Arizona republican., 1915-05-22
Where the People
May Have Hearing
SENATOR CLARIDGE ON THE
SCHOOL TAX

The following is the address Of
Senator CIa=idge of Graham county
| IN opposition To the reduction of
the school tax appropriation:
Nh. President:
With intense regret that occasion
| for such action has arisen, l desire
| to enter my earnest though futile
protest against the provision of Sub
division - House Bill No. 3, under
consideration by the Senate. BY the
terms Of this subdivision 100000 per
| year for the maintenance of the pub
| lie school system of the great State
| of Altoona, inclusive of the pur-
! chase of free text books and the tx
pense of the office of the Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction, is APP
| propriated for the coming two years.
| This proposed action. in my opinion,
Is an absolute. unqualified violation
of the law, as unwarranted and as
! dangerous to the welfare of the state
greatest institution as it is fragrant.
! The educational code. enacted by
the first state legislature, and as yet
| unamended, was designed to abolish
county lines and to establish the
state unit for the levying Of taxes
and the collection of funds for he
maintenance of the states common
| schools, and in that code is contained
the provision, as sacred and as bind
| ing as any other, that there shall be
levied annually a tax sufficient to
| raise the sum Of 100000 This
| change from the old system of coun-
ty units was a wise and beneficient
| change. distributing the cost of edu-
| cation more evenly, easing the bur
dens of those least able TO bear them.
| Both as to counties and individuals,
and insuring a high standard of edu-
| cation in localities which otherwise
are but poorly equipped for the task.
! In utter disregard of the vital prin-
| ciple embodied in this law; in defi-
ance not only of its unequivocal
mandate but of the constitution of
| the state as well. il is now proposed
to effect an amendment to the law
| by appropriating only 100000 per
aunum instead of 100000. No ar
| gument should be required to con-
| vince any fair minded Senator that
| ~ this refusal to obey not only the
| letter. but the spirit of the law that
by this refusal to provide 100000
per year for the maintenance of the
| common school system of the state.
| Legislation is proposed which. in ad-
diton to hrining ell in it's efforts II
not indeed in its aim has no place
in general appropriation bill. The
constitution of our state provides that
the general appropriation bill shall
contain nothing but items for the
maintenance of the departments OF
the state government and state in
| stitutions. The amendment or alter
alton Of existing statutes is clearly
prohibited. Nevertheless it is OBJ
! vious that this studied evasion. this
plain violation of an uneouivocal
and unmistakable law. goes far be-
yond the mere appropriation of S10O
600 for the maintenance of the schools
| of the state, and is in effect a vital
and fatal amendment of an existing
| established statute. 1t is by no means
the only violation of the constitu-
ton which this bill proposes. and
by no means the only attempt it
makes to introduce into the general
appropriation bill improper. pre-
scribed legislation. Some of these
proposals, in fact. are in terms even
more frank and less disguised: but
the one against which I now formally