Newspaper Page Text
'LISHED 1866.
m
00 ■ OCAL SCHOOL TAXATION.
wing is an address delivered by Mr. T. B. Hartig last Saturday betore tbe
iiers Association {and upon motion was ordered Vo be published. B. I>.
„, o. s. C.)
one sense I rnter with considerable diffidence into this discus
I, yet, viewing the subject as oue of such vast importance, und if
L adopted and inaugurated possible of such great good, it pleases
that we are here to present it as a vital public issue for the tar
|consideration of the people of Wavue county,
peaking educationally and I hope broadly so, the subject that is
, introduced is the most important question, the most far-reach
propositiou before the people, not only of Wayne county, but in
before the people of the entire state of Georgia. Especially is
true as affecting the education interests ot the people of all ru
jjmmunities, w ho have not local school systems of their owu,
who are unable to have more than a few months of public school
||y e ar T only to the extent of what the county’s o
receive from the state will provide for. Reducing s inean
If the phrase embrased in the title of our subject, “ Local school
tiou” into a definition ot a single sentence, wo have for its
■jJJnunity ^ Hug this, that its adoption could give to the people of every
of the one hundred and forty-six counties of Georgia,
VTot u ot, at least eight months of absolutely free school each
If that thought, that iuterpretaion of what local school taxa
tneane, to the people of the state and especially to the people of
cloved couuty of Wayne—if thatcan be successfully demonstra
te! maintained, then certainly its stupendous importance can
ijsily eeriinients be over estimated. only instituted “by the
are uot among men consent
1 , governed,” but also for their good, for their encouragement,
sir happiness. A free people, under a liberal constitution, are
t-fi-ofl life und liberty and especially the legitimate pursuits of
While the fundamental law of our land, our national
refers to education only iuau implied manner, still the
or •of every state places so much stress upon education
<* j so.nn as if should be through this channel, a liberal pub.
* hi and through which we should not only pursue, but
:
lau. «r greatest share of happiness.
sair hers, in establishingthisgovernment, this oasis of earth,
res l' jatest freedom, went a step far in advance of the build
defr ■ktions,—they held that since the state guaranteed to
R. J i, liberty and reasonable genuine pursuits of hnp
Job true
La s '*te should also to some extend and provide the means
A 1 all may be true participants of these blessings in the
tgi From this civic principle, which itself
' degree. was
•v ,r product of the successive attempts for better governments
as of humane history, them developed finally public ed-
4 mblio schools supported enjoy—educatian by the state. enacted This by is the edu
Jtem we to-day govermental
ii ¥ education sustained by govennental regulations ana ad
mini. iti^n.
The present constitution ot Georgia fully sustains this idea. The
under which we now live was made in 1877, at a time when an
oue provided for. In Article \ III, section 1,
alien race had to be ot' that
constitution, we find the question of public education treated with
minut J10£ f directness auci a iroad liberality This i.- readily seen
/wing concise and forceful language,
h i s rail be a thorough system < common schools for the ed
of children io tb -c! m ! -it; -y branches of an English ccluca
ucatio uniform practicable, the shall be
tior ' * onlv as nearly as The schools expense
Ktdren j j 1 for by taxation, or otherwise. shall be free to
^^.lorod of the state, but separate ochools be provided for the
races,”
ILd pursuant to Georgia these very has always constitutional sought, requirements, session after session, the Gen
”'l F -omblvof „L>pr»U.. to
iuukc ti3 fuut . i i I • M .. P0»lbl. to cart, „»t the,,. pr * „,i s .
ions and to promote aud advance education in every reasonable and
P to period of our state’s development and
But we have now come a
greatness that if we do not accelerate our pace, leave behind our old
extreme gresl'af conservatism, and step out along with the educational pro
other states, the commonweallh which we all h„e well,
and of which and in which we all feel special pride, will surely Jag
behind ^nr^h.ppiuc.of.11. in this one great question of education, which so closely e f
While Georgia holds the preud
,micc.ce of being the great Empire State of the South, m wealth, in
creat diversity oflnaturai resources, m progress along manufacturing
enterprises, 'in great and varied agricultural productions
and i -T- superb institutions of secondary and higher
learn ;r '" her sister states have already outstripped
her per and ample profusions for the the common
•islfrom which into this world of strife go ninety
h , boys and girls to assume the duties ot this world
k no nor of having the oldest female college in the
ml V: ‘ at institution to-day is enjoving the lnghes e n
. tosy. It is an honor to the state and to the eouth.
4 *is. literary, musical, technical aud professional col
i F( Ht iea compare in thoroughness or accomplishment
IS y anywhere. So citizens need feel asbame cf them,
aonument of their own excellence and efficiency,
19 state have done all this, we have iu part negleeted
.n of what has caused us as a nation or neorde to be
Sentinel
“WE APPLAUD THE RIGHT AND CONDEMN THE WRONG.”
JESUP, GA., APRIL 25th, 1907.
as progressive as we are. We are neglecting the real prudential
training. Our neighboring states and those more remote have al
ready gone far beyond us in providing the means whereby they may
give the child of the farmer and the wage earner the adequate num
ber of months ot free schooling each year, which the progress of the
world in all avenue of life calls for. We have clung to an old so
called conservative system, that, under a constitutional restrction
that the state tax may not exceed five mills, can only give the chil
dren of the rural communities and small towns comparatively but a
few months of free school each year, and the time has come for a
departure to better conditions. Our present system may have been
progress years ago, but it is antiquated now. It it not in keeping
with the excellent systems of public schools that we fiud everywheie
else in the great galary of state that compose thisgoold union. The
thought is therefore repented, the time has come for a cluing, La
better conditions along this line.
And how may this be accomplished? By following the instiue
tious and carrying out the requirements of our state’s fundimental
law. Yes, but how can we give free schools the proper number of
months each year to all children, when that very constitution does
not permit a levy of over five mills? By supplying the money from
the state with money raised through local taxation. The General
Assembly in 1905 pasped a law that provided for this. This law was
amended and perfected the year after by the same law making body.
It provides simply and plainly that, when one fourth of the qualified
voters of a county shall petition for a county school tax election,
the ordinary shall in not less than twenty or more than sixty days
call such election. If when such election is held two thirds of the
votes cast shall favor such county school tax the same shall be do
dared carried and become law in such couuty voting the same. There
is no compulsion in this. It is for the people themselves to say
whether they wish such tax, and not until they say so by their votes
and by a two thirds majority can the same be levied und collected.
The state of Georgia has made wonderful progress in all avenues
of human activities since the devastations of the civil war. Espe
cially hue this progress been marked during the past ten years. In
no other section of the state has this growth in wealth and in the
development of onr natural resources been so evident as in this what
is commonly known as Wiregruss Georgia, or the southern part of
the state In this, our beloved county of Wayne, the growth in pop
ulation lias been most gratifying. According to the United States
census of 1890 Wayne’s population numbered 7485. In 1900 this
increased to 0449, showing a gam of nearly two thousand or over
twenty-six per cent. Recent statistical reports estimate the growth
of the Wiregrass counties since 1900 to have been over thirty percent,
and this agrees with the opinion of those who where and are best
pos ted that Wayne’s population is today over 2000. But it is not
much in population as ui niateiml wealth that 11 have developed
so Tax J>‘gestfor U _Bhowa1 atax .dilution
most. The county ^ \ on real j
and personal property ,Uld lncreased to
the astonishing figure o ■ -> ’> ■ ’’ ’ lc ai '^, 81x y P el cent more
than five yeyrs before. But greater still did . Wayne’s material wealth
advance during the next twelve mouths. ’he county 1 ax Digest for
1900, real and personal property, shows the almost uncreditable
on of $ 4
of $2,583,974, an increase 1 ., ,01 over nineteen per cent
sum These figures give us material upon which
iu a single year. to re
ffect. Surely the people, generall v speaking, are not only prospering,j
really prosperous. With tins prosperity hovering over and I
but are be not, lul / increase in our population the.j
around, should " and
us
constant addition t‘> ,,in vv " a > P *t ** tru0 * doss ~
this enhanced wea Whv ur?1 to 'vards the
ing that ,
children ot our country am with - ‘a a om of this ac
cumulation of Gods’s bou,>tie ,amlL it a sis there children to
the better prepared for the many and onerrus duties that
become andjomen
they later as men
And in this great w • to he am, we have all
around „ mo.t powerful .«.»•>» we iirOj Gflcli oue r> us. proud Have of you thought
that we^au.mate . 1 v.oinfys being jxs ^ Qf ^ ^ f^his hiu there, little 11 + 4 - 1 ^ oarlh- have 1 1
surroundioglus assist U9 lnauunafa “ ^ yetjiowerfu th” '"imy at our .... com- ----
maud to l9<)9) wa9 placed
erty of \\ ayne count>, on ax digest, at
t2,688,974-the this—would be assistei re.l v.lw "'‘"j* meaus « for »uoh bctter a.
schools and longer term- ^ of j ' • 8 ; °«r rural schools
.
True upon ligate, . ,-p-Sb-—bj do »« •»> ^ 'uTT °‘ l>r ° P “‘ J '
General’s office at Atla RaiIroadj Wavnetr, / rt ' le P houo and ,
Express WOf, at c ^PJ tMstartling n1 ^ of $2 ,086,048^ froni^"whichrtt ^ the couuty
in ^ ^
receives, through the ^ { J axe3 aB fr °“
properties,here. bhlS ^ ^
fymg and almost, f ; /^ We e “* P l 80ple ® f
certaii jy h ^f T pt
to take a few steps to
grass aJd true
t » ^c^.j ’ tbaDffeh a V especially ebeen;to make everybody bettor
Mer a nd happ ier, so, when tha burden is not
all own shoulders, but hav « he re at hand powerful agencies
on our the will
who, when we in a legal manner say word, take half the bur
den upon their owu!
But here comes the stumbliog block to every progressive move in
(Continued on fourth page)
$1.00 PER YEAR
NO. 16.
Teachers Association
The County Teachers Associa
tion was called to order Saturday
by County Commissioner B. D.
Purcell.
The dev fion ,1 1 -mrcisorf were
led by J. 1). Wi'ri-. pastor of the
Baptist Church, who raid four
verses of the third chapter of
second Timothy, and made a short
talk thereto, closing with a very
ap 1 j roprinte prayer.
Pro '. W. D. Green had a class
with which he gave an object los
s in as to bow to teach “The First
Eight Weeks in Heading.” This
exposition was intere-ting and in
structive. 'I'll- various im-tliods
to teach reading, the- alphabetic,
phonic, the word and the sentence
method’s, were explained.
A paper in “Literature in the
Public School” by Miss Lena
Jones was able and comprehensive,
and much enjoyed.
Prof. E. [A. Lewis read a well
prepared paper on the subject of
Language Work and Grammar.
Local school taxation was spo
ken on at length by Mr. T. B.
Hartig. A gAieral discussion
followed, and upon motion the
request wa» unanimously passed
that Mr. Hartig’s paper be pub
lished.
Upon motion the association
adjourned.
Rev. W. R. Thompson Dead.
The Rev. W. K. Thompson ot
ScrevorA conuty died at the Sav an -
nah H ospna. ye8Wjtday evening
ghortly J after 7 0 > ciock aa a reS ult
of an lne8B of 0Ver a vear .
Ha is 8nrv ived by his wife and
ei htnhildr Messrs, W. L. and
j L . Thompson ot Savannah, R.
H- aud U . C . Thompson of Serev
en county, Mrs. A. G. Lee and
Miss Annie Thompson of Savan
nfthf and Misses Lula and Neliie
Thompson of Screven county.
The deceased was 5.. years of
age * and wa9 well known in Savan
u h . Ho was formerly pastor of
tha s ecou d Baptist. Church of
iy oycro3 , f but at the time of his
death was living at Walt.hower.s
ville. He was a member oi the
Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias,
an d Masous, and delegations from
each of these orders vill attend
hie fulll . nu . The iuneral will
take place this afternoon at 4
o’clock from the residence of Ins
son, Mr. YV. L. Thompson, No.
1500 Harborsham street. The in
terment will be in Jauirel Grove
Ceoisiery. The Rev. Mr. Scruggs
of Waycross, a close friend of the
deceased, will probably conduct
the Services.—Savannah Morning
News of Wednesday April 2 k
Blackshearvs. jesup
'J’he Blackshear B t °se Ball Team
team came over Monday and
th9 i 00 *! Tb e score
stood 4to 2 in favor of BIacksh(;ar .
The features of the game was the
runnmg catch of Willmni^n of
the home team and the home run
- a ^ The
exhibitions of encouragement like
the ^ receiwd Mondu ^> and Je8Uli
wdl 80011 have a dno f am ' Tho
attendance was about 2o0.
Conidas Delicious Ice Cream al
ways at the Jesup Drug Company.