The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-22

| poses; second, school districts to levy
| local taxes for such purposes.
| After reading carefully Mr.. Bowie's ar
gument I conclude that it resolves it.
self into one simple question. Shall we
assess oil the property of all the people
for the equal education of all the chill
| dren of all the people in all the state
| Or, shall we assess the property in the
poor counties for the education Of the
children in those counties and let the
| concentrated wealth of the state escape
| its just burden, because to do otherwise
would interfere with the system that is
now in vogue in certain counties Of ex-
pending money apportioned to such coun-
ties for a class and not for all the chill
dren?
| 1t would require a little amendment to
! our constitution to remedy this evil, but
! an amendment can be proposed that will
remedy it, whereas the local tax amend
ment is only a nostrum and has no cura-
| tive properties in it whatever. If no
| more than 50 can be properly expended
for the education of the negro child in
I the black belt counties, and there is
| left then about $50 for each white child
| In those counties, why not vote this To-
| cal tax amendment down and have the
| next legislature submit one to us that
| will reach the evil here alluded to? II
would be quite simple to grade all the
| schools throughout the state and fix a
/ Sood living salary for each teacher and
| then use all the money throughout the
| state to run each school the same length
| of time.
| / insist that child born at the foot Of
| Buck Horn ridge in Winston county II
as much entitled to an education as one
more favorably born at any point in the
black belt, though the former reside:
among white people only and receives
only his share of the public taxes for hi:
education, while the latter, if Mr.. Bowie
is correct in his Sunday deliverance, re-
ceives not only the amount apportionet
to him, but in addition thereto he re
ceives that apportioned to about sever
negro children In his neighborhood. IL
this way the white child In the black bel
gets about eight times as much for hi'
education as the Winston county child
This argument is used by Mr.. Bowie II
u favor Of the local tax amendment, bu
In my humble judgment no stronger ar
gument can be adduced against 1t and II
favor of voting it down and then the sub
mission of an amendment that Will per
manently cure the evil spoken of. by Civ
ing to each and every child In the Stat'
! equal educational opportunities.
4 If this is done you will have no trou
BILE about school POUNDS piling up in an.
section in the state even though 1t shoult
later be decided that all property in tn
state should be assessed at rs per cen
of. it's real or market value instead o
60 per cent as at present. If this pro
vision should increase the school fund
for the primary education of the children
to where there is surplus why not fol
low out the plan of locating secondar!
schools close by the rural children b.
starting UP an intermediate or higl
school in every commissioners distric
in the state in addition to the one nov
existing in each county In the state?
In doing this the time-honored princi
pies of equal rights to all and spe
cial privileges to none" would be 6
reality and not theory only. 1t woul,
stop the present trend of rural popula
ton to the cities
What of 1t if Jefferson does pay $40
per annum to help educate the rural chill
iren of the state. Don't the rural popu
alton of the state help to sustain BIZ
birmingham? Look at the magnificen
electric sign over your beautiful Chan,
,er of Commerce building. Don't the in
yitation to Trade in Birmingham" ex
tend to all the people of the state? l
SO don't become so selfish that 20