Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-31

-AAo SssiiAc DllA pdSSeu Tue
House Of Representatives at the last
session and failed in the Senate only
because Of % glut of business. It pro-
Fides that one half of the proceeds of
the public domain shall be distributed
among the States, Territories and the
District of Columbia; that the other
half shall be invested and created a
fund, the interest of which shall be
parcelled, for the first ten years, ON the
basis of iuiteroey. 1t further provides
that the distribution shall afterwards
be made according to scholastic popula-
ton; that every State Shall be entitled
to its share when it shall engage to pro-
vide by law for the education Of all tits
children" between the ages Of six and
sixteen, and to apply all monies receiv-
ed under the act according to the stip-
ulations of the act; and that the dis
tribution shall be continued from year
to year to those States which show that
they have complied with these condi-
tions.
1t will be seen at once that this bill
would virtually transfer to the Federal
Government the whole subject of pub
lie instruction. In it, Congress says to
the State: "You pass these and these
laws and you shall have your interest
in the common patrimony, Ii you do
not, your share shall go to the rest"
So the State is to legislate according to
the orders Of the General Government,
or submit to a privation of its inheri.
lance. How does this differ from usur-
patton? What matters it to Congress,
whether it do all the law-making or
have the States do it according to its
orders: This is one of those at
tempted evasions of constitutional Inn
itations, now so common in American
legislation. It is more to be despised
by free people than outright usurpa-
ton; for it is usurpa!ion aggravated
by the cunning stealth of fraud. The
vileness of a representative body that
would thus evade the supreme law of
the land is intclerable
The annual income from the exist
ing State school funds is estimated at
SOS, 100000. The income from the
public lands is now from 100000 to
100000. Would it not be cheap
sale of authority if the States should
divide their control Of public schools
with the Federal government for SO
paltIy sum as the revenue Of the
public lands? What more could the
States do than they now do, if they had
their proportional parts Of three orfour
millions? This sum, when spread out
over the whole Union, would be indeed
too thin to do any good at all. No re-
spectacle State would allow the gen.
eral government either the whole or
partial control of its schools for
so small consideration. But
viewed as general policy,
this measure is extremely inezpedient.
The first duty Of government is pro-
lection protection of life, liberty and
property. Hitherto the General Gov
ernment has busted itself mainly with
carrying out it's part Of this function
IN our system of government. How
imperfectly it has accomplished its OBJ
ject, all are aware. In doing what it |
has done, it has far outstrippcd It's
means and incurred a debt Of more |
than two billion dollars. The proceeds |
OF the public lands constitute an i'm
portant part Of the revenue by which
this debt is to be ultimately paid.
Would it be wise for an honest govern
mcnt, owing such a debt, to go into the
Of education: Do the people
mean to pay their national debt? or
do they mean to consider
the debt "a blessing" and
pay a perpetual interest upon it? Are
they aware that, by carefully conserv-
ing the debt and paying constant III
telest for it, they viii, N the long run,
pay enough in the form Of interest "a
cancel the debt over and over again, if
presented at once? For instance, the
bonded debt would draw, in seventeen
years, an amount of interest equal to
the debt itself But do the people
mean to avoid the consequences of this
Jolly by stopping the interest after
while? Would this be honest? The
payment of interest can never Justly
iquidate the principal Besides, there
is a vast distinction between the sacred
of the National debt and
5he sacred preservation Of the national
credit. 1t is the part Of wisdom to pay
IF the principal as fast as
| surplus can be accumulated.
Norman who properly appreciates the
Of the Government can
wish for success Of Mr.. Hoar's bill.
Every measure which incurs an ex-
1cnse should look ahead Of itself. Ma.
ions that have been blind to the future
nave eliminated in anarchy. To free
government, there is little difference
between bankruptcy and anarchy.
1t is with 10 pleasant feelings that
We contemplate the views advanced on
his bill by prominent New England
We are told by the Old and
Ne,c, Il Boston notion" that real OPP
,osition to this bill viii come from peo-
lie who do not want to have educated
-otcrs." We do want educated
-oters, and in this we are
f the same mind as when
We opposed the fourteenth amendment,
which against reason and moderation,
uddenly created hundreds Of thousands