The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-10-26
FOR FLORIDA SCHOOLS

state constitution, which must be decided at the
polls on November 5th is one Of the most i'm
portant issues before the people today, and Es-
Gambia County, through committee appointed
by the state chairmen, will wage an active CAM
paign between now and the general election.
The following editorial expression from the
Miami Herald, discusses the subject in practical
and enlightening way:
We have received letter from the campaign
committee of the teacher bund, asking us to ask
the people to vote for the ten-nill amendment so
the teachers can have Bigger salaries. This is
the first time the people of Florida have been
asked to vote for the special reason of giving the
men and women in any class, craft, business
labor, calling or profession raise in salary and
| supports what we have said about the teachers
becoming unconsciously an autocracy The Leg
islature of Florida is very wasteful with the
peoples money. It can make arrangement to pay
| teachers better salaries if it WILL and yet not
raise taxes Put it up to it to do so-and vote
against the amendment
The Ocala Star from which the above para
graph is taken, and the Punta Gorda Herald are
the only two papers in the state that, SO far as
amendment to be voted upon at the general cleo
ton in November, authorizing possible increase
in taxes for school purposes from seven to ten
mills.
| Both of these papers base their argument
against the adoption by the people of this i'm
portant amendment the undoubted fact that
IT would permit increase of taxes. They weigh
the welfare of the children of this state against
the very small increase of taxation the new
amendment would authorize. They, seemingly
are perfectly willing to sacrifice the boys and
girls of Florida in order to few paltry dol
lars to a prosperous people.
The Star, however, has found something new
to urge against the amendment in that it has
been asked to support the amendment because
the teachers need additional salaries and it says
that this is the first time that the people have
been asked to vote in favor of any especial class
Of course, one result of the increased taxation
would be to give the teachers more pay that is
what it is for and there never has been any
other idea than that the money obtained from a
ten mill tax would be used in extending the work
of the schools and giving teachers, now so poorly
paid, something what they earn when they
SO well serve the public and the children of Flor
ida. We need more teachers than we have we
need the best teachers we can obtain, and more
and better teachers can not be secured without
more pay than Florida has heretofore been able
| to pay them.
| We grant for the sake of the argument that
the legislature has been wasteful of the peoples
money, we may grant that possibly, some scheme
might be devised by which the legislature could
raise the necessary money for the public schools
| in some other way than the one proposed. But
it never has done so and there is not the slight
est probability that the Star and the other paper
can, by defeating this amendment, induce the leg
islature to do anything else than it has done
heretofore.
The question merely is, do we want our schools
to reflect the progressive spirit of Florida do we
want the children of this state to be properly
educated and give even chance in life with the
children of other states where they are not so
reluctant to provide good schools and efficient
teachers? Do we wish to be guided by the wishes
of papers that published in the most back
ward sections of the state, to the great detri-