Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1877 — An Important Decision. [ARTICLE]

An Important Decision.

A decision of some bit crest and importance to residents fffrinHlan* was made by tiie supreme court of the United Slates just prior to adjournment. The title oi the case was Joel Davis, W. C. Adams et al. vs. the Btate of Indiana et ah, board of commissioners Bartholomew' county. Justice Miller delivered the opinion affirming tho decision of the oourt below, which was based upon the following facts: Congress iu the act admitting Indiana declared that every sixteenth section of a township iu the state should be appropriated lor the use of schools within the township. In 1854 the state legislature passed an act providing that the money derived from the sixteenth section should be mingled wit!) the school moneys derived from taxation and other sources into a common fund and be apportioned among the counties in the state according to the number of pupils therein. As this might have resulted in a diversion of some of tlie money derived from the congressional grant to other townships in which the land lay, it was declared by the supreme court of the state to be invalid. An act of 1855 stated that in uocase shall the congressional fuud~ be diminished by such distribution, ind diverted to any other township. This equalized the distribution, and where a township had already an ascertained sum from its sixteenth section it received nothing from the lunds from other sources until the other townships had equal amounts; Having regard to the number of pupils ascertained "h/ a legal census, the same town of Springfield that brought a suit to test the original act brought one to test this, claiming that this act was in conflict with an act of congress. The supreme court of Indiana said it was not, and Justice Miller affirmed its decision.—lndianapolis Journal.