Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-04-14
SOMETHING WRONG-(from

oOh IL 111lN1 w NONG lIOlil
Cordele Dispatch) Ben Hill coun-
ty closes her rural school for the
spring term this week. This is
one OF the poorest news reports
that will come out OF that county
during the whole year 1t is all
tragedy to suppose in these few
weeks the boys and girls of the
homes i'll the rural sections of
that or any other Georgian coun-
ty can have what they need in
school work for the early half of
the year.
And Ben Hill is not the only
county in this condition. Six
months will not do for the rural
boy and girl in school. Seven will
not do. Eight will not do if the
the boys and girls i'll the city
schools of the state get nine
and they do.
his state has dclved into its
treasury for a common school
fund till it is almost bankrupt and
still we have no rural schools.
Running expenses depend almost
wholly III most counties on this
common school fund People
who should see that the state fund
IS well spent-who should see
that 1t is augmented by local tax
alton Tor good schools, are off the
job attending to other Kings.
There are fully thirty counties
IN Georgia that draw more money
Tor their schools out of the state
treasury than they pay in from
all sources. This is in itself all
wrong. -Four and a half million
dollars must be raised from state
revenues this year for the COM
mon schools-and here are the
rural schools already closing
when they should be just getting
Roadway. Something is wrong.
We need rural schools In every
county well organized and finan-
eed with people behind them who
will see that graded schools are
operated in line with the city
schools just as long as the schools
run in the best systems. Wei
need relief in the state treasury
in the cutting of appropriations
and the equalization OF taxes.
We need relief from this I'm
heard of amount of money thrown
away on a common school svs-
tenn that does not provide but for
tour to six months in the wear. |
we need a state appropriation
that the state can pay and then
we need local school support that
VIII mean rural schools like those
IN the best city systems
We have forgotten the schools
Tor politics and moonshjnc liquor
We have permitted the Reds TO
take hold of everything and put
out the schools their interests
and all other progressive move
ments-the county agents. the
dipping watts and the stock rails
ing and stock saving work. We
have quit the normally construc-
tive plans and have gone to tear
ing down.
All this must be stopped some
where. Each county in Georgia
must be held responsible for the
schools within its boundaries.
The more money the state treas
ury pours out to the long faced
spoilers for our dear children in
the rural sections. the less the
school term they have. 1t is
wrong-wrong in the very foun-
dation of the system somewhere
The day must come when every
child has fair showing in school
before we can hope for advance
ment of substantial character.
1t destroys the hopes of the man
with real interest when he thinks
OF the millions Georgia is pouring
out OF its state treasury into the
common school fund and has to
iace a news item SAYING that the
rural schools are being closed
early in the year. Something is
wrong.