The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-02-22

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SPECIAL MESSAGE. !,
TO ASSEMBLY
House Members Take Exception to
Message and Hold that implications
are Unfair. Claim that Common
Schools Only Suffer Three Per Cent
Reduction.
The State, II.
Governor Cooper last night sent a
special message to both i ouses OF the
general assembly in which he said he
was gravcly concerned in the propos-
ed appropriations for the public
schools. The governor called atten
tion to the advancement Of the school
system and how the, appropriations
recommended in the ways and means
committee bill would seriously, cripple
the work. He urged the legislature
not to reduce the common school
work as a sacrifice for the Institutions
OF higher learning.
In the senate. the message, upon
motion Of Senator Goodwin, was re-
ferred to the finance committee. The
house received it as information.
The State, 1S.
Inferances drawn from the COVER
nors special message sent to the
house Thursday night, when that
body had under consideration the an
nual appropriation bill, yesterday
morning brought denials from two
members of the ways and means COM
mittee that the committee had dis
criminated against the public schools
OF the state, r. B. Belser Of Sumter
and Claud N. Sapp Of Columbia mak-
ing references to the message.
f'There has been whatI consider an
unfair inference drawn from the spe-
cial message OF the governor that the
ways and means committee In draw
ing up the appropriation bill has seen
fit to discriminate against the public
schools in favor Of the higher institu-
tions Of learning. The committee did
statement can be proven by facts and
figures" Approximately $11 100000
Mr. Belser said Is now appropriated
through the state appropriation bill,
the three mill constitution levy and.
the numerous special school levies for
the public schools, while only approx
imately 100000 Is appropriated for
the higher institutions. The ways and
means committee in drawing UP the
appropriation bill reduced the higher
institutions approximately 25 per cent,
Mr. Belser said, while examination OF
the reductions proposed for the com
mon schools would show, he contend
ed, that these cuts would be found to
total only about per cent Of the
funds available for public school pur-
poses. "This,0I think" Mr.. Belser
said. Shows conclusively that there
Is no discrimination" OF the $18,-
100000 paid in taxes In the state, Mr..
Belser contended, approximately 60
per cent goes to the use OF public
schools and, he argued, no reduction
ID state appropriations can possibly
be made without education being af-
fected. "You can not hope to relieve
the taxpayers of the state he said.
until you make the department. Of
education bear It's just proportion Of
the decrease necessary"
Representative Sapn took up the va
rious cuts made by the ways and
means committee In the department
OF education section in detail, argu-
ing that the largest reduction was for
the elimination Of an appropriation
FOR past Indebtedness, which has now
been paid. None OF the reductions,
Mr.. Sapp thought, would cripple the
schools, all having been made after
careful study, "You can not grant all
OF the requests Of the heads OF the
departments" he said. citing the fact
that this. year the appropriation re-
quest tofalea SB,097,442. eve have
cut" he said, "but we have cut where
1t will hurt least and I resent any
implication that we have discriminat-
ed against any department., whether
this implication. comes from the gov
ernor or any other source"
G. Wash Davis Dead
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