The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-09
How to Do Justice
To Working Glasses
And Benefit Children

george l.. Fox, Of New Haven
To the Working Glasses and their
Friends:
The free high school system, as it
exists in the United States today Is
unjust robbery Of the working class
es under the form of lawful taxation.
1t favors a small portion of the COM
munity at the expense of all classes, a
large majority of whom form the
working classes, whose income is less
than that Of many of those who get
the especial benefit of the high school.
1t makes the lower schools of the pub
lie school system, the Cinderella of
that system. These words from the
message of Gov. Philip of Wiscon-
sin on the present ubiquitous system
seem to me unquestionab1y true. "The
common schools, which are the
schools of the masses, do not receive
their fair proportion of all the mon
ey available for educational purpos-
es. The result is that we are build
ing our educational system from the
top down, instead of from the bottom
up. This system is wrong and needs
to be corrected in the interest of the
people," Omit the words "of other
states from the following quotation
from the Lacrosse (Wis.) Leader
Press, and it is absolutely true of
Connecticut with regard to high
1--WE have many thousands
of workingmen and farmers in Wis
consin who cannot afford to send
their sons to the university, but who
are paying taxes and helping to edu
cate the sons of men of other states
better situated financially than they
are.' Would that this fact could be
burned into the minds and memories
Of all legislators and Of all men.
Far and away the best remedy for
righting this injustice and making
the cost of high school education per
pupil, paid for by the public trea-
sury no more than the cost of pri-
mary and grammar school education,
paid for in the same way is recon-
by the Connecticut State
Board of Education in their report for
1913, viz: that part Of the cost Of the
high schools should be paid for by
the parents Of those pupils, who get
that special benefit Of the high school
and that the money thus obtained
should be used for providing addi-
without additional taxation. Don't
fail to remember that in reality and
in the last analysis the tenant of a
dwelling house pays the tax on that
house in most cases, and not the land
lord. though the tenant may never
enter the tax collectors Office. The
New York Times well says in COM
menting on extravagant appropr1a-
tons for social services: ''The ma
jority think that they pay no city tax
es since they never see tax bill" On
this point they are nightly mistaken.
The New York Sun in an editorial
Everybody Pays" utters the same vi
tai pregnant truth as follows: Ten
ants Of property in many cases fail
to understand to what extent the op-
rressive load Of taxation is passed on
to them, and in their ignorance con-
ceive of themselves as having no In
terest in economy. Yet it Is the case
that every citizen of the town pays his
share oe the taxes, although he may
be ignorant Of the fact"
The following bill puts that prin-
ciple, above described, in statutory
fom in a thoroughly practicable way,
and If it is enacted into law, it will be
Of great benefit to the working class
es. Under such a law at tuition
fee Of $4,000 year, the Board OF
Education Of New Haven would be
able to place at least 100 additional
teachers in the primary and grammar
schools, with no additional taxation.
What blessing that would be to the
children and to the hard working
teachers who now have As to so pu-
pills IN a room under one teacher. AS
the Springfield Republican truly says:
'tMosi boys and girls are obliged to
drop out Of school and begin work at
Ia years. Their preparation for life
at that age must needs be meager." 1t
is to make that preparation richer,
stronger. and better, that these bills
are framed. The greater the diff
ference between the cost per pupil. of
high school education, paid for out Of
the common treasury, and the cost OF