SCHOOLS.
The State of Idaho supports the following educational institutions: State University, State Normal Schools at Lewiston and Albion, Academy of Idaho at Pocatello, and the Industrial School at St. Anthony. Each of these institutions is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Governor for a term of years. The boards have the general management of the schools. They build and furnish school buildings, employ and dismiss teachers and employees, prescribe the course of study and the conditions under which students are admitted to the respective institutions.
The Governor is kept well informed on the conditions of the various institutions by regular reports which he requires of the several boards of trustees. The reports set forth a detailed account of all expenditures for the two years just closing and make an estimate of the amount of funds needed for the maintenance of the institution for two years hence.
Each school is supported by biennial appropriations made by the State Legislature and by funds received as interest on money derived from the sale of public lands set aside by the State or National Government for their use.
The amount of land set aside for the use of the State educational institutions is as follows: State University, including School of Science and Agricultural College, 286,000 acres; Lewiston Normal, 50,000 acres; Albion Normal, 50,000 acres; Academy of Idaho, 40,000 acres; Industrial Reform School, 40,000 acres.
The State University at Moscow stands at the head of the educational institutions of the State. There are three principal departments in the university. In the Department of Letters and Sciences the courses lead to degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music. In the Department of Agriculture the course leads to a degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. In connection with the Agricultural Course is kept a model farm of one hundred acres and an experiment station in which laboratories are provided for soil physics, chemistry, entomology, and botany. In the Department of Applied Science courses are given in civil engineering, mining engineering, and in electrical and mechanical engineering.
The University was established at Moscow by special act of the Territorial Legislature in 1889, and since that date it has had a splendid growth. It is well equipped in apparatus necessary for the pursuit of the courses given.
The State Normal Schools.—As an evidence of the fact that the framers of our State government had in mind a liberal education for the youth of our State 100,000 acres of public land was set apart for the maintenance of normal schools, with the provision that none of this land must be sold for less than ten dollars per acre.
The second State Legislature established in 1893 two State Normal Schools, one at Lewiston and one at Albion. The purpose of these schools, as set forth in the acts which created them, is to educate and train teachers in the art of teaching and governing in the public schools of the State.
Idaho, although one of the youngest states in the Union, ranks high in her educational facilities, and the Normal Training Schools have been very influential in bringing about these results.
The Lewiston State Normal is empowered to grant certificates to its students to teach in Idaho. These certificates are:
A. Elementary Certificates, good for one year.
B. Secondary Certificates, good for five years.
C. Diplomas, good for life.
Until recently the Albion State Normal School has issued only three-year certificates on graduation, and life diplomas only after twelve months' successful teaching. On April 24, 1907, the Board of Trustees of the Albion State Normal passed a resolution, providing that the regular course be lengthened to five years, and that life diplomas may be granted to graduates who have taught successfully for five months.
Academy of Idaho.—The Academy of Idaho is located at Pocatello. The purpose of this school, as set forth in Section 980 of the School Laws of Idaho, is to teach those subjects usually taught in academic and business courses and to give instructions pertaining to a good common school education.
Each department is well equipped with the latest devices for furthering the work of the pupils. The students have free access to the large library and reading room of the institution.
The requirements for admission to the Academy of Idaho are much the same as those of the normal schools; the applicant must show either by certificate or examination that he is able to follow successfully the course which he elects. No tuition is charged residents of Idaho, and pupils from other states are admitted to all the privileges of the Academy by payment of a reasonable tuition.
The Industrial Reform School—The Industrial Reform School was established in 1903 at St. Anthony, Fremont County. The purpose of this school, as set forth in the act which created it, is "for the care, protection, training, and education of delinquent, dependent, and neglected children, and, [to] provide for the care, control, and discharge of juvenile offenders." In addition to the income received from the 40,000 acres of land set aside for its maintenance, the institution is supported by regular appropriations by the State Legislature.
A farm of two hundred acres, maintained in connection with the school, is equipped with necessary agricultural implements, vehicles, horses, cattle, hogs, poultry, etc.
The Idaho Industrial Training School is not a place of punishment, but a school in which the physical, mental, and moral education of the child is systematically looked after. It is the plan to have the children leave the institution with a good common school education, with good habits, and in fact with every requisite for good citizenship.
Idaho Insane Asylum.—The Idaho Insane Asylum is located at the city of Blackfoot on a tract of land comprising twenty-one hundred acres. A large part of this farm is under cultivation and forms an important source of supplies for the institution. In connection with the farm is maintained a large dairy herd, horses, sheep, hogs, and poultry. A well-kept garden of thirty acres furnishes all the vegetables needed by the inmates and employees of the institution. Most of the work done in connection with the farm, garden, dairy, etc., is done by the inmates. The climate, the water supply, and the general surroundings are especially healthful, as is shown by the medical superintendent, who says, in his report of 1906: "There is not a single case of that bane of asylum existence—tuberculosis—among them. This is undoubtedly due to the climatic conditions here rather than anything else."
A branch asylum was located at Orifino in 1905.
Idaho State Penitentiary.—The Idaho State Penitentiary is located at Boise and is the only penal institution in the State. There are twenty-five buildings in all that are used by and belong to the institution, nearly all of which have been erected since Idaho became a state. These buildings are located on a tract of five hundred and twenty acres of land just east of the city. About eighty acres of land under cultivation are under the management of the institution and all the labor is done by the convicts. The penitentiary maintains a most excellent library which is free to all the prisoners.
The prisoners are governed largely on the theory that "Nothing so begets vice as idleness." During the last few years the convict labor has been engaged on the farm, in quarrying rock for the buildings of the institution, in erecting a new cell house and a woman's ward, and in digging and walling up a large well which has given an abundant supply of pure water. Thus the institution is put as far as possible on a self-sustaining basis.
Soldiers' Home.—The Soldiers' Home was established by the State Legislature in 1893 and located on a tract of forty acres of land about three miles west of Boise in Ada County. The purpose of the institution, as suggested by its name, is to provide a comfortable home for the honorably discharged soldiers, sailors, and marines who served in the Mexican, the Civil, or the Spanish-American wars; or for any member of the State National Guard disabled while on duty.
The home here provided for the old veterans is surrounded by all conveniences necessary to make their declining years pleasant and comfortable. The rooms are heated by steam and lighted with electricity, and they have a bountiful supply of wholesome food. A hospital is maintained in connection with the institution, and the inmates have the constant care of a skilled physician if necessary.
It is the aim of the institution to be as nearly self-supporting as possible; regular appropriations for its maintenance are received from the State and National Governments in about equal proportions.
The list here given is not complete, and the official titles are not the same in all States.
For a general account under this topic, see James and Sanford, "Government in State and Nation," Chapter VIII. Health regulations are discussed in the same work, pp. 70-72.
In some States where the constitutions require general laws applying to classes of cities, single cities have been put in classes by themselves; so the legislature has virtually governed them by special laws.
This subject is also treated in the chapter on Public School Systems.
On this topic see "Government in State and Nation," pp. 33-36.
Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia, and North Carolina sympathized with the movement, but did not send delegates.
Georgia was in sympathy with this movement.
It was published in 1819 as a part of Volume I of "Elliot's Debates."
A bill of rights, in which the idea of the rights of man were set forth, was a significant part of nearly all the State constitutions. Englishmen, generally, had been familiar with the formal statement of these principles since 1689, when William and Mary accepted the Declaration of Rights as a condition of their receiving the crown of England. During the same year Parliament gave the Declaration of Rights the form of a statute, under the name of the Bill of Rights. Among other rights it demanded that the king, without the sanction of Parliament, should not raise an army, secure money, or suspend the laws; also, that the right of petition, freedom in the exercise of religion, and equality under the laws were to be granted all subjects.
New York did not choose electors. North Carolina and Rhode Island, as we have seen, had not ratified the Constitution.
The only exceptions to this rule are: Maine holds its election on the second Monday in September, and Vermont on the first Tuesday in November.
This process is called "gerrymandering." See, also, "Government in State and Nation," pp. 135, 136.
On proportional representation, read "Government in State and Nation," pp. 14, 15.
The population of the United States, according to the first census, was 3,929,214. The population in 1910 was 91,972,266; including the possessions and dependencies, 101,000,000.
For the method of apportionment, see "Government in State and Nation," p. 128.
The number of members in the English House of Commons is 670; in the French Chamber of Deputies, 584; and in the German Reichstag, 396.
The Senate now contains 96 members; the English House of Lords, 560; and the French Senate, 300.
The limits of the 63d Congress will be March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1915.
See "Government in State and Nation," p. 159.
Considerable sums are derived by our National government from the sale of public lands. See Chapter on Territories and Public Lands.
The terms duties and imposts have nearly the same meaning.
Duties on exports are prohibited in Section 9, Clause 5, of Article I: No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State.
Taxes are levied, not only upon the liquors themselves, but upon the business of brewing and rectifying; of selling by wholesale and by retail; of manufacturing stills; and upon the stills themselves. A list of these taxes may be obtained from the collector of any internal revenue district.
These were exactly like those imposed by Parliament in the Stamp Act of 1765
See also Article 1, Section 9, Clause 4: No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid unless in proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.
These are poll taxes. Such a tax was levied on slaves in 1798 and 1813.
No gold one-dollar pieces have been coined since 1890.
Our full legal-tender coins at present are the gold coins, silver dollars, United States notes, and Treasury notes of 1890. Subsidiary silver coins are legal tender in amounts not greater than $10.00, and the minor coins are legal tender to the amount of twenty-five cents.
See "Government in State and Nation," p. 193, for a further discussion of bankrupt laws—especially that of 1898.
The total receipts of the Post-office Department for 1910 were $224,128,657.
According to the report of the superintendent for the year ending June 30, 1910, 41,079 routes had been established. The rural population receiving daily mail service amounted to more than 18,000,000. Two thousand one hundred and twenty-four new rural routes were authorized in 1911, aggregating 51,230 miles in length. President Taft urged a further extension of the system.
In the year 1910, 37,421 patents were granted by our government.
The minimum number of men was fixed at 57,000. In 1908, the number of officers and men in the army was 72,628.
For the government of this district, see "Government in State and Nation," p. 204.
Bryce, "American Commonwealth," I, 390.
Clause 1 of this article formed an important part of the third great compromise, which was discussed on p. 43.
Clause 4 is discussed under National Finances, p. 84.
In the celebrated Dartmouth College case, it was finally determined that a State legislature may not modify the terms of a contract. See Life of John Marshall, by Magruder, "American Statesmen," new ed., 188-190.
See Appendix A.
It has sometimes happened, however, when the election in a State has been close, that one or more of the electors on a minority ticket have run ahead of the other candidates on that ticket, and have secured a larger number of votes than candidates on the majority ticket, thus obtaining an election. California, in 1892, gave one electoral vote to Mr. Harrison and eight to Mr. Cleveland, and again, in 1896, gave eight votes to Mr. McKinley and one to Mr. Bryan. Kentucky, in 1896, cast twelve votes for Mr. McKinley and one for Mr. Bryan.
What constitutes disability has not been settled. President Garfield performed only the single executive act of signing an extradition paper from July 2 to September 19, 1881. The fact of his inability to discharge the duties of President was not formally established. Nor was there declared disability in the case of President McKinley, between September 6 and the day of his death, September 14, 1901.
It is frequently urged, with good reason, that this date should be changed to a time of year when the weather in Washington would be more favorable. An amendment, recently sanctioned by the Senate, provides that the date for the inauguration shall be the last Thursday of April. The chief objection to this change seems to be the further extension of time between the election and the assuming of duties.
James Ford Rhodes, Scribner's Magazine, February, 1903.
For the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, see p. 109.
For the power of the President over legislation by means of the veto, see pp. 78, 79.
President Harrison was called upon to consider 779 requests for pardon. Of these 527 were granted, wholly or partially. President Cleveland acted on 907 such cases, and granted 506, in whole or in part.
Those who receive an annual salary of $1000 and above.
In 1913 there were 100,000 unclassified or excepted offices. During the year 1901-1902, the civil service rules providing for competitive examinations were extended by order of the President or by act of Congress so as to include the rural free delivery service, employees of the permanent census bureau, and additional employees made necessary because of the war with Spain. Five thousand eight hundred offices were placed on the competition basis in 1911, and 50,000 in 1913.
Article IV, Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence.
Among scores of similar subjects, our consuls reported, within recent years, on the following: American goods in Syria; American commerce with Asia Minor and Eastern Europe; German opinion of American locomotives; American coal in Germany; European and American competition.
The work of each department is usually distributed among the bureaus. Bureaus are again divided into divisions. At the head of each bureau is a commissioner, and of each division a chief.
The annual appropriation by Congress for the army alone in 1912 amounted to $90,483,403.
The appropriation for this department in 1913 was $140,000,000.
Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1910. Within twelve years 89,000 Indians were granted full rights as citizens.
In 1912 there were 838,172 immigrants to the United States, and 2853 were refused admission. Of these there were 767 paupers, 31 contract laborers, 749 diseased persons.
"The Supreme Court of the United States," Scribner's Mag., 33:275,276.
Statutes at Large, 612.
See Appendix A.
Story, "Commentaries on the Constitution," § 1784.
Exceptions to this statement must be made to cover certain lands reserved by some of the original States that ceded their claims to the United States; as, for instance, the Western Reserve in Ohio retained by Connecticut, and other lands in the same State retained by Virginia.
For Amendment XI, see p. 160; for Amendment XII, see p. 119.
Among the South American republics, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentine Republic are federal in nature, like the United States and Switzerland.
Compare the "Bill of Rights" in our Constitution; see pp. 256-260.
Property qualifications for suffrage are common in European countries.
The number of members in the ministries of England and Germany varies.
Irish peers are elected for life, and Scottish peers are elected for the duration of a Parliament.
This system finds its best illustration in the English government, of which a brief description will be found in "Government in State and Nation," pp. 157-160. For references, see questions 14 and 15, p. 161.