Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-14
mass of lni.eraey 1. wha. tho State

mass of iiiiteracy Ia what tho State
undertakes to reach.
Free education Is the undertaking OF
the State and not OF the counties and
cities as such. and yet even County
No. In the above illustration, AZ also
many other counties similarly situated,
undertakes out OF it's own meagro
means to supplement Its state educa-
tional fund, and actually pays almost
as much for the education Of its chill
dren as does the entire State. with an
OF It's wealth. and County b pays $l0.-
10000 more from It's own resources for
the education of its children than 1t
receives from the State.
STATE PAYS LESS THAN
ONE-TIiItD OF COST OF SCHOOLS
1t Is q fact sometimes overlooked
that the State contributes less than
one-third Of the amount of the cost OF
maintaining our free school system.
In round numbers. the State con-
tributes S2.0oO.0O0.00 and the counties
and cities pay out Of their own treas
uries $4,000,000.o0. Had 1t been the
policy OF the State to pay out Of it's
own Treasury the entire cost OF the
free school system. as now conducted.
tho tax burden on County No. and
County would have been much
lighter than 1t Is to-day.
One Of the so-called pauper counties
received last year from the State $12.-
10000 for school purposes, and added
s77.000.0o from county and district
taxation for the same purposes. while
another county which appears self
sustaining received 100000 from the
State and added only the same amount
IT must be clear that the burdens, II
they may be so called. of public cduca-
ton are In their very nature incapa-
BILE of equalization. and, in fact. were
never intended to be equalized In any
sense, except that the poor should pay
according to their poverty and tho rich
according to their abundance.
DISTRIBUTION OF PENSIONS
COMES UNDER SAME PRINCIPLE
The distribution of pensions also
rests on the principle 1 have just enun-
ciated IT Is not surprising that there
should be larger percentage OF PEN
sioners In counties with 80 per cent
white population. which have been
practically unaffected by immigration.
than I'm counties with half or less than
half white population, or In cities and
| urban communities, with not only n
very large percentage OF negro, but
also OF foreign population. However
sacred may be the obligation Of the
State to Its children, 1t Is no less 80
to It's disabled Confederate veterans
whose services in war were rendered
not to counties and cities as such, but
! to the State sovereign.
What | have said rs to the relation
OF the counties to the State Ia not to be
| construed as Il defense OF assessments
below the general average. but simply
| as showing that no amount OF equali-
| zation OF assessments can place every
county on the credit side OF the State
| ledger.
AS n revenue measure, as well as for
| the protection OF intangible property
from the hardship OF rates made un-
4 M I'll. III lob
assessment of real estate and tangible
personal property. I favor low rate.
| n rate even lower than that proposed
| by the tax committee, with provision
! under which the rate would be auto
matically lowered when a given
amount of intangibles shall have been
reported for taxation.
REASONABLY Low RATE
| FOR INTANGIBLES
While it is to be hoped, and indeed
expected, that n reasonably low rate
! on this class of property will greatly
encourage holders to list 1t in larger
volume for taxation. yet would
| strengthen our laws very materially,
| placing larger powers In the hands of
the Auditor, or such board as may be
created, for the discovery of intangible
property and the collection Of the tax
levied against It, There is to my mind
no good and sufficient reason why our
State Government should have less
power and exercise less vigor in the
discovery OF Its taxable resources than
that possessed and exercised by the
Federal Government, acting under au-
thority granted to 1t by the State.
| 1 favor laws bringing intangible and
| tangible property as nearly as possible
into equal accessibility to the tax
gatherer.
The people of tho State, appreciatinR
their Increased and Increasing re-
sources, understand that the public