The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-04-19
From the Now York. journal Of Commerce.
NATIONxL SCHOOL .ItEEPIxG.
- M
A Dir etr Tax.ei sge .oos, 0Rro.
g poseh. e

A Dir etf Taxiof sge, ,00ey DO Rro.
Persons who cherish rosy hope that
the taxes areNto be reduced should pom
der the propositions in Representative
Hoars bill to establish system of ma
tional education," which has been favor
ably reported by the Committee on Ed
ucaton and Labor. In his Fifteenth
Amendment message,the other day Pres
ident Grant dropped Significant hint
for Congress to "take all the means with
in their constitutional power to promote
and encourage popular education
throughout the country"
On the same day that Ills message
reached the Capitol the extraordinary
bill that We now proceed to notice came
back from the committee to the House,
coincidence best explained on the sup,
position that the President and commit
re had conferred, and that Congress had
been sounded on the subject and is ex-
Fected to pass the measure. A more
Gleverly contrived scheme to make thou
sands of new office Holders, maintain
national taxes, find work for revenue as
SCISSORS, and Strengthen the central
government, has never come under our
eyes. AS prop for the Radicals it is
the best thing yet thought Of, for 1t will
plant their peculiar political doctrines IN
the breasts of the rising generation alotg
with the first seeds of reading, writing
and arithmetic.
The shrewd gentleman, whose name
is the occasion of considerable profit
less dispute among antiquaries, who
wanted to write the songs OF the nation
in preference to making its laws, did net
originate half so smart an idea of mol.
ding national character as Mr.. Hoar has
hit upon. A monopoly of ballad making
and mongering could 90 much to shape
the prejudices of people, but nothing
like an army of political pedagogues,
with switch in one hand and the Radi-
cal articles of faith in another, and the
whole power of a Government at their
backs, could do in that line. The lnven-
tor of this patent for confirming and
extending Radicalism indefinitely is the
master craftsman of his party.
After long, high sounding preamble,
apropos of the Fifteenth Amendment,
Mfr. Hoar comes straight to business, and
proposes the appointment for each State
in the Union of Superintendent of
National Schools" at a yearly salary OF
$4,000. Multiplying 5000 by 81 1.-THE
number of States when they are all inn,
we have S111 900 Of annual expenditure
to begin with These Superintendents
will "boss the job," under the immedi-
ate direction of the Commissioner OF
Education, who, in turn, reports for gen
eral instruction to the Secretary of the
Interior, who finally takes his cue from
the President, making the whole affair a
complete administrative machine as much
as the army or the revenue crowd.
For each Congressional district the
Secretary of the Interior is to appoint a
sdivision inspector of national schools, y
on salary of $1,000. $4,000 X 242-
4S4 600. Each of the divisions shall be
divided by the State Superintendent into
school districts of convenient size, to be
managed by ''local superintendent oi
national Schools" at 90 day for the
time that he is actually employed. This
means millions upon millions of dollars
in the aggregate, but for want Of more
precise data than we have we can no,
estimate the sum even proximately
4 What with the salaries of all these myr
midons of the strong Government, th,
hiring of an indefinite number of school
masters and mistresses, the erecting anc
repairing of school houses, the furnish
} ing of school books for children unable
/, to buy them, and other accidental expen
ses, Mr.. Hoar Is probably within th'
mark by providing for direct lax, te
be apportioned among the several States
of fifty million dollars-just to start th'
experiment, for that is all that even Sc
large an amount as that will really do
The more we turn this scheme over th'
more are we lost in enforced admiration
of the audacious genius that planned it
Beside the incalculable political powe
that it confers on the Administrations
through its thousands of well paid ant
willing stipendiaries, and the indoctrin
!, alton in the tender mind of CHILDHOOD
of the straightest Radical principles
think of the picklngs and-stealings! :
The New York County Court-hous
, fades into nothingness. compared to th'
profits to be made from supplyin!
school books, putting up school houses
DC. Patronage, power, r,money-all thing
: that political ambition prizes and strug
-Iples for-will flow in boundless measnr
5 from Hoar's bill.
!, This stupendous political and money
!. spending engine will go into effect in th
: Southern States Immediately after tn
! passage of the bill for in those State
) there is now no system Of popular edu
cation such as the bill provides for, AM
the States are, and will be for lonl
time, too. .poer.to pay for.-one of thei
own. 1t rests with the option OF tn
r President whether it will not be intro
: duced into all the Other States of tn
f Union. ~ $3.50
|, The last section declares that an,
:. State may make provision for the edu
cation of all the children within its boz
. ders between the ages of six and sigf
l teen years. 3ut the President is clothe,
! with absolute power to decide whethc
. any State system meets his views AM
wishes, and, if not, the national schem
2 viii be made to supcrsede it. Demo
|, cratic States will be especially liable t
, have their own educational laws nnllilie'
and schoolmasters turned out, to max
way for Radical teachings and teachers
Wherever it may be of political adyan
) tage to rub out State system, and IND
, pose the national one, reasons plcntie
than hlackberries can be found for doin!
it. leisss isiLt s-ss1
EgThe press-eyen that portion o
it which does not sy,npathize with. tn
Democratic party--is beginning to speal
out very plainly in regard to the contin
! uance of the income tax. The Buffalo
Commercial Advertiser Republican