Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-10

cation of all the children of the stare in these
three ordinary branches is established and en-
forced, then the act shall not 90 into operation
III regard to that state mt all; or it would be
more correclto say, the nation accepts from the
state the establishment of a common school sys-
TEN in discharge of its proportion of the tax,
just as it might say to Louisiana, "ln lieu of
81 000 900, your share of the tax, you may con-
tract to build custom house at New Orleans of
that value"
Now, Mr. Speaker, do not believe, if we
should pass this law that it will ever be neces-
sary to put it in force in any state in the Union.
believe there is no state in the country, if the
alternative were held out to it, Educate your
people or we shall see that it is done for you"
but would ut once establish school stem for
itself.
| am aware the bill may be imperfect; but
what desire is that congress may place itself in
positive position on this question. | wish to
see it exert its great power in fulflment of its
duty to secure to all the people of the states a
republican form of government, not by force of
bayonets not at the lannon's mouth, but by
providing to all the people of all the states
perfect system of public school instruction.
Mr. Speaker have seen it suggested in some
of the newspapers that this was a scheme to
consolidate power and to destroy or invade state
rights. What scheme for strengthening the
power Of the state and for preventing the con-
solidation of power at Washington is like that
which seeks to give every state in the union the
power and strength which alone come from a
universally educated people? This is a scheme,
so far as it may be subject of expense to the
national treasury, Of whose burden my constit-
uents, who have provided themselves with q
system of public instruction at home, are will
ing to bear their full share, so far as may be
necessary for the purpose of furnishing adequate
education for other citizens Of the republic who
are denied such a system of public schools.
There is no other purpose in this bill than
that which | have stated. | declare solemnly
that have not had any partisan, personal, or
political end to promote in pressing this meas
IRE. / believe on my soul that the country
which | love will perish from within if congress
does not look in the face and deal with this ire
mendous evil. Does any body suppose, when l
say that in sixteen states four-ffths of the chill
dren are in the darkness of ignorance, and we
should give them the light of knowledge, that it
is for the purpose of crushing the liberties of
those states or destroying their political power
by making them the victims of the wealth and
intelligence of other sections? No, sirl Edu-
cation will give them freedom and independence
of action. The corrupt, ambitious, self-seeking
politician desires by money, by corruption, by
treachery, by artfce, and not through education
and intelligence, to gain his way to power. 1t
is ignorance, it is vice, it is cowardice the
schemlng politician loves to foster, that he may
secure the ends of his ambition. In holding out
to these imperial states, now taking their places
again as equals in our national councils, the
light of education, we give them the only means
OF securing their own rights and liberties, by
and through which alone the life of the nation
can endure.