Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-03-14
j. +. CROSBIE
JNO. o. MITCHELL
j. NJ. BERRY
+. w. BRYANT
II. i. ANDERSON

duced is through the abolition of part
OF them. While some of these schools
we're wished on the state and there
are many people who would approve
their discontinuance, IL is unlikely
that any such thing will occur. The
state university and Agricultural
/ Mechanical college are not TO be con-
sidCrcd as subjects for execution, A
study of the records reveals that over
seven thousand of the eleven thousand
odd hundred teachers that are today
| presiding over our schOOlrOOmS nave
no better than a third grade GER
/ titicate, which means that they have
I passed the eighth grade Of our COM
mon schools 1t is a long and oner-
GUS task ahead of our six nOrmals to
supplant these seven thousand third
| graders with first grade trained teach
ers and no real friend of education
will deny their necessity, regardless
Of their efficiency The TOnkawa
school is already In the first division
OF schools of technology in the United
States, is heavily supported by federal
| endowment, and is an unlikely sub
iect for elimination. The ClaremOre
university preparatory is growing and
members Of the board Of education,
| legislators and other authorities al
ways leave 1t with the assurance OF
unyielding defense. oklahoma will
never be even parsimonious with its
/ blind and deaf and dumb schools. This
leaves the school for women at Chick
asha. the school of mines at Wilbur
ton. the six secondary agricultural
schools and the colOred agricultural
and normal in question. Since we
have a separatae school law, il is but
reasonable to assume that the latter
cannot Justly be molested. This leaves
eight schools that are now costing
|$l55.S0465 annually II any one or
all of them should be abolished, this
sum would practically be consumed
by the increased demands upon the
others. In fact, the attendance Of all
state educational institutions is in
creasing year by year, the demands
are growing, and the money TO main
tain them must necessarily bulge into
larger figures.
II is clear, also. that no reduction
Is 10 be made in the aggregate cost
of Oklahoma's penal and eleemosyn
ary institutions, unless conditions ma
terially change. The per capita cost
Of our penal institutions Is as low as
the lowest Of that of like institutions
I'm the nation. The expense Of main
tanning inmates I'm private sanitar-
ium has been less than the cost Of car
ing for them i'm our public institutions.
POulatlon in our penal institutions
has trehled since statehood and the
ratio of increase has been even greater
I'm our asylums The demand upon
Institutions Of this kind is gradually
growing and the cost OF maintenance
Is almost certain TO increase. The
economists Of ancient history invented
means of utilizing laor Of this kind,
but civilization has aOut destroyed the
system. The modern student Of the
question appear TO make little head
way against the tendency OF the times.
Several counties in the state under
took to work cOnviCts on the public
roads. 1t proved a failure I'm every
case The ultimate cost proved TO be
far in excess Of that of free labor.
a site was selected at McAlcster be
cause il was undo rlaid with ineXhaust-
ible coal but convicts cannot mine
coal In Oklahoma. The Granite re-
fcrnatory was located in the shadow
Of a mountain OF the very finest graue
Of building granite. but inmates Of
that institution are quarrying only
such granite as is being used ON the
grounds The state capitol commits
sion will not utilize this labor I'm get
ting out material for the state capitol.
The constitution of tlis state prohibits
the working OF convicts in cOmpeti-
ton 10 free labor. Even the raising
of 4IO acres Of cotton at the peniten-
tiary farm Is looked upon by some in