The Adair County news., 1915-10-27

today in education and the dissemina
ton of knowledge
Schools Increased 459o.
We have not only increased the at
! tendance in our public schools forty
| five per cent within three years, but
we have ded to the revenues for
school purposes, directly and indirect
ly, more than three millions of dollars
We have decreased the school term il.
every rural district from six months
! to seven Donths, increasing at the
same time in the aggregate all teach.
ers' salaries, and in many cases the
term has been made eight, nine or
ten months, all of which has been done
without a mill increase in taxation
In fact, the rate of taxation which
was formerly tWenty-six cents and a
half on the hundred dollars for public
school purposes has been decreased to
twenty-six cents.
Replies to E. p. Morrow.
Now, for the present, I pass over
Mr.. Morrow's sophomore ebullitions
in which he states that political cam
paigns are primarily for the benefit of
the people," etc. But 1 come directly
to certain specific statements that he
made in his opening speech at Bowling
Green.
We have today balance in the
school fund of one million dollars. At
the corresponding date in 1911, under
Republican administration, there
was a balance of $314,0S4. We prom
ised the people of Kentucky four years
ago "most rigid economy in the De-
partment of Education, and we stated
to the people that we would not stand
for any diversion of the school funds,
since it was, and is, clearly in viola
ton of statutory law and the Consti-
tuition of Kentucky. We condemned
unequivocally transportation Of
school funds. Mr. Morrow speaks of
Large cash balances" 1 will show
you why their balances were not so
large. Their books, December 80, 1911,
show a credit to the Sinking Fund of
S73,827.84; School Fund, 45,o1443;
total balance, $518,s42.27; deficit, Gen.
eral Expenditure Fund, $24e, 1888.
THY turned over to Mr.. Thomas S.
Rhea a Treasury balance, School Fund
and all, January 1, of $269, 1884
1 would like to know why they did
not turn over that sacred and invio-
late school fund, under the law and
Constitution, of $445,01443. 1 would
like to know now, for what purpose,
and why they Incorporated those
funds, and what they temporarily did
with those funds
From this you can see why their
cash balances were not so large. l
neoa not quote you Section 1874 of the
Constitution, nor Section 4371 of the
Statute and Section 1872, wherein is
stated, Except as otherwise expressly
provided in this chapter, no part of the
common school fund, nor of the reve-
nues thereof, shall be used for any
other purpose than the payment of the
teachers of the common schools" And
Section 4373, which states, The Au-
ditor snail keep accounts in relation
to this fund. He shall once in each
month make a transfer to the credit
of said fund, all receipts into the
Treasury, with the sources of each
item, for the benefit of the common
schools, up to the date of said trans
fer" Section 4371 states, referring to
a previous section and to the Consti-
tuition, THE foregoing shall constitute
the annual resources of the school
fund of Kentucky and shall be paid
into the Treasury and shall not be
drawn out or appropriated except to
pay the expenses of the State Depart
ment of Education of whatever kind
or character"
l want to know what this Repub-
lican administration did with this
S445,014.43, or such part of it as was
unaccounted for when they turned over
to Mr.. Rhea, the new State Treasurer,
school fund, and everything
else, the sum of $269,71S.94. At the
time when it was done, 1 personally !
called the attention of Mr.. Farley, the |
Treasurer, to the fact that |
there appeared to me to be something |
rotten in Denmark" This gentleman |
stated that 1 had much |
to learn" and that 1 would discover
soon that the Office of Superintendent |
Of Public Instruction was regarded, |
among Republicans, as an insignificant
position without authority" and that |
had better keep quiet" and do as
Republicans had done, leaving such |
matters to those higher up"
Economy of Present Administration.
This present Democratic Admins
tration has kept inviolate and sacred |
every penny of the school fund. Hence,
the large balances in the Treasury"
that have been referred to, and for |