Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-12-06
FIRST EDITION.
The School Question

| hh. bLAlhEs LETTER-THE WHOLE OF HIS sIJ,i.
| ofsfIoNB AND PROPOSITIONS ON THE SUBJECT
we published, several days ago,an extract Civ
ing the most important portion of Mr.. Blaiue's
| proposition III relation to tue school question.
AS the subjeot ID very interesting, and may be-
come important, We here print the whole letter.
1t was written to gentleman in Ohio after the
election in that State
"AUdusTi, Me-, Oct. 90 My Dear Si,. /: The
puDiic school agitation lin your late campaign il
| liable to break out elsewhere, and, occurring
iirnt IN ono State and then in another, may keep
| the whole country in ferment for Years to
come. This inevitably aiouses sectarian feel
ing, and loads to that bitterest and most deplor-
able OF all strifes-the strife between religions
denominations 1t seems to me that this ques-
tou ought to be settled in some definite and
comprehensive way-and the only settlement
that can be final is the complete victory for non
sectarlan schools. am sure this will be deman-
at any cost.
The dread OF sectarian legislation in this
country has been felt many times in the past.
IL began very early The first amendment of
tne constitution, the joint product of Jefferson
aud Madison, proposed in 1883, declared that
congress shall make law respecting an es.
taDlshment OF religion, nor prohibiting the ex.
ercise thereof.' At that time when the powers
Of the Federal Government were untried and
the hource.of danger to perfect religious liberty,
and hence all power WAS taken from it. At tha
same time the States were left free to do as they
pleased in regard to all establishment of re-
llgion, for the tenth amendment, proposed by
that eminent jnrst, Theophilus Parsons, and
adopted cotemporaneously with the first, de-
clared that all powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor prohibit
ed by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, OF to the people,
A ma jority of the people in any State in
this Union can, therefore, If they desire it, have
an established church-u lder which the minor
ity may be taxed for the erection of church
edi1ces which they never enter. and for the
support OF a creed which they do not believe.
This power was actually exercised in some of
the States long after the adoption Of the Fed
eral Constitution, and although there may be
no positive danger of its revival in the future,
the possibility of it should not be permitted
The auspicious time to guard against au evil is
when all will unite in preventing it.
Aud In curing this constitutional defect, all
possibility of hurtful agitation on the school |
question should be ended also. Just let the old |
J. Jefferson Madison amendment be applied to the
States by adding tho following to the inhlbitory
clauses in Section 10, Article J.. of the Federal |
Constitution, viz:
"No State shall make any law respecting an |
establishment of religion or prohibiting the FREQ
exercise thereof, and no money raised by taxa
ton in any State for the support of public |
schools. or derived from any public fund there |
for shall ever be under the control of any relig-
ious sect; nor shall any money raised ever be |
divided between religious eecta or denomina- |
tions."
"Ths you will observe, does not interfere with |
any State having just such school system as |
It's citizens may prefer-subject to the single |
md simple restriction that the schools shall not
be made the arena for sectarian controversy or |
theological disputation. This adjustment, it |
seems to me, would be comprehensive and con-
,lusve and would be fair alike to Protestant and
Catholic, to Jew and Genttle-leaviug the relig-
oua faith and the conscience OF every man free |
Ind unmoested.
'Yery sincerely yours
j. g. BLAINE"