The Weekly Washington telegraph., 1871-08-23
FREE SCHOOLS, DEMOCRACY
AND RADICALISM.

opposed to the education of the masses
by the free school SYSTEM This ac-
cusation is too absurd and false to
suppose or believe that any one can be
serious or honest in making it. Ac-
cording TO the census reports of the
United States, there were in the State
of Arkansas, in the year 1860, seven
hundred and twenty seven free schools,
besides one hundred and thirteen pri-
vate schools and academies, and forty
two thousand and some hundred and
twenty one pupils attending free schools
and four thousand and six hundred
and forty attending private schools
The cause of education was then in a
most prosperous condition, and schools
and colleges were rapidly sprlnging up
all over the State under the happy
reign of Democracy. The heart of the
patriot rejoiccd as he looked out into
the future and saw Arkansas rapidly
taking a proud position among her
sister States for intelligence and edu-
cation. Those were bright and sunny
days in the history of the schools and
colleges of Arkansas. The cause OF
education has never since been half so
flourishing as it was then. And thus
our State progressed under Democratic
rule until 1861, when the war sus-
pended our schools. AT the close OF
the war the State was in the hands of
the Radical party, and 50 remained
until 1866, when a Democratic and
conservative legislature assembled IN
Little Rock. Nothing was done for
the education of the masses while the
Radical party was dominant. In
poverished and devastated as our State
was-staggering under the blows re-
ceived in the war just closed as soon
as she passed from Radical rule she
made an honest effort to revive her
free schools and to educate her children.
Among the first things done by the
Democratic legislature of 1861 was
an act passed to establish and maintain
free common school system, and to
levy tax for the support thereof.
But this effort failed, and the reason
why, is the State passed again unde
: Radical rule, and from the time OF tn
t passage of this act the Democratic ant
Conservative party was shorn of al
their power to control her destiny.
The Radicals boast of their zeal il
the cause of education. What have
they done? "They have stolen the
livery of heaven in which TO serve thu
devil" In all their zeal for railroads
and free schools, they have beer
actuated exclusively by selfish motives
and labored for their own self-aggran'
dizement. In 1868, they passed al
act to establish free schools, and created
the office of ten circuit superintendent
of public instruction, giving to each OF
them a salary of $1,000 Annually
the people are robbed of thirty thousand
dollars to pay these circuit superln-
tendents. Instead of educating the
children of the State, they have made
free schools a pretext and excuse foi
taxing the people to support and enrich
few of their party leaders and through
them to uphold their party in power
Before the meeting of the last legis-
lature il was generally believed an
effort would be made to abolish this
office. The people demanded it. A
majority of the legislature favored it
Fearful of loosing their offices, the
circuit superintendent left their dis
tricts and hocked to the capitol, like
vultures around a carcass, and thes'
besieged the legislature in an effort t.
secure the continuance of their otfic'
two years longer. The effort to aboli'l
was made. Gov. Clayton, no doubt
actuated by desire to secure the sup
port and influence of these circui
superintendentsa and their friends in The
General Assembly in the United Statei
senatorial election, in which he was tn
most prominent candidate, and hi
friends in the Legislature, actuated b!
the desire and intention to provide of
e fees for their political friends, an,
= throuch the spoils of Office TO perpetu