The Ocala evening star. [volume], October 09, 1918, Image 2

About The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943

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OCALA EVENING STAB. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 9, 1918
OCALA EVENING STAR
PabllMhed Every Day Except Sunday by
STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY
OF OCALA, FLA.
It. R. Carroll, Prewfdent
P. V. Leaveagood, Secretary-Treasurer
J. H. Benjamin, Editor
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80
PICKING MR. BRINSON'S
ARGUMENT TO PIECES
Editor Star : In your article of
yesterday afternoon you turn loose
upon the public a column and a Half
of about the most refreshing ignor
ance in regard to school matters that
could be condensed into that space.
(If our ignorance is so refreshing,
we wonder why Mr. tsrmson mes into
such a fever about it. If it be ignor
ance, the : people of this county are
wise enough to recognize it.) ,
I again say that I do not want to
be construed as opposing in the
slightest the subscription for, the
dummy guns and have not questioned
the good intentions of the ; Star in
fostering the matter, but it surely is
inconsistent to oppose taxation for
needed school equipment and then
have' to tarry around a ' subscription
paper for what is needed.
(The dummy , guns, like the works
of the watch, have nothing to do with
the case. For . two years we have
tried to get the school board enough
interested in the matter; to procure
drilling equipment for the high school
boys. . So far as we know, the matter
was never , brought up. This year,
with the assistance of the principal of
the school, and the boys .themselves,
we are trying to raise the money, and
succeeding. The matter; has nothing
to do with the ten-mill amendment
orrl if it ha A we, wonlrl Vmvo as much
right to use it as an argument as
you. It would have been darned bad
taste in either of us.)
In the matter of the salary of the
superintendent, do you suppose I
would have been drawing this , salary
for nearly ten years without knowing
the limits of it 1 No, sir. You have
exhibited complete ignorance of both
the law and facts in the case and had;
you called upon the x office we would
have been glad to have saved yqu !
from this exhibition.
The salary of the superintendent is
. based' upon the receipts of $100,000
per annum for school purposes from
all sources,! making the minimum un
der the law of $175 per month and
this is the salary of the superintend
net and he cannot claim more until
the receipts are as much as $120,000.
I know that our board would not levy
' more than one more mill and am not
at all sure that they would do this
and one mill on the present valuation
of Marion county, $7,213,239, would
would be $7,213 and all of the levy
is never collected. . Seven mills last
year yielded us for the county gen
eral fund but $45,167.94 and one mill
would under this yield us but $6,-
452.56. The exact income for the
school year ending June 30, " 1918,
txraa $1A9 R7R frnm all snniw ttrA vnn
I M.v Y w - - w , -
see that it would require a levy of the
full three mills to entitle the superin
tendent to any increase whatever.
Neither will it increase the per diem
and mileage of the members of the
county school board. "
(Well, Mr. Brinson, we said we be
lieved you were disinterested in the
matter, and if you been wise you
would have let it go at that. We
have always stood up for your ability
and honesty, and that of the entire
- board; have we not? We hope you
will remain in office until Abraham
gathers .you to his bosom. But you
are not going to live forever, and
when you and Brethren Scott and
Stephens and Veal, and;, Colbert who
is to take ' Scott's place, are picking
at the strings of your harps some
bunch of grafters may be picking
chunks out of that ten-mill levy. The
voters make - a mistake occasionally.
And this amendment is not for Mar
ion county alone, but for the whole
state, in which are fifty odd counties
with the same number of school
boards. In your previous article you
said: x ," , .
("It would not increase the salary of
the superintendent, neither would it
increase the per diem and mileage of
the school board members ; it would
simply increase their responsibilities
and labors. 1
(Now, here is the law:
("Section 1. That the salaries of
county - superintendents of public in-
structon be based upon the total an
nual receipts of each county,' for
school purposes, including special
school district taxes, and excepting
borrowed money, as follows: In coun
ties where the receipts are less than
$14,000, the salary shall be not less
than $50 per month; in counties
where the receipts are more than
$14,y0 and less than $20,000, the sal
ary shall be not less than $75 per
month; in counties where the receipts
are more than $20,000 and less than
$40,000, the salary sholl be not less
than $100 per month; in ; counties
where the receipts are more than
$40,000 and less than $70,000, the
salary shall be not less than $125 per
month; in counties where the receipts
are more than $70,000 and less than
$100,000, the salary shall not be less
than $150 per month; in counties
where 4 the reecipts are more than
$100,000 and less than $120,000, the
salary shall be not less than $175 per
month; in counties where the receipts
are more than $120,000 and less than
$200,000, the salary shall be not less
than $200,000 per month.' -(Anybody
who knows enough arith
metic to add and subtract can see that
a 40 per cent addition to the millage
is ,. going to raise the salary of the
average county superintendent. We
will take your word for it that it
won't raise yours, tho three mills will
probably carry the county tax "over
$70,000. ; ; ; - :.;
(It is all right for you to say the
school board will levy only one addi
tional mill, but that is what school
boards .probably said about the seven
mill limit. They wouldn't, no, they
wouldn't stick any seven, mills on
their poor, over-taxed neighbors -but
it's sticking there, all the same, as
you may observe. C Why, anybody can
tell from the way you talk, Mr. Brin
son, that you feel in every bone in
you that more than an additional mill
is needed at once.)
You know that you , make another
one of your utterly reckless state
ments .when you say that the school
board would levy every mill if allow
ed to do so even were it twenty mills.;
Ask ' the members ' of the present
board or the members of the board as
it will be after, the coming January 1.'
(We don't know, 'and , you don't
know, that our statement is reckless.
Judging from our acquaintance with
human nature, it' isnt.)
'sir, it has not been the busi
ness of the teachers to save the mon
ey of the people; it has been their
business to earn the money of the
people and they have earned every
dollar that they, have gotten and
many more taken as a class. Some
of course have not earned 'what they
received but as a body they have
been the poorest paid of the public
servants and they are the ones who
have performed the service of pre
serving and advancing whatever of
civilization and democracy that you
enjoy- this same "educational autoc
racy." -
(Some of the teachers earn theif
money and some don't. They are just
like other folks. Some of them go to
teaching because they think it is their
vocation; they work hard, , advance
and do the public faithful service.
These kind of people could hardly
made a success at anything else. A
good" many more go to teaching be
cause it is the easiest way they know
to make a respectable living. These
may also earn more than they re.
ceive, but .it is considered a virtue in
any employe to do that, and a failing
not to do it. A lot of teachers have
shown here lately how devoted they
were jto their profession by making
swift jumps to better paying jobs.
And not a few of them have shown
they can't do anything but teach by
going back to teaching or losing their
jobs altogether.) r
Also, it has not been the business of
the boards and superintendents to
save the money of the people.. They
were elected to spend j the money of
the people and to get a dollar's worth
of service or material for every dol
lar spent just as 'nearly as possible.
In this they as a class or as a 'body
have been faithful as is attested by
the long terms that the superintend
ents and board members of Marion
county have enjoyed and which have
been full of service to the interests
entrusted to them. ' - .
Again, I . am Nsorry to have to call
your attention to your ignorance of
the law and the constitution when you
ask "Why didn't the legislature in
stead pass a bill giving each county
the right by the vote of its people to
levy more taxes?" It didn't do this
because it couldn't. ;Ask some lawyer
if you don't think I know what I am
talking about.
(Now, Mr. Brinson, you are insin
cere; you know you are not sorry, but
tickled at least half to death to call
our attention to any ignorance we
may display unless it is something
in which we agree with you. The in
cident should show you the evil of
levying taxes by constitutional
amendment. Other states,"rith bet
ter sense, have better methods.)
To assert that the measure has in
the least been "gumshoed" is to total
ly misrepresent the facts , in the case.
There was a" committee appointed
from the state educational associa
tion in open session with probably
five hundred present to present the :
matter to the legislature to ask them j
to pass the resolution to submit to
the people this proposed amend-1
mend. Do you suppose they gum- j
shoed it through or over or under the -legislature?
At the last session of '
the association there was a campaign '
committee appointed in open session '
to conduct the campaign and to pro-
perly present it to the public and
they are doing the best they can with j
their very limited means. ' What, do '
you suppose those horrible pictures
that you spoke of some time ago in
which the dilemma of the school board
was so faithfully portrayed were for?
Did that look like gumshoeing? -The
policy has been the very opposite.
(The common, ordinary, everyday
people, Mr. Brinson, were not , con
sulted about the amendment; they
did not ask for it, and did not know
there was any move to submit it to
tnem. l ne teacnercrait never con
sults the common people about any
thing. It never asks the people if
they want their children loaded downT
with freak studies that must be learn
ed out of expensive books. It has
built up an expensive and dispropor
tionate system of education and find
ing it is becoming more than can be
paid for, instead of trying to reduce
expenses in the only practical way, it
calls for more" taxes; and if it ob
tains more taxes it will lay on more
expense. What do we think the hor
rible pictures are for? Well, if our
eyes were good, and we had a little
.22 rifle and time to go out in the
woods one of them would make . an
excellent target. Or if they could be
shipped to' France, the boys in the
dugouts could draw checkerboards on
their backs.)
You are kind enough to say "We
think the teachers should be better
paid, but an honest and economical
state government could pay them
more without saddling an amend
ment on the people.' How ? From
what source ? I would again suggest
that you consult a lawyer.
(We have been consulting one of
the best lawyers and best-posted pub
lic men in the state about public af
fairs. Your little fling about super
intendent's salaries shows you are no
Moses yourself.)
I am not called Upon to defend the
state government but I have been in
the closest official touch with it for
nearly ten years and have not seen
the least sign of dishonesty. The
state educational department is strug
gling along with cramped quarters in
the capitol and very limited office
help as we have been doing here. We
have to make voluminous reports to
the state superintendent and also to
the ' comptroller and we find that if
there is anything not clear to them
we have to make it so. I do not say
that I always agree .with them in
policy but I have no reason to sus
pect dishonesty.' .
' (You fool yourself, Mr. M Brinson,
about . your being in "closest official
touch" with the state . government;
You have never been in the lodge
room yet; the high gazoozalum has
only let you feed tin cans to the goat.
Also, please observe, we said "state
government." We did not refer spec
ially to the educational . department.
If i there is corruption and careless
ness in other departments, they will
react on the one you are connected
with. We bank on the honesty of
Superintendent Sheats, and it's our
impression that the educational de
partment of state affairs is more
cleanly administered than any other.
But if you can't see there is misman
agement and graft in Florida affairs,
it's clear that your powers of observ
ance are not of the first class; and
you are not called on to defend the
state government as a whole, anyhow.)---
,t - V. r ' " . ; V r ..-f:,:i
Your argument In regard to the
salaries ; of teachers is ridiculous. It
is correct when you say that "Taxes,
by the way, is something compara
tively few teachers have to worry
about. The average man teacher sel
dom pays anything but his poll tax.
The women don't pay that." Too true,
and sad it is that it is so. To the
shame of the country is this the fact.
(Why shouldn't the teachers pay
taxes, " Mr. Brinson ? Every teacher
has personal property, clothes, jewel
ry, books, etc Why shouldn't they
pay on them? Every teacher receives
as much benefit from the state, coun
ty and municipal governments as the
richest citizens. Why Shouldn't he or
she return his or her personal prop
erty and pay taxes on it? Not that
we mean for this to apply to teachers
alone. The state is full of men and
women, enjoying all the protection of
its laws, using its roads and . other
public facilities, and most of them
making a living, and yet never pay
ing a cent, except those of the men
who pay poll tax. If all these people
paid, you would have more money
and could have less millage. Why
don't the teachers set them a noble
example and return their personal
jproperty?)
You have spoken of employing
young students and people without
qualification for teaching. Ask a
father or mother if this is the kind of
teacher they want for their children.
Do your employ a novice or green
horn to train a dog, break a horse, or
even to look after well bred pigs?
(Our proposition, Mr. Brinson, was
that during the war, while your
trained teachers, like so many square
pegs in round holes, - were holding
(Concluded on Third Page)
mM.V 4S JTf
Tlhiee iini to
Fair targets, every one of these men, for the
German riflemen and machine gunners hidden
behind the parapet
But they are not thinking of the . bullets whizzing
past them; of the shell bunting over their heads.
They are intent on one thing to scale that bank,
take the bridge head and win thz day.
And these men are made xf the came stuff as all
.true Americans who read these words.
- Gas fop Power, Heat and pqUatt -Prepare
lor cold weafllner! Gomplelle "Mine ofi Etteafiers.
FLA UrTELiTinilSS (0
SWISS
Help your country, help the banks
in their voluntary work of getting in
subscriptions to the Liberty Loan,
help patriotic women who have walk
ed around town getting pledges. Each
one of you who have made a pledge
to buy bonds call at once at your
bank, make applications and pay first
installment. Pledges amount to no
thing until the first installment is
paid. We want to keep the, work
cleaned up . as much as possible
as we go along. Ye have but ten
, THE
THE
THE
Read the
) This Spacm Contributed 1o V7inninj
g days left so get busy.
CO" ITJERCIAL DANK
OCALA NATIONAL DANK ,
UCWnOE Cl CHAUBUSS NATIONAL DANK
Star Want Ads. It pays
Wii
If wz arc the
came ctaff, let
X23 prove it. v
Let us get
into the fight
aa they do to
the limit
for Victory !
the X?ar by Q