matter Of fact, have too little cur
rfculum and teaching force. To speak
of there being too many fads ana
frills in those schools is like knocking
the scant attire Of poor child ON
a blasted heath by insisting that the
tatters OF her dress are frtlls ana
furhe1ows.
TOO many people look at country
| schools OF sill types through the
glasses of town or city man a
timely and pertinent illustration was
IL M
| OF the cost of text books. The writer
observed last fall that books needed
by his son In the fifth grade cost
S4.05. 1t was difficult for him to De-
! Iieve for the moment that the aver
age cost Of text books per pupil en-
| rolled could be q cent less than han
| that amount Some have estimated
| the cost at 100000 for the 100000
children enrolled.
Tho company which Is acting as
State depository and handling In that
capacity the entire book trade OF the
State declares that Its books show
that Virginia Is not spending over
$4,000 or 100000 per annum for
books, and this statement ID substan-
tiated by such men az Mr.. J. D.
Crump, president OF the 3. +. John
son Publishing Company. and by the
leading wholesale book dealers OF VIZ
Rinia. Utter paucity OF books 10 an
expression that fits more schools IN
Virginia than overlooking with books
principle al Equalization"
| 1T one Il asked how this addi-
tionai State revenue for schools Is to
be raised without injury to the many
or additional burdens upon the gen.
erai Taxpayer, the answer il easy.
Just apply the principle Of eQualiza-
ton" in the~domain Of State taxes.
Why should not peddlers. book
agents. tobacco dealers, junk deal
ers. eanvasaers. stock brokers' pawn
| brokers, building and loan assncia-
tions. bowling saloons, billiard rooms.
! bagatelle saloons. theatres, circusos.
| hobby horse machines, vendors OF
medicines salves and liniments, slot
| machines dealers in pistols, dirks and
bowie knives. liquor dealers. social
clubs. Insurance. companies, express
companies. Pullman car companies.
and dispensaries pay moro revenue
! into the State school funds?
The public school work In the
States greatest and best beloved
work Nearly one-third OF the entire
revenue-State and locals applied
/ to its needs, and the children--the
cry IL: still they come" What are
twenty ave or thirty thousand dollar
additions to this great fund when il
comes to meeting the public schools
t expanding needs. not to mention ia
enrichment. 10 a. to get away from
| the free school for poor children
idea, and provide q type Of school
that will meet tho needs OF all classea
| and ranks and will prepare children
for real life? Al every session Of the
Legislature we heAr the cry that
tho public schools are getting 10 much
money and some reason develops to
! stifie. the cry Of the weak school In
Stho country dtStftcta Perhaps these
schools may never have . champion
strong enough and gifted enough to
paint the true picture on the walls
| Of . legislative hall. but deliverance
must arise from some source. A good
school with an attractive building.
just here and there, does not educate
orous country boys and girls do not
like 10 wait.
Shows yir&lnia's ECONOMY.
New jersey. with an enrolment
Of only twenty thousand more chill
dren than Virginia. pays $4,000. 900
annually for schools: West Virginia.
with one hundred and twenty-five
thousand less children. pays more
, than Virginia; Kansas, with the same
enrolment. pays two dollars 70 our
one. and Wisconsin. Minnesota and
California. the first two having nearly
fifty thousand greater enrolment, and
tho last nifty thousand lc8 enroll
ment than we have. each devotes
about twelve million dollars annually
to public schO0lSl
Some have construed the action oil
tho Legislature Of 1910 In appropri-
ating only about Ia per cant. more
than the revenue Of tte StaAe for the
two years - N tndicatloa that the
Stats h financially crippled. and they
say school progress and development
should stop How DO they account
For the fact that local school rev.
snues wsrs inaseassd &1O0. 600 lasa
lyear9 Evidently tn peopls did not
know they Wero 81 dAnoer Of bank
ruptcy. lAos peopae III their local
legisiaturoe tia boArde Of aupervi-
sors) have donA their pnxt: they seem
70 ~ ca1llnG ~ Their 0taxs lsgiala-
tpss from ~ 800 aAA sar-