Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-21


Common Schools in this State being ul-
/ der consideration, Mr.. BEwLEY submitted the
! 1oIiolotRg renlGrES:
The question under consideration Mr.. Speak
er, is one of more Importance to the State of
/ Tennessee, than any dnesion that this Senate
has been called upon to act during the pres
ent session: and it is one of which | feel more
solicitude than any other that can come before
the Legi stature. You who are rich may not
( feel so, but you ought to remember your poor
neighbr who is less independent than Your
selves. Wealth and opulence is not hereditary
in this country: we may be rich to day, but
I poor tomorrow. The children of the rich as
well as the poor, may need the aid of free
school. 1t is true as is insisted by some gen
temen on this floor. that our present system
IS defective and inefficient; the greatest defect
is the Ii mited means provided Where is the
~Tennessean who-does not feel humbed when
he is told that the standard of Education in Ten
nessee is lower than any other State in this
Union except Arkansas, that was but yester-
day wilderness; there being in our State, II,
522 men and women over the age of Il years
that can neither read nor write: is not this hui
initiating to our State pride? / was montifed
the other day when | saw an extract of this
fact published in one of the New York papers,
a copy of which have before me, there Mr..
Bewlcr read the extract) These facts, Mr..
Speaker were read on the floor of Congress not
long since In reply to a speech of one of our
distinguished Representatives in Congress, who
had achieved a victory in debate over his com.
petitor. What must have been his feelings to
hear read out the ignorance of our people on
the floor Of Congress before all the members
of this Union. We have in this respect become
NJ sb,,,, g rool
and known of all men-let us march up to the
question, Mr.. Speaker, as Stat tesmen, and vote
for the tax proposed in the bill, and wipe out
the disgrace that new rests upon Us. The sub
iect of Education is one of grave Importance;
it is the main pillar, upon which this govern
ment rests. Unlike other governments, it is
covered by the sovereign will of the people;
this question was looked to at an early day in
| 1886 when the celebrated ordnance was pas
! sed by Coagress. Among other things it is
declared that Schools and the means of Educa-
ton being necessary to good government and
the happiness of mankind, schools should be
encouraged in all the Territories of this Union,
and to this end Congress provided that part
of the public land should be set apart in each
Township Of six miles square, and that GAO
acres in each Township should be set apart for
that purpose. Those distinguished patriots
who were of the Congress of 1886, foresaw the
necessity of Education. A people making the
experiment of self government, knew that the
idea OF self government by an ilhtarate mass of
people was absurd; that illiterate men could
not form constitutions and laws to govern them
selves or execute them when adopted, nor would
they have morals and elevation of character,
the only basis Of patriotism, to appreciate or
preserve their freedom. To use the language
e = LII
man without an Education, slave, a reason
ing savage, vascllating between the dignity of
an intelligence, derived from God, and the deg
radiation of brutal PASSIONS" and on the other
hand educate man, and it isa companion which
no misfortune can suppress, no cline Destroy
no enemy ALLEVIATE, no despotism enslave: at
home friend, abroad an introduction, in sol
itude Solace, in society an ornament, it lessons
vice, it generates virtue, it gives grace and
government to genius.
By examination find by the reports of the Su-
perintendant ofthe Penitentiary, that of the two
hundred and forty convictS there are but three
of that number educated. This fact of itself
ought to convince us as to the influence educa-
ton eXerts over the human mind. Ignorance
is The prolific source of vice.
In view of these facts, let us vote for the tax
proposed in this bill. l did not discuss this
question to any extent in the canvass, but /
know the principle is right, and / know my
constituents to be intelligent and they will sus-
tain me in the vote i intend to give on this
question.
1t is urged by the Senator from Smith, that
the county of Muary will have to pay three dol
lars under the provisions of this bill, while poor
counties will not pay one, and therefore the
principle is unfair, and contends that each
county should tax themselves to educate their
own citizens. The principle would be the
same in either case. Adopt that principle, and
the rich in the counties would still have to
educate the poor, and | am opposed to making
determinations among our people. | am in fa-
vor of levying tax upon all the taxable prop
erty of the State TO the extent this bill proposes.
| am aware, Mr.. Speaker, to take superficial
view of this question, it would seem to look un-
fair to tax the rich to educate the children of
the poor but with little reflection it will be
seen that we have every thing to gain: you ele-
vate the standard of morals; you will suppress
crime; your Criminal Courts will not be crowd
ed; you will lessen the number in your Peniten-
tiary.
Indeed you will lessen your tax to greater
extent than you are now called upon to pay
Who will complain of this tax to educate the
poor children of our State, when we remember
that we are the 9TH State IN population and
wealth, and the standard of education is lower
than any State in this Union, and remember
ing too, that the poor work on public roads,
without pay or reward, fight the battles of our
country; they are the first to rally around the
American flag, leave their humble cottages
and their wives and children in tattered rags,
and march to the battlefield, the cold damp
ground is their bed, and an inclement sky
their covering, exposed to all the privations and
sufferings incident to war Many thousands,
whose bones are resting 10 the foreign land, /
and their orphan children amongst u.s. l ask
again, Mr.. Speaker, where is the Tennessean
that would withhold means of educating them?
Educate those children; although they are in
obscure poverty, they possess native fire and
a burning genius, and if educated, will be heard
in the walls of this Senate and take our places
when we are gone, and in the Halls of Con-
gress, and commanding armies, as almost all
of our distinguished men have been taken from
the humble walks of life
The name of Tennessee has gone abroad on
the wings of the wind to all nations Of the world. (
Our chivalry and patriotism will tell upon the
pages of History in all time to come. When
we are abroad in neighboring State, the mere
announcement of the fact that we are a Ten