The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-11-14
GOVERNOR CRUC {
ON EDUCATION
Continued From First Page)

kAOHllIlutu fiOlii rms Il o6Sj
as We undertake to have six. The
Normal Schools in Oklahoma can more
properly be denominated local high
schools" than anything else. The
total attendance in these schools on
the 5th day of December, 1911, was
1911. OF this number 1890 lived in
the counties where these institutions
are loeated--only 421 coming from all
the other counties and neighboring
state.
A normal school Is supposed to be
place where the people are trained
to become teachers, and certainly Ok
lahoma has need for such schools. You
would expect to find in these schools
large per cent OF mature persons
fitting themselves for educational
work. The fact is that 1889 of them
we're under the age OF twenty years
In no town where one Of the six Nor.
mails is located Is there a high school
maintained by local taxation; and in
many instances children in the grades
are entered in these schools as normal
school students. The total number do
ing work in the grades above high
school work was 2S4. 1t cost to main
tain these schools, for the past tive
years, In addition to money received
from rental of school lands $4SO,0OC
or $215,000 each year. 1t is plainly
apparent that the bulk of the money
ls used for local purposes, and to aid
favored localities in shifting RESPONSE
bilities they should assume, upon the
houlders of the taxpaying public
If all of the childen in Oklahoma
who are doing normal school work
were put into one body, it would not
be one.half so numerous as the student
body in many first class normal
schools of the country.
We are also undertaking to main
tain as q public institution, a School
Of Mines. There was made an ap
preparation to maintain this school
$4,000 for the biennium, or $4,000
per annum. According to the report
of the president of this institution
there was in attendance on the 9th day
of December, 1911, forty pupils; two OF
these were from adjoining states--one
from Missouri and one from Kansas;
thirty were from the county in which
this school is located, and eight from
other counties of the state. To teach
these thirty-eight Oklahoma pupils
there were employed, including the
president, eight teachers, whose an.
nual salary amounts to Sl2,400. These
thirty-eight students could just as well
have been taken care of at the State
University without any additional cost
to the state, and the S25,000 appro
priated for the maintenance Of the
School of Mines could heye been sav-
ed TO the taxpayers.
Members of the legislature should
consider this question and determine
now whether or not We will go for
ward in the step undertaken, which
must ultimately end In confusion.
vetoed d measure at the last session OF
the legislature looking to additional
buildings at the School Of Mines. We
have already spent much money there
and before it can ever be equipped
as a School of Mines that will com
pare with those of other states, q
great deal more money will have to
be expended There has already been
spent for buildings and equipment fol
the School Of Mines in Missouri 1925,
25S; for the Michigan College oi
Mines s529,OOO; for the Colorado
School of Mines s764,SSs.
understand that it is unpopular tC
advocate iHt NOuSOliudthOh VI tbs
School of Mines with any other state
institution; / also understand that {
great many things which mean better
government in Oklahoma and say
ing Of money are unpopular, and viii
meet with violent opposition from
those who profit by the present ex
trayagant system.
We have in this state six Distrie
Agricultural Schools for the mainten
ance of which the last legislature ap
propriated $2O4,OOO. The total atten
dance in all of the schools nthe 5tl
day of December, 1911, as shown b.
the report Of the authorities Of th'
schools, was GIG; seventy-fve per cen
of the pupils were residents Of thu
counties in which The schools are 10