The Ocala evening star., 1921-03-18
COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
is TAX CRAZY

is TAX CRAZY
A few weeks ago, there was con-
ference of county superintendents and
high school principals, who passed a
number of resolutions. among which
were the following:
"2. To appropriate the sum of one
million dollars for the immediate re-
lief of the common and high schools
of the state, said amount to be ap~
portioned among the several counties
of the state on fair and equitable
basis.
.3. To submit a constitutional
amendment to the people of the state
providing for raising Of the maximum
county school millage from 10 to Is
mills.
~. To submit a constitutional
amendment to the people of the state
providing for the raising of the max
imum special tax school district levy
from three to ten mills.
IS. To so amend or revise the COM
pulsory school law as to make it en-.
forcible and to make it accomplish
more nearly the purpose for which it
was enacted.
I'll. We request that the salaries of
the members OF the state board of ex-
aminers of teachers be $1,000 per an
/ ,,,.ro xxr;%I, -, ov,ro,,r% c,,feu;ar% -
cover the travelling expenses of said
board.
"12. We endorse the work of the
rural school inspectors and request
their continuance, for the present,
and that their salaries be $4,000 per
annum. with an amount sufficient to
cover the travelling expeness of said
inspectors.
"13. We request an appropriation
of $500 per annum for necessary sup
plies and travelling expenses of the
lstate high school inspector"
| Books Versus Bread
] The foregoing program looks
mighty bad for the taxpayer, and
ishows that the guiding principle o1
the educational autocracy is books
I rather than bread. That if there ART
plenty of school books, school house:
land school teachers it matters but
little if the children and their parent.
lare short on food and clothes.
| Yet that is what it may amount to
The taxes of the people in this COUNT.
are staggering, and the program lait
out by the steacherbund would call fol
another ten or twelve mills. Tha
lmeans that the average citizen mus
meet a state, county and municipa
taxbill of sixty to seventy mills, be
side the heavy federal taxes.
This would mean that number O
people would have TO give up thei
homes and their children becom
, charges on the public.
It would also mean that many peo
pie by every means in their powe
would conceal the amount and valu
of their property.
Excessive taxation, the world over
, and ever since taxation was first i'm
posed, has always meant the taxpaye
concealing as much of his-property a
possible.
And who can blame him, when h
knew in days past that his none.
went to promote the festivities of ty
rants, and when he knows now tina
it will go to promote bad manage
ment, fads and graft.
Two and half years ago, when tn
lattcntion of the people of Florida wa
distracted by the war, the teacher
bund put the ten-mill tax over o.
them. We can remember the prom
ises the educational autocracy made
: Taxes should never go higher-nc
: never. Not even the full ten mill
was likely to be used-only seven an
la half or eight. or at worst nine. tTh
people of this county can remembe
these promises-but they had sens
enough to know how much the
: amounted to and rejected them.) Blu
, the ten mills came down on them lik
, a ton of brick. And now they ar
asked for another five. VIII they Civ
eIit? Not unless they are state-ful
|. of fools
81 But bad as this amendment woul
!. be, the one to enable a school distric
to increase its levy from three TO te
mills would be worse. Let us SUP
D pose both amendments pass, and thi
e lprecinct be taxed the entire twenty
: five mills for schools, in addition t
a other taxes-what viii the people do
Y How can young man with a wife an
a child, with no resources but his ow
e work, build a home and live as a
f American should live? Let the voter
< ask themselves.
And this compulsory school law
lit is nothing less than Prussian--i
e puts the parents who live and wor
r and deny themselves on the sam
o basis with those who do not.