The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-11-02

would be through increased tax as
sessments or increased valuations for
tax purposes.
(You can have the constitution
amended so the legislature can help
the county schools just as well as yos.
can have it amended to increase taxa
ton. There are several ways, how
ever. in which the legislature can
help the schools without further
amendment. 1t can, for instance, do
away with the pernicious fee system,
put the county officers on salaries and
turn a certain proportion of the fees
over to the schools. The legislature
can do whole lot if it tr1es.-Ed.)
While we hope to see the matter of
tax assessments systematized wheth-
er the amendment is adopted or not,
yet we have been hoping this for
years and we do not know when it is
going to be done. No matter what
is done with the tax assessment the
amendment is good thing and should
be adopted as it gives school boards
the power to provide for the needs of
the schools that are entrusted to
them.
Some say that school boards are ir-
responsible and would go totally wild
and completely overburden the people
with taxation and you draw a pitiful
picture of the tax-ridden people. That
this is not the case may be proven by
the fact that last July when the board
was fixing the millage to be assessed
they cut the bond millage of the Dun
Mellon district from five mills as it
had been to one mill for the present
year as the accumulation of funds
seemed to justify this cut.
What would you think of board
that had been elected to administer
the school affairs of county and who
failed to make tax levy sufficient to
do what they were elected to do?
eve have never found any fault
with the Marion county school board
except for swiping that ten dollars to
pay for Oliver Twist pictures, and we
will have to excuse that on the
ground that it acted on the advice of
the superintendent, and he didn't
know any better.-Ed.)
Yes, the amendment rs now an
after-war measure. Of course it was
projected before we had thought of
the war, the resolution was passed
during the session in which the dec
laration of war was made, the election
as you know will be held near the end
of the war, it cannot go into effect
until time to make the next school
levy which will be next July, and you
know that no one expects the war to
be in progress at that time. You
have called it untimely but think it
is mighty we'll timed to go into effect
as the boards may feel necessary just
after the war when the world is being
rebuilt
(This didn't seem to occur to you
until we called your attention to the
inconsistency of your former state
ment.-Ed.)
You have called it unnecessary but
| think that any one who has the in
terest of his country at heart cannot
| fail to see that something must be
done to meet the constantly increas-
! ing school expenses. Some one will
want to make capital of the latter ex-
preston. Yes, your school expenses
and all other public expenses will
probably continue to increase as long
as time lasts. There is only one way
to escape and that it to get off the
face of the earth You have a per-
| feet right to demand service common
surate with the taxes paid but l have
no idea that the worlh will ever be
able to get along on reduced tax
rate.
This is dismal prospect for the
poor taxpayer. But we do not agree
with Mr.. Brinson. We believe the
time will come when people will be
| wise enough to carry on their public
| business efficiently and yet not be in
conveniently taxed. However, Mr.
Brinson and US will both be playing
checkers in the Promised Land when
that good time arrives.-Ed.)
You know that in past issues you
have enumerated the number of sub
/ jects that you regarded as useless and
if they were eliminated you would not
4
only destroy your high school but a
considerable part of your common
school. Shall / go back and get up
the exact dates and produce the pa
lpers?
(Hunt 'em up, by all means. We
are going to give you a few more
SOon.-Ed.)
Now, you come to the real meat of
the matter when you advocate the
private school in preference to the
public school and claim they are so
superior in getting pupil through
them.
beg pardon, again; we have never
advocated the private school in pref
erence to the public school, Hunt W.
those papers you refer to and refresh
your mind. We have compared the
IIIcInacs rnofhoI~ flo