The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-01
PEOPLES PULPIT

7 larger than the average man in
town. The farmers property can
not be hidden from the assessor.
Even if we tie the dog behind the
barn, the cur is sure to bark and
give himself away.
Most of the intangible property
! notes, bonds, mortgages. etc.-is
owned by the town residents, and
the greater part Of this pays no
taxes at ALL
That is why the law that forces
farmer into a community high
school district against his will, and
taxes him at the same rate city
property is taxed for its upkeep, is
so unfair.
Excessive High School Taxes.
An astonishingly large share of
our tax bill is chargeable to the
community high school. Here are
the figures on 40 acres of improved
land in Montgomery county, for in
stance:
county tax 800
township TAX -.--..-.- XIV
Road and bridge tax ........ 1882
Community high school tax. $3.50
The community high school is
costing farmers in that district
twice as much as their district
schools, four times as much as
their entire state tax, and more
than the combined cost Of state,
county and township government
and roads and bridges.
To levy such a large proportion
OF the total tax for high school pur-
poses is all out of reason. The
tendency everywhere seems to be
to slight the grade schools and put
a constantly increasing amount of
money into high schools. This is
wrong. The grade schools are the
very foundation of our educational
system. Many children are never
able to go to high school at all, but
get all their schooling in the grades.
The grade schools should have the
first call on our tax money.
We want good high schools, too,
but we must use common sense in
getting and running them, and we
must not expect farmers to pay
twice their propOrtionate share OF
the cost
Cur high schools should be fewer
and better. We cannot expect to
maintain a high school in every
little village except at prohibitive
cost.
Suggested Remedies.
Farmers are willing to pay their
share of high school expense, but
no more. The Illinois Farmers
institute would solve the problem
by putting all farm territory into
non-high school districts. These
districts would levy tax sufficient
to pay the high school tuition or
their children, the rate of tuition
being based on the cost of operat-
ing the school and the depreciation
and maintenance cost OF the high
school building.
Jesse W. Osborn, a Montgomery
county farmer who has given con-
siderable thought to this question,
makes a somewhat similar sugges-
ton. as follows:
Let all territory in a county be
non-high school territory, with a.
board of three directors. Let any
town wanting a high school be,
AiCu lulO d hASh oNAOoA
by a majority vote of the legal vot-i
ers, and board of education elect
ed. Let this board. together with
the county non-high school board,
agree BY a majority vote OF the
two boards on the size and cost OF
a building. Then let the two
boards ascertain as clos ely as pos
sible what lpercentage of the pupils
will come dFom the town. Then let
each terrieGy pay its pro-rata cost
of the BUILDING, Let all pupils from
non-high sen ol territory pay tut
ton sufIicaenI 20 pay their pro-rata
share of opS ing the school, and
a sufficient ~ levied on the non
high school II tory to cover this.
Under such a - as this both town
and country 3onld pay their fair
share and ts~etyone would get be-
hind the SO s We can't have
good schools Ih half the people
fighting them
The 1921 Esistare instructed
Il