The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-10-25

ponents of this r=-..SadHln enr suggest
Raising the local limit Will not help
such a district. It's valuation ID toe
small Besides. II certainly is an Ia
Justice for one man In one section OF
this state to be forced to pay three
and four times as much school tax as
bis fellow citizen in an adjoining
school district, especially since he
child educated is to be citizen OF
the whole state, and not restricted to
his school district.
(18) An imaginary technicality In
this bill has been pointed out, through
which opponents are vividly picturing
to the voters whse might happen II
the legislature decided to abuse the
until otherwise provided for" phrase.
School funds are now distributed by
the state ($224 for 1920) ON per
capita scholastic enumeration basis
The only other known plan, that used
in some states, is to base the distribu
tion on the average attendance in
stead of on the enumeration.
When the constitution was adopted
In 1907, ii was left to our legislature
to vitalize its general provisions,
There has never been any other way
In national or state government
There is no hope for our citizenship
when our legislature can not be trust
cd to make our laws. That has ever
been the scheme of our operation. It
has stood the test for ages Suspicion
and distrust breeds socialism and
makes bolsheviks. To say that we
should not adopt this amendment be
cause the legislature might abuse II,
is equal to saying a man should not
marry wife because she might burn
down their house while he was away
from home.
19) II has been suggested by op-
ponents OF this bill that two or three
sparsely populated counties of the
Northwest would lose heavily la
their estimates they have not taken
into account the ad valorem tax on
five hundred million dollars worth OF
oil properties included under this
amendment, to be added to the pres
ent assessed valuations in estimating
the returns to each county
900 The tuition OF ten cents paid
for Indian children by the Federal
government to some school districts,
in lieu of their nOn-taXable Indian
lands, is practically nothing On ac-
count of the irregularity of attend
ance, and spare enrolment of those
OF the Indian children who come
strictly within the prescribed regula-
tions of the Department very little
aid results Some districts do not
even apply for it.
Voters in general are prone to leave
the Constitution as it was first writ
ten. Amendments are often obnoxious
simply because they are amendments.
But where the public good warrants
1t, and the advantages to be gained
for our common schools Justify it, let
not this stand IN the way of our prog
ress. In 1907 Oklahoma had the best
constitution yet written. But since
then many states have rewritten their
constitutions, amended them, and
made wise improvements, some even
copying Oklahoma's best provisions.
Let us again lead the way, thirteen
years later, for more and better com
mon school education by liberal state
aid When the roll is called again
Oklahoma should not be found 36th
in the list of states. We can easily
afford this since the State Auditor has
recently shown that our Golfers are
full on other items of state govern
ment.
Let us vote for the BETTER
SCHOOLS AMENDMENT November
End.