Arizona citizen., 1875-07-17
PUBLIC SCHOOL QUESTION.

clared in his place as a member ot the constitutional convention of the State of Nevada, on Friday, July 22, 1861 that if the people of the United States
 "and of Nevada in particular, were |" firmly impressed with the necessity oI "any one thing in the general policy "of government, it was the necessity Oi fostering and protecting the common "school system" and as we hold thai to be truth now, we have not much fear that the system will ever be serl ously impaired; not that powerful ef forts will not be constantly put forth to impair it, but that they will never pre- vail. T. will, however, be the boundcn duty of all who so thoroughly believe in the system as did our present Chief Justice profess to in 1864, to keep its merits before the people and prevent injury to it by.all fair means.
 If the public school system was good and necessary in 1864; if laws to con- pei attendance of children upon schools in States wherein they were provided, were sound then, they are now. At that time our present chief justice took the most ultra grounds in favor of both, and his arguments were all in favor of so framing the constitution as to compel the legislature to act accord ingly. It was his sound record in this and other respects as a maker &f a State constitution, that induced his friends to make extraordinary, and nearly successful, efforts 10 place him upon the supreme bench of that State. His efforts there in behalf of public schools, were believed to have been as sincerely as they were earnestly made, and owing to his well known religious professions, they were particularly notable He took an active part in the discussions on every important feature of that organic law, but in none more decided and unmistakcablc part than the one to establish a system of con- mon schools including the compulsory provision. In the whole proceedings, he never spoke d word nor cast a vote except in earnest support Of them.
 In the light of our Chief Justices re- cent utterances, we could write volumes to show his inconsistency-the mildest l4<ziiAi. ..-sS. .&.2 ;ss ,. 4.2,, ,, < t ~
 but at present we will simply make a few quotations from his record as a consultation maker, in which capacity he was averse 10 trusting future legis lalures with discretionary powers, fear ing at some time, for popular or other reasons, they would fail to come up tc his high standard on the public school question. On Thursday, July q, 1864 Mr. Dunne offered this proviso to Sec ton , of the educational article of the constitution:
 Provided, that the legislature shall have the power to pass such laws as shall make it compulsory with parents and guardians that all white children under their charge, between the ages of six and fourteen years, residing in in- c0rpOratcd cities or towns, shall receive educational instruction for at least three months in each year, unless phys ically or mentally incapacitated."
 In argument on thIs subject, he de clared himself in favor of a similar but more sweeping provision in the consti- tuition framed by previous convention of the State in 1863, but with amend mcnts which he held were obviously necessary-paticularly with reference to cOnfning the compulsory clause to incorporated cities and towns, for said MT. Dunne:
 "It is from the cities and from the class of children in them which neg. lects to attend the PUBLIC SCHOOLS, that most of our criminals come, and maintain that where facilities for at tending school are afforded, it should be made compulsory upon parents to send their children.
 In no word spoken did he ever in innate that the public school fund should be divided among a different character of schools, but supported the provision against such a policy, and he even strongly opposed taking money from this fund for a State University and on this subject Mr. Dunne used the following unmistakeable language:
 I believe, however, in turning Oul undivided attention, in the first place to the common school system of the State, and 1 do not think that the inter est derived from the school fund should | be taken from the common schools and applied to the purpose of building ur State University. Therefore, because there is special provision made else where for a State University, AND BE CAUSE WE OUGHT TO ENDEAVOR, IN THF FIRST PLACE, TO SECURE TO OUR CHILL DREN THE ADVANTAGES OF A GOOD COM MON SCHOOL SYSTEM, 1 move that this last proviso in Section 3 be striken out
 Speaking generally as to the duty ot the State to provide the children tho means of an education and compelling them to attend school, MT. Dunne de clared on July 21, 1864, in his official capacity of a constitution maker. a, follows: