about to cast. For those reasons, and those
reasons only, I vote " no."
Mr. RIDGELY. For the reasons given by
the gentleman from Howard, I vole "no."
The question was upon agreeing to the
section as amended,
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's, asked for
the yeas and nays upon this question, and
they were ordered.
The question being then taken, by yeas
and nays, it resulted—yeas 47, nays 14—as
follows:
Yeas—Messrs. Abbott, Annan, Audoun,
Cunningham, Cushing, Daniel, Dellinger,
Earle, .Ecker, Farrow, Galloway, Greene,
Harwood, Hebb, Hoffman, Hopkins, Hopper,
Jones, of Cecil, Keefer, Kennard, King,
Larsh, Markey, Mayhugh, McComas, Mulli-
kin, Murray, Parker, Pugh, Purnell, Ridgely,
Robinette, Russell, Sands, Schley, Scott,
Smith, of Carroll, Smith, of Worcester,
Stirling, Stockbridge, Swope, Sykes, Thomas,
Todd, Valliant, Wickard, Wooden—47.
Nays—Messrs. Berry, of Prince George's,
Bond, Clarke, Dail, Davis, of Charles, Du-
vall, Edelen, Gale, Hollyday, Lee, Mitchell,
Miller, Parran, Turner—14.
The section was accordingly adopted.
Pending the call of the yeas and nays, the
following explanations were made by mem-
bers as their names were called :
Mr. CLARKE, I shall vote against this sec-
tion, not because I am opposed to the cause
of education, but because I think the tax is
too high. I vote "no."
Mr. DUVALL. For the reason assigned by
my friend from Prince George's (Mr. Clarke,)
I vote " no."
Mr. MILLER. I have understood that a
member had an amendment to offer to this
section, by which this tax would not be made
a perpetual lax; providing that it should
cease when the fund reached the sum of three
millions of dollars. If this section is adopt-
ed as it now stands, there will be no diminu-
tion of this tax, unless something is done
with the succeeding section to operate back
upon this. Until I know what will be done
there, I must vote " no."
Mr. SANDS. At the risk of explaining my
vote too often, I wish to explain my reasons
for voting against this proposition. The
reasons assigned by some of my friends on
the other side, remind me of the reasons
given by Brutus for the deed which has made
him so celebrated in history. He said it was
not that he loved Caesar less, but that be
loved Rome more. They vote against this
section not that they love education less, but
they love money more. Now. for the very
reason that I love money less, and education
more, I vote "aye."
Section seven was then read as follows:
"The general assembly shall further pro-
vide by law at its first session after the adop-
tion of this constitution, a fund for the sup- |
port of the free common schools of the
State, by the imposition of an annual tax
of a not less annual amount than three
hundred thousand dollars, the proceeds
of which tax shall be known as the
school fund, and shall be invested by the
treasurer, together with its annual interest,
until such time as said fund shall, by its own
increase and any additions which may be
made to it from time to time, together with
the present school fund, amount to six mil-
lions of dollars, after which time the princi-
pal shall remain 'forever inviolate, and shall
only be further increased by such means as
the legislature may determine; and the annual
interest of said school fund shall be disbursed
for educational purposes only, as may be
prescribed by law."
Mr. CUSHING. I move to amend this sec-
tion by striking out the words "a not less
annual amount than three hundred thousand
dollars," and inserting the words "not less
than five cents on each one hundred dollars
of taxable property throughout the State."
My reason for offering this amendment,
after consultation, is that it has seemed to
some of the members of this body that this
tax of $300,000 per annum, at compound
interest, without any further addition, would
accumulate a school fund within the space of
fifteen years. And they seem to think it in-
expedient to hurry the formation of the fund
within so short a time. The tax proposed
by the amendment I have submitted is about
one-half the amount originally reported by
the committee, it will take a somewhat
longer period to accumulate the fund desired,
but it will make the present amount of taxa-
tion somewhat less. It secures the principal
of a school fund, which in time will amount
to the sum desired, and it will not press too
heavily upon the people.
The question being taken upon the amend-
ment, it was agreed to.
Mr. DUVALL. I move to amend the section
by adding the following:
"Provided, that no portion of said school
fund, with the interest accruing therefrom,
derived by taxing the white population, shall
be applied toward the free negro population."
Mr. RIDGELY. I trust the gentleman will
withdraw his amendment, a I have one
which I desire to offer to the preceding part
of the section.
Mr. DUVALL. I will withdraw my amend-
ment.
Mr, RIDGELY . I move to amend this section
by striking out the words "after which time
the principal shall remain forever inviolate,
and shall only be further increased by such
means as the legislature may determine,"
and inserting in lieu thereof the words
" when the tax of ten cents in the hundred
dollars, authorized by the preceding section,
may be discontinued in whole or in part, as
the legislature may direct the principal fund |
