Evening star., 1930-12-07
HUGE FEDERAL AID TO SCHOOL, S
OF STATES SHOWN IN BULLETIN
Facts Cited in Response to Representative
Simmons on Issue of Help Given
District System.

| The Federal Government has beer
| contributing continuously to public edu
| cation in the various States since the
| days of the Continental Congress- &C
cording to data compiled by the Office
! of education of the Interior Depart
ment
This admission of its obligation" t.
| the State school systems Is traced in al
least two Interior Department bulletinl
! which are cited in response to Repre-.
sentative Simmons assertions before tn,
| House Subcommittee on Fiscal Rela.
/ tionS between the United States anS
| the District of Columbia. Mr. Simmons
! OF Nebraska, told the subcommittee
| Wednesday that he never has been able
to see where there was any obligation
on the part Of the United States to con.
tribute to the District public schoo
| system.
The United States Government, how
ever, has contributed nearly lis 900 ,00C
acres Of its land to provide subSidie.
for the public school systems of various
States.
$65,OOO, 600 Contributed.
The United States Government ha,
contributed, through 1890, $65, 900 ,OOC
for vocational education In the school,
systems of the various States under
the provisions Of the Smith Hughes act
of 1917.
The United States Government has
contributed through 1880 $73.l45,S ,S72
Tor cooperative agricultural and home
economies extension work under the
Smith-Lever act of 1914, and the
Capper-Ketcham act of 1928.
The United States Government has
appropriated, through June, 1880, STA
100000 for colleges of agriculture and
mechanical arts in the various States
and Territories under the second Nor
TIL act OF 1890 and the Nelson amend
ment Of 1907.
And the United States Government
has appropriated. through 1929, s52,-
O77,914.65 for agricultural experiment
stations in the various States and Ter
ritories.
Are for Voting States.
None of these funds provided assist
ance to the District of Columbia public
school system, but were made available
by the United States for the voting
States and the outlying Territories, ac-
cording to the information supplied in
the 1880 bulletin, No. 8, entitled, "Di-
gest OF Legislation Providing Federal
Subsidies for Education"
In the letter Of tranSmittal printed in
this bulletin, DR.. William John Cooper.
commissioner of education, declared
that the provisions made by Congress
to assist the States in promoting edu-
cation make up an important cha utar
in the development of education in the
American Commonwealths." In the
introduction to the bulletin, DR.. Ward
w. KeeSecker, its author, asserted that
before The adoption of the Constitu-
ton, the Continental Congress, by or
dinance of May 20, 1785, for ascertain
ing the mode Of diSpoSing Of lands In
the Western Territory, prepared the way
for the advance Of settlements and edu-
cation as contemporaneous interests"
While that early ordinance did not
mention the manner of establishment
CT public schools hereunder, or BY
whom" DR.. Keesecker pointed out, "it
advanced and established a principle
which finally dedicated not less than
one thirty-sixth part of all public lands
Of the United States, with certain ex-
ceptions as to minerals, etc, to tbs
cause Of education by public schools >
Lands Still UnsOId.
The second Interior Department pub
lication, bulletin No. S, 1880, Statistics
of State School Systems" which was
prepared by Frank M Phillips, shows
that in 1928 (the most recent date fol-
which such data has been compiled
there remained unsold 43,6l7,572 acres
OF these school lands. The value OF
this land, some Of which Is providing
an income from leases, is placed in this
bulletin at $433, 1865
The table providing these figures
shows that Representative Simmons
own State of Nebraska still has 1892
334 acres of its school lands with g
value Of S19,779,172. In his testimony
before the fiscal relations subcommit-
tee last Wednesday, Mr.. Simmons asked
specifically Why should the people ir
New York or California be called upor
TO pay for Washington's school system2 p
New York has no public lands but Cali
fornia, according TO Mr. Phillips tabu-
lation, had left 800 900 acres of the
land given 1t by the United States, al
value Of Sl,6o0,0o0.
The unsold school lands retained BY
some of the other States and the re-
spective values of their holdings in
clude: Minnesota, $6l 10000 Okla
homa, $6,406, ,339; Illinois, $50, 556, ,622;
Colorado, SAL ,o30,3l0, and Vermont, ST.
| 10000.
Schools Get Revenue.
Another table In Mr.. Phillips bulletin
shows that leased school lands in the
United States netted their holders q
total Of $4,73s, ,316 in the school year
! 1928. The State Of Nebraska's re-
ceiptS from school land leases for thai
year totaled 1894 072.
Tracing the legislation which estab-
lished the Federal Governments "obli-
cation" TO education, DR.. Keeseckel
points out in his bulletin that in the
ordinance Of July, 1887, "for the gov.
eminent Of the Territory Of the United
States Northwest Of the River Ohio,
Congress declared:
Religion, morality and knowledge
being necessary TO good government anC
the happiness Of mankind, schools anC
the means Of education shall forever
be encouraged"
Continuing, he cited the ordinance O
July %, 1887, which authorized tn,
Board of Treasury to contract for tn,
sale Of Western Terr cry" and which
provided that lot No Is in each town
ship, or fractio0sl part Of q township
be given perp4tually' for education