Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-27
/ MON AND AMERICAN.
EDUCATIONAL FUND.

ttyes, Feb. 2, IS72.
The House having under consideration
the bill (H. r. No. l,O43) to establish an
educational fund, and to apply the proceeds
Of the public lands to the education of the
people. Mr.. Bright said:
Mr.. Speaker: 1t is a matter Of regret with
me that the important subject of education
has become involved with question OF
party politics. do not desire to enter in
to any recrimination with the honorable
gentleman from Massachusetts, [Hoar who
saw proper few days ago to allude 10 the
State of Tennessee in its educational inter-
est. beg leave to call the attention of the
House TO the language used by the gentle
man in his speech Of Jan. %:
sLOok at Tennessee to-day, under the rule of
that party, with a school system in but twenty
two or twenty-three out OF ninety-One counties,
and the school system, although adopted by a
vote of the people, not actually put in force in all
those. In that STATE, Mr. Speaker have it
from the most trustworthy informatiOn-there
can be found county after county in which there
has not been child at school for twelve months,
and will not be child at school for twelve months
to come"
l acquit the honorable gentleman from
Massachusetts, from any intention to taisify
the facts; but am persuaded that incau-
tiously be has been betrayed into state
ment which scandaliZes the educational
reputation Of Tennessee. If the remark
had been made in relation TO the operation
Of the common school system in Tennessee,
might have passed it unheeded; but mas
much as it was uneXceptiOnal, inaSmuch as
it referred to the general educational system
Of Tennessee, l feel myself bound to cor
rect this statement and pronounce it with
out any foundation.
Tennessee has a common school system
and IN independent system Of education.
That Independent system has its academies
and schools in every county Of the State,
though the common school system may not
be in operation throughout the State. Mr..
Speaker, it would be alarming TO the intelli-
gence Ofthe nation were there to be a literal
fulfllment of the expression of the gentle
man from Massachusetts, il it could truly
be said that there was "county after comfy
in which there has not been a child at school
for twelve months, and will not be child
at school for twelve months to come! -
undertake TO say that you may give the
gentleman a search warrant and a commit
tee; he may explore that State from its blue
mountains in the east to the great Father
of Waters in the West, and lie could not
produce a verifcatiOn Of the Unauthorized
statement. True, Tennessee, in its educa-
tional statistics, may not compare favora-
bly, with the ancient Commonwealth which
he in part represents. do not stand here
to calumniate her system Of education. |
revere it. revere old Harvard and many
Of the sons whom she has sent throughout
this land. But while the gentleman is
drawing these determinations, let him aud
every other sensible man understand that
they are invidiOus and unfair. Massachu-
sets has territorial extent far less than
q %nnessae. She has the age Of centuries
upou her head. Tennessee has a pioneer
populatiOQ sull lingering in the aises Of her
prfmeval f. vests, which they have been en-
gagged in reducing so as to prepare the cOun-
try for the agricuI turist and for the perfect
occupation of civilil StlOn. The gentleman
ought to remember that there IS difference
in circumstances andin age.
The common-sclOOl system requires the
growth Of time, The more confined the
territory and dense the population the more
successful it will be in its application. 1t
generally works outward from the centers
of population. Massachusetts has only
$500 square miles Of territory, while Ten
nessee has d, 600 square miles. MassaChu-
sets has a population of 1S7 to the square
mile, Tennessee only 275 10 the square
cation of her people at least as early as
1886, the reputed date of :he founding of
Harvard, while Tennessee was not admitted
into the Union until 1896, and commenced
her career in the wilderness infested with
wild beas S and savages.
Mr.. Hoar-Will it be dislgreeable to the
gentleman TO have me interrupt him?
Mr.. Bright have not time to yield
now. will answer any question, if my
time will be extended
Mr.. Hoar-I should Ike to verify the
fact.
Mr.. Bright say you cannot verify the
fact by the educational report, if that is
what YOU allude to. And, inasmuCh as the
educational system of Tennessee has been
alluded to, Mr.. Speaker, stand here to pro-
nounce the Jealous and ready cooperation
of all the departments, legislative, admins
trative, and scholastic, in the State of Ten
nessee, to bring it up to the highest stand
ard of excellence. And the gentleman from
Massachusetts will find, from the educa-
tional report which see he has before him,
that in consequence Of the financial cOndi-
ton of Tennessee she could not resort to a
coercive system of common schools, and
she had to resort TO the system of county
schools, authorizing the counties to tax the
people in an amount not exceeding the State
tax on the the taxable property which
taxes were to be added to the appOTtionment
Of school funds to which each Of the cOun-
ties might be entitled out of the common
school fund provided by the State-that is,
the interest on 81, 100000, the State tax on
polls, all escheated property and all gifts Of
property 10 the State not restricted to
another use.
I. Es,s.- til -, 10,
establishment of a system Of common
schools. As early as 1928 her Legislature
dedicated to common school purposes the
proceeds Of all the vacant lands lying north
and east of what was known as the Con-
cressionaI reservation line. By act of 1897
The Legislature enlarged the fund by dedi-
eating a part of the capital Of the new State
bank; by the proceeds of the sales Of the
Hiwassee lands, after the extinguishment
of the Cherokee title in 1926; by all the
lands previously appropriated; by all the
other vacant lands In the State belonging to
the State: by all the rents and profits of the
school lands; by donations made to the
State by Mason Lee Of South Carolina; by
the donation of five thousand acres Of land
made nv John Rice; by all other donations
10 the State unless restricted to a different
,,so. nv four hundred shares Of stock owned
by The State in the old bank Of the State at
Knoxville: by all escheated lands, and by
ali the personal effects Of intestates not
passing under the distribution laws OF the
State. These funds, with any others that
might be thereafter appropriated, we COLI
so,idated, and secured inYiOlably to COM
mon schools by the amended constitution
of Tennessee in 1884. These funds we're
placed rs a part of the capital in the Bank
Of Tennessee by act of the Legislature in
1898. OF the dividends Of this bank SlOO,-
900 We e anomaly set apart for common
nj ools and $4,000 to academies, to be ap-
:. -tioDed according to the scholastic popu-
T.. Of children between the ages OF SIX
al Tb J5As svs, IN continued in operation until
.,,in loo Inv he recent civil war. AT er
1 tho war tbe bank Of Tennessee was put IN
i rnp by wintng-up act and , all It's
chooses in action were pl%eeu III Ille nanuS
Of q trustee for collection. = Ne specle VI
the bank, or part at least, was ieIuIll S 10 70
the State authorities after the war, a.u W
s1t cnvcT1- thirty bonds "