The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-02-27

| will run for election, except probate
Judge, and the following two years the
only offices to be filled will be that OF
| probate Judge and members of the
legislature.
tuition for the support of the schools
prevents honest and equitable assess
ment of property, because they assert
that one hundred per cent. valua-
ton will produce an excess school rev.
enue. They overlook the fact that the
constitutional tax of three mills now
provides but little more than 40 per-
cent of school funds and that the resi-
dent electors of 927 school districts
have voted local school taxes, varying
from one-half mill to Is mills, that
now raise $575,O0O annually.
1t is impossible to provide too much
money for the public schools. These
figures show that the tax payers in
one-half the districts of the State have
found the constitutional tax made
ouate to meet their needs.
Many districts are now ready for a
compulsory attendance law. The ma
iority of these districts contain towns
and cities, but some of them are pure
~ rural. The patrons Of these dis
tricts should be allowed to vote on the
question of compulsory attendance in
their district schools just as they are
now allowed to vote on the question
of local school taxation. A paper law
would do more harm than good. Any
educational program that seeks to
place a State wide compulsory educa-
tion law on the statute books will be
inopportune, because it will overlook
many vital problems that are widely
different in the 43 counties. For in
stance the school term in Horny coun-
ty. with a white enrolment of 5,O73 is
IS weeks. While the term in Charles
ton county with white enrolment OF
4216, is "a weeks. The per capita
expenditure per pupil in the State is
but little more than cne-fourth OF the
per CAPITA expenditure for the nation
as a whole. In Fairfield county last
year this expenditure for negroes was
"a cents per child while in Charleston
county the per capita expenditure for
negroes was 1888.
A comparison of this figure with the
expenditure for whites in other coun-
ties is striking. During the scholastic
year 1901 each white child in Ar
derson county was allowed sS.67, in
Berkeley county sS.e7, in Cherokee
county, s6.SS, in Chesterfield county
s6.98, in Colleton county 1881, in
Greenville county s6.03, in Horny coun-
ty s5.7S, in Lancaster county S7.77, IN
Oconee county S6.33, in Pickens coun-
tv s6.S5, in Saluda county S8.O7, in
spartanburg County sS.57, in Union
county $3.50.
# will thus be seen that 72,946 white
children in 13 counties were allowed
a smaller amount for their education
last year than were negro pupils in
Charleston cuonty.
This does net mean that the schools
of Charleston were Wasteful or that
the negroes of that county received
undue advantages. The condition re-
suits from the failure of the State as
a whole to provide Statewide support
for the public schools.
This situation can never be correct
ed as long as each county is left to
work out independently its own educa-
tional problems.
Any educational meeting, discussion
or campaign where these facts and
these conditions can be plainly
presented to the people and can 'oe
practically discussed by the tax-pay-
ers and patrons must inevitably result
in Improvement.
Wishing you success, I am,
Yours espectfully,
J. E. SWearingen,
State Superintendent of Education.