The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-10-25

| school districts who saw that they
must provide the money for better
! common schools under this amend
ment When this bill was filed In
i April they became at once busy.
Offices were opened, statisticians EN-
( pioyed for pay agents sent out over
: certain sections OF Oklahoma to cite
4 in vivid and graphic figures the loss
I to them. Others have since been
mislcd into opposing this law. But
! It is destined to put our common
| school system on it's firm footing
since statehood, and for all time to
| come.
GD Already having all the
funds they need and more, with
which to operate their schools, some
| OF our wealthy districts have taken
] on very selfish attitude whereby
| they oppose this amendment which
! IL calculated to assist their weaker
colleagues. Yet, this amendment
docs not rob these same wealthy
! districts OF one cent of the money
| they now get and In addition gives
| each also $50 per pupil, the same
as II gives to the weaker districts
who now wish TO so stronger for
their schools but can not on ac-
count OF constitutional limitation.
Surely the dogs In the manger"
viii not fight bettor common schools
for the blk. state they already en-
joying these benefits themselves.
G3) Misled opponents Of this
amendment have tried to intimate
that 4 will operate TO draw the chill
dreu away from the farm. Nothing
could bo further from the truth. on
the contrary the very purpose OF this
bill Is 20 keep our children In the ru-
raj, cOusolida, cd. graded and
small community schools by giving
them the same advantages as OBJ
tain in city schools. Then they will
not be compelled TO move to the
cities.
Gp Thousands of our rural
children now transfer each year
from their home districts IN order
to obtain better school advantages.
Many more thousands are not ablo
| even 20 transfer and consequently
are never in reach of high school.
out OF the G73.1O6 school children In
| the state, 25C,0Ol are In reach OF
/ high schools. The remaining 423,-
| lO5, or nearly two-thirds, are not in
reach OF any high school.
GD Big centers OF wealth and
! population should not oppose this
amendment. such cities are found
ed on the patronage of the surround
| ing country. Even where such city
loses "A few dollacs on the education
OF the children of the remainder of
the county or state, 1t is building an
asset for itself In good will and bet
ter citizenship.
G6) Some OF these same dis
! tricts now draw eight. ten and more
dollars per year for each pupil from
! the oil within the county
li7 What Is struggling dis
triCt to do when 1t has gone the linn
II locally to support its schools and
finds Itself confronted with more
children than dollats. Hundreds OF
our school districts are in this con-
dition. Confronted with the neces-
sity OF using unqualified teachers.
poor equipment, and short terms of
school, they have no recourse. What
remedy do the opponents of this
amendment suggest? Raising the
local limit will not help such a dis
trict. Its valuation is too small.
Besides, 1t certainly IL an injustice
for one man in one section of this
state to be forced to pay three and
four times as much school tax as his
! fellow citizen in an adjoining school
| district, especially since the child
educated is to be "a citizen of the
whole state and not restricted TO his
school district.
C1S) An imaginary technically in
this bill has been pointed out,
through which opponents are vivid
ly picturing to the voter what might
happen IL the legislature decided to
abuse the until otherwise provided
for" phrase. School funds are now
distributed by the state ($2.24 for
1920 on a per capita scholastic
enumeration basis. The only other
known plan, that used in some
states, is to base distribution on the
average attendance instead OF on the
enumeration.
When the constitution was adop-
ted in 1907, 1t was left to our legis-
lature to vitalize Its general pro-
visions. There has never been any
other way in national or state gov
ernment. There Is no hope for our
citizenship when our legislature can
not be trusted to make our laws.
| That has ever been the scheme of
our operation. II has stood the test
for ages. Suspicion and dlstrust
breeds socialism and makes bolshe-
Yiks. To say that we should not
adopt this amendment because the
legislature might abuse II. is equal
to saying n man should not marry a
wife because she might burn down
| their house while he was away from
home.
lO 1t has been suggested by
opponents of this bill that two or
three sparsely populated counties Of
, the Northwest would lose heavily.
In their estimates they have not
taken into account the sad valorem
tax on five hundred million dollars
worth of oil properties included un-
der this amendment. 10 be added 20
the present assessed valuations In es-
timating tho returns to each county.
GOO The tuition of ten cents paid
for Indian children by the federal
government 70 some school districts,
In lieu OF their non-taXable Indian
'ands, Is practically nothing. On ac-
count Of the irrcgularity OF attend.
ance. and snare enrolment OF those
of the Indian children who come
strictly within the presented regu-
lattons of the department. very little
aid results Some districts do NOT
even apply for il.
Voters in general are prone 10
leave the Constitution as 1t was first
written Amendments are often OBJ
noNious simply because they are
amendments But where the public
good warrants II, and the adva n tagcs
n he gained for our common schools
iusttfy IT, let not this stand in the