The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-12-24
NUMBER III.

insult to the intelligence of the people, their
Treasurer and their party. The only cor
ISOLATION on my part, and regret on theirs, is
the fact that the reputed father of the bant-
ling is o Democrat. e 81 ye C1w
.r.-.- +- THE OLD BOARD.
The safety of the trust funds under the
management of the Fund Commissioners
had been made the subject of great commen-
dation by the advocates ofthe present financial
scheme. These trust funds have been well
managed and safely kept but it was in con-
nection with the management of the old
State Bank, in which the State had direct
interest, and over which she exercised par
amount control. We are told the safety and
management of these funds are unparalleled
in history, and high eulogy is passed upon
the character of the commissioners in conse-
quence, by the distinguished gentleman from
Perry (Air. Smith, What commentary
upon the moral character of your Office
holdersl Because they honestly discharged
their duties; because they did not violate
their oaths, and rsb the childrsn of the State
of their inheritance, they are made the objects
of high-sounding praisei II the gentleman
from Perry had not travelled quite so far
back in history for a parallel in honesty and
faithfulness, / would not have found any
fault IF he had confined his examples to
the range of the last ten or fifteen years,
since which time public funds committed to
partizan Office holders are considered but
the spoils of Office, there might be something
whereof to boast. | submit whether the
gentlemans exceptions of political integrity
and moral rectitude, in this case alone, are
not an argument on our side against trust
ing so great an interest to so long a hazard
so graphically drawn2 The question natur-
ally arises, I" who are to be the successors of
these remarkable, unexceptionable, honest
men?" Can they all be reelected? No.
They are, l believe, all Democrats, ana the
gentleman from Morgan may justly feel
proad of them, for their like 10 not often
found in that party But constituted as this
House is, their places are more likely to be
filed by Republicans, Americans and anti
Lecompton Democrats, and the Lord only
knows who, for we have been in the habit
thus far of dividing these small favors. And
when so filled, who can penetrate the future
so as to be able to give patent right for
the fidelity, honesty and ability of all their
successors? In these times of political pro-
aigality, profiigacy and corruption, who can
vouch for the safe-keeping of these funds, in
which the future glory and honor of the
State are so intimately and intricately inter-
woven? This bill does not throw any re-
strictions around the use or direction of these
funds or the public revenue ofthe State, any
more than around the Treasurer of State
Upon a simple question of safety, then,
would rather risk the hands of one man, in
the handling of the public revenues, than to
risk the hands of JiUeI would rather feed
one greedy ofice-seeker at the public CRIB,
than to feed fire.
THE IMPoLiCY OF THE MEASURE.
Mr.. Speaker, now come to consider the
policy of this measure. Here | find the
most Objectionable feature of the whole cat
alogue More than half a million of the
school funds have already been taken from
the children of this State to meet other ar
rangements, without ever providing for the
payment of single dollar of the principal,
| or a single cent of the interest The gem
tleman from Floyd (Mr. Davis) very truth
fully characterizes it as Z" stolen by the
| State" 1t has been some fifteen or sixteen
| years since the first depreciation w2s COM
committed, and no reparation offered, so
that in a moral point OF view, If not in le-
| gal parlance, it amounts to the same thing.
| The bill proposes to make another grab
| Is it rights it Just 2 1t is like taking
bread from famishing children and throw
ing it to dogs. The precedent is set, We
follow the example, coming Legislatures
will initiate it, until your school funds will
all be appropriated away for this thing and
that, until it is all wasted and all gone. |
am opposed to the policy already inaugural
ed, and which this bill carries out, of max
ing our school funds answerable for the for
| eign or domestic debt of the State.
THE OPPONENTS OF FREE SCHOOLS.
Sir there is class of men in this State
who have always opposed system of COM
mon schools-a portion of them on the
ground that they were able to educate their
own children, and were opposed to the prin-
cple of contributing their means to the ed
ucation of the children of others-some of
them on the ground that they had no chill
dren to educate, and were not favorable to
the idea of having their property taxed for
the benefit of those who had--and some of
them for no better reason than that their
children had already reached their majority
and were no longer the recipients of the
school funds, and therefore have no inclina-
ton to see it kept for such a purpose for the
benefit of others. There may be some such
upon this floor. do not say there are-I
do not know it to be the case-but ono
thing is certain, this bill plays into the
hands of all such, here or elsewhere. That
is my humble opinion. 1t may be wrcng.
But human nature is the same everywhere.
Sel6shness marks the Individuality Of every
mans tlW main spying Of all actions,
when those actions arc to bear upon individ-
ual interest. 1t is only in governmental
capacity that we forget the universal law OF
our nature. We may there give UP some of
our individual interest for the public good.
Such was tbe case with those who have pre-
ceded US, and who thus early in the history
of our State laid the foundation of our pres
ent educational resources. Many of them
have passed from the stage of action, but
like all good men, "their works do follow
them" revere their memory, and by no
act of mine, by no vote here or elsewhere
will jeopardize the important trust COM
mitted to our keeping. Get your loan tc
pay your State debts wheresoever you can
pay whatever interest you may deem expe-
dent or just, but touch not dollar belong
ing to the generations to follow us, lest, in
/ stead of to bless, they have reason to rise W
: and curse you.
THE BLESSINGS OF FREE SCHOOLS.
f While some are advocating the disposition
of these funds-to say the least, hazardous