Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-12-25
cLARKsvILLE DEE. %. 1875.

are generally accepting the ldea that
they should fall in with the Presidents |
suggestion of the Constitutions amend
mentprohibiting the support of sectari-
anschools out of public moneys. and alta
meeting of the Democratic Association
of the Districtof Columbia, last night.
the first step towards such a movement
was taken by the introduction of reso-
lutious stating that the free school sys-
TEN Of the United Ststes is the bright
est star in the galaxy of the republic.
ind that upon its maintenance and per
petulty depend the present and future
of the American people; that the Dem
ocratic party always has aud at all
times hereafter, will resist all attempts
looking TO a division of the public
school fund, no matter for what pur
pose; that the Democratic party has
been now, is and always will be, in ia
vor of free schools, free press. free
speech, free trade and gold and silver
as the only constitutional money Of the
nation. paper money being the illegiti-
mate offspring of the Republican
party.
We republish the above Dispatch.
old enough to be on the retired list,
because it contains matter worthy of
grave consideration, and points to CON-
plications which should be studiously
avoided by the Democratic party during
the coming year. Nothing can be nore
incompatible with the past record of
that party or more damaging to its fu-
ture usefulness, than the falling in
with the Presidents suggestion of the
Constitutional amendment prohibiting
the support of sectarian schools out of
the publicmoneys." Ina game ofehess,
su n a move might be a shrewd one
but when the life of the Republic is at
stake, with all the blessings of liberty
and prosperity it was intended to be-
stow, it were worse than folly to re-
move another prop from the support
of our free institutions fer the chance
of checkmating the President.
The Federal Government has its
military and naval schools; in these
there is no likelihood that the question
of a sectarian division of funds will
ever arise, and should itever be moot
ed, the authority of the government is
absolute over the subject as the Con-
stitution now stands. The free school
system belongs to the States which
have adopted it for the cheap and uni
versal education of the children with
in their respective limits Is the Dem
ocratic party prepared to unite with the
President to procure an amendment
which shall place the educational in
situations of the States under the alb
solute control of the general govern
ment? 1t true that all this does not
appear upon the face of the Presidents
recommendation. but when we remem-
Der the efforts of the Sumner wing of
the Radical party to make education
compulsory and TO give Congress power
to force the States to provide the means
for universal education, there can be
no doubt that the President looks to
the eonsummation of the whole of
Summers scheme as long stride to-
wards consolidation and imperialism,
and though the amendment may con-
tain nothing but the prohibition of
division of public funds for sectarian
schools, under continued Radical rule
it will be made TO mean everything
which Radicalism desires to accom-
plish in this connection.
Every sensible man will endorse
the position of the Democratic associ-
alton of the District of Columbia, on
the subject of "the free school system
of the States"-not OF the United
States - but there the resolutions
should have stopped as a sufficient
counterpoise to the Presidents glaring
humbuggery. We agree that the school
fund. appropriated as whole to edu-
cate the children as a whole, should
not be divided, but no constitutional
amendment TO prohibit a division if,
In the course of events, such should
become desirable in any one or more
of the States. In any event, tbs mot
to Of Democracy should be-Iiands
off the Constitution and the rights of
the States The issue raised in refer
ence TO the currency we consider ILL
judged, coming as il does from a mere
Democratic club. Its tendency is to-
wards division and discord, and the
question should have been left to
convention of the whole party. 1t is
true that gold and silver are the only
constitutional currency. but DemOcra-
cy is not responsible for the violation
of the Constitution and the substitu-
ton of paper for metallic currency, nor
is it bound to pledge itself to restore
the ante beLiam state of things without
due consideration of the lessons taught
by years of experience An infraction
of the Constitution, positively endorsed
by majority of the people for fifteen
consecutive years and acquieseed in by
the minority, presents strong claims TO
the validity of an authorized amend
ment, and furnishes plausible excuse
for not bringing ruin on the country
by destroying good, in order to sub
stitute an impossible, currency. Paper
money, in some form, is indispensable
to healthy commerce and progressive
agriculture. And whilst gold basis
for such paper may do no harm as long
as the one is the exact equivalent of
the other, yet we see no necessity for 4
currency for the government aud cur
rency for the people; nor is it desira |
BILE to have a fictitious standard of
values which speculation can employ |
as an agent of its own greed. We diff |
fer IL toto with the Democratic associ- |
alton on the currency question, and 1
protest against its attempt to pledge
the party to the support Of the cher
ished measure of rings and monOpo-