school fund, to be raised by taxation. There-
fore, they were compelled, in view of their consistency,
of their duty, to protect their own interests,
to go against any system which opened
the door thus widely to a continuance of what
they believed to be an oppressive condition of
things.
The proposition which the gentleman from
Washington had offered was attended with the
very same results. It proposed that the legisla-
tute should establish a permanent and adequate
school fund What did that mean? The legis-
lature had that power now; he proposed no qual-
ification upon the legislature as to what manner
they should distribute the fund which it was pro-
posed to raise. They could thus appropriate it
in any way they thought proper. He did hope
that in view of the fact that they could not agree
as friends of general education, upon any basis,
which would be fair and equitable to the people
of all the State, they would leave the subject in
the hands of the legislature, to act upon it at
some more propitioue day.
Mr. BROWN was not willing that the gentleman
from Washington county should class him with
those who were opposed to education. He, [Mr.
B.,] had none, and knew the merit of it too
much not to be aware of the advantages resulting
from it. It appeared that the friends of this
measure entertained different opinions. An
honorable gentleman of the committee proposed
that at some future day, when the exigencies of
the State should admit it, that they should resort
to taxation for a school fund.
The gentleman from Washington county pro-
posed that the legislature, at its next session,
should impose upon the people a tax, for the pur-
pose of raising a school fund. He enquired of
gentleman what was the present condition of
Maryland? Were her people not groaning under
heavy taxation, and had not each county of the
State funds to apply to educational purposes ?
Were they disposed to levy additional taxes on
the people just now ? He thought this was a bad
time, and that they had better be just than gen-
erous Was not the interest of the fund now
vested, together with what was to come to them
hereafter, to be applied to the school system?
He inquired of gentlemen what they intended to
do with that money? Were they to contribute
to a superintendent out of the fund, and were
the people to pay two thousand dollars to a mm
to superintend schools, about whom, one-half of
the people knew nothing? He saw no necessity
for it. They had their county systems, which
were progressing well. They husbanded their
means when Carroll county was created, and
invested them, and they were now receiving the
benefit from them.
Gentlemen seemed entirely to forget that the
people of Maryland were now heavily burdened
with taxation, and that the State was fifteen
millions of dollars in debt. Another idea was
that this proposition would conflict with the arti-
cle of bill of rights, which said that a poll tax
should not belevied. In his opinion the right of
suffrage should be as free as the air we breathe. |
As for himself, he was very well satisfied that
they could get no better system than they enjoyed
at present,
Mr. FIERY said, that he had heard a great deal
in relation to the people groaning under taxation,
but he would inform the gentleman from Car-
roll that he was one of those individuals who re-
alised some of the evils of which he had complained.
When they come to speak of the wants
of the rising generations were they to dispute
about dollars and cents? When they compared
the mind with dollars and cents, and weighed
that immortal principle of man in the scale with
dross, with filthy trash, they were degrading human
nature; and he would say, that whatever
might be the opinions of gentlemen in regard to
the people of Washington county, it was his firm
conviction that they would submit to taxation for
purposes of education rather than for any other
subject of legislation He knew this to be so.
He had spoken to some of the most prominent
men in the county, who declared that for pur-
poses of education, they were willing to contri-
bute liberally. The magnitude of the subject rested
above every consideration of dollars and cents.
In this, the nineteenth century, he, as a Mary-
lander, felt debased by the very idea that nearly
every State had a system of education, while
they had a mere local organization of county
schools. A few years ago, in Washington coun-
ty, they had the old system of subscription.
Every gentleman contributed voluntarily.
The fund was appropriated for the education
of the poor, and that was thought to be the best
system that could be devised. Now they had the
public school system very inefficient and still in-
competent. They were now bringing in compe-
tent, qualified teachers. They examined every
teacher, and he was obliged to have a certificate
before he could teach, and it was asystem which
was working most beneficially upon the people,
and it was his own opinion, that to have an efficient
system, it should be uniform. They must have
some one to exercise a general supervision over
the whole county They were all Marylanders.
and in looking to the education of the youth of
the State, they felt as such, and desired to act as
such, so far as his feeble exertions could contri-
bute to it, he would heartily and cheerfully do all
in his power to establish a uniform and efficient
system throughout the State.
He knew there was a doubt in some gentle-
mens' minds about the propriety of this thing. It
was true, as had been said, the State was embarrassed.
But he asked, candidly, whether it would
not be better to put into effective operation a
system at once, though it would subject the peo-
ple to taxation, and then when they should have
a surplus revenue, let it be contributed to this
purpose The oppression would be but momentary
—the result would be eternal. The incon-
venience would be but for a day—the benefit re-
sulting would be for ages. He was sure that the
people of the State would think no money mis-
applied, which should be directed to the perfor-
mance of this duty. On his own responsibility,
he would say it was the great subject of this |
