Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-11-15

"a haze on the far horizon, the inf
mite, tender sky,
| The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields,
the wild geese sailing high,
And all over uplands and lowlands,
the charm of the golden-rod,
Some of us call it Autumn, and
others call it God.''
Mr.. c. c.. Cross, Clerk of District
No IL represented the school boards
| of Trego county at the State Teach
ers' Association in Topeka last week.
Every loyal citizen of our state
should read the complete address of
State superintendent Ross and set
ting his shoulder TO the wheel do his
share of work to bring about the
| advocated reforms so needed in our
schools. Superintendent Ross said
in part as follows:
Kansas does not like the idea of
being ranked as twenty-fourth in its
schools. 1t is shock to many of its
leading educators to find that the
state is classed in the cheerful COM
pany of the solid south. Twenty
fifth in salaries paid to teachers:
twenty-ninth in value of school
houses; twenty-ninth in expense per
child and twenty-ninth in daily cost
Compared with other states, Kan
sas is narrow and niggardly in the
government and support of its public
schools. 1t must be classed with one
of the eight states that levies no
state tax whatever for maintenance
of her common schools, and the local
taxes that are levied for rural school
purposes are distributed with gross
injustice and expended with shame
full extravaganza. This is a severe
criticism but the time for meek ac-
ceptance of the situation or even.
mild apologetic protest has passed.
The facts themselves cry out. For
example, district No. 80 Decatur
county has a total valuation of S27,-
700, district No. 80 Wilson county
hasa total valuation of 81 400, 90.
The first district levies four and one
half mills, the legal limit, and raised
S124 to run Seven-mOnth school; the
secoud district levied last year nine
tenthS of one mill and raised 81, ,260, a
crushing burden of tax and pinching
educational penury on the one hand
and an insignificant lew, resulting
in superfiuous school funds tempting
to extravaganza and waste, on the
other.
''And this unequal and unfair
distribution of taxation exists in a
greater or less extent in every county.
Neither does this injustice affect
boys and girls alone, it touches the
pocket books of the parents as we'll
and lays the heaviest burden of ex-
pense on those least able to bear it.
1t defies the axiom of honest taxa
tion which demands that all shall
pay according to their ability. Why
does district No. 33 levy but nine
tenths of mill while district No. SO
must levy four and one-half mills and
then only raise one-tenth as much
money?
Because it so happens that the
Prairie Oil and Gas Company, the
Kansas subsidiary of the Standard
Oil company, has located a tank farm
in district No. 33, while district No.
80 has nothing but a limited amount
of comparatively farm land. What
is the result2 Simply this; The
greatest corporation in America is
not contributing its fair share to the
educational welfare, the moral and
the spiritual upbuilding of the state,
the protection of whose laws and the
benefits of whose property it enjoys;
while those poor but courageous far
mers of district 80 Decatur county.
who have this year been pleading for
seed wheat, are taxed to the limit to
educate the children of US all. For,
my friends they are the children of
us all. 1t is not sound theory that
parents pay school taxes in order that
their children may lead an easier
and more successful life: for if it
were then childless property owners
and corporate wealth could not be
justly taxed at all for school pur-
poses"
Some of the other reforms men
tionod were:
A reorganized system of normal
Institutes.
The Standardization of rural schools
and tie accrediting of high schools
under authority of the state board Of