The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-07-02
iFIoil Tic PiitsbGTg Commercial
DENOU UNCING THEIR OWN PLATFORM.

| VI '" ''i'' thr! pfOcceueu 10 ue-
nounee the part they had just stolen.
To show the identity of the two upon
that question, We place them side by
side:
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
Fourih-Ne stand by free education, our
public school system, the taxation of all for
lis support, and no division of the school
fund.
Fiftl-Under our Republican system of
| government there should be ns connection,
| direct or indirect, between Church or State
and we oppose all legislation in the interest
of any particular sect.
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
| Ihirteenth-We favor the complete seDa-
| ration of Church and State, religious indie
| pendence and absolute freedom of opinion,
eq'IGi and erdct Justice 10 ell religious s1cietes
| and purely secular education ut the expense
| 0l the tax XpayeTs, without division among
or control by any sect, directly or indiree.-
| ly, OF any portion of the public school fund.
With the exception of the phrase we
have italicized, the Democratic platform
is identical with the Republican in idea,
and almost so in words. The Republi-
can platform is the plainest and most
outspOken, but the Democrats apparent
ly intended to convey the same ideas in
words but slightly different But they
Were not content to rest there. 1t was
necessary to adopt some such plank as
this to hoOdwink their Protestant sup
pOrters but it was also necessary to show
that they were not in earnest in doing
so. They therefore added to what we
quoted above, the following sentence,
which, it was probably supposed by its
trainers, would satisfy the Catholics that
the thirteenth plank was a direct mega
tion of the fourth and fifth items of the
Republican creed, however much it
might seem to be otherwise.
''We denounce the Republican platform
upon the school question as an insult To
the intelligence Of the people of Ohio, and
a lssSo appeal To sectarian preiudiees."
If the Republican platform upon the
school question is "a base appeal to see
tartan preiudices, what else is the Dem
Ocratio platform upon the same subiectl
The one is the counterpart of the other;
and il the Democracy mean what they
say, there is not the slightest difference
between them and the Republicans on
that subject. In denOuneing the Repub-
liean platform, therefore, they are like
wise denOuncIng their own.
1t is clear, however, that these people
do mol mean what they say. The first
part of their thirteenth proposition is
realiirInatioD oi the Republican position,
while .he ksSt part of it is "a denuneiation
of what is thus realiirmed. 1t is idle to
ask reasonable people to believe that
men can be honest in indOrsing and de-
nOuneing the same thing in the same
breath; and the conclusion We are fore
ed to is that the real pith and purpose
Of the thirteenth Democratic plank is to
hs, foand alone in its denunciati0n of the
Republican platform upon the schoO
question. In that denunciatiOn we know
they We're earnest and sincere; and that
being so, the first part of their thirteenth
plank is mere claptrap, and will deceive
no one.
The phrase we have italicized, equal
and exact justice to all religious scsie-
ties, has no necessary eonnsstion with
the school question, lslIss-ss it means that
each relisiopG society should have AN
equal alIaFe of the school fund. IL it
DOES not mean that, why was it thrust
into a declaration upon the school ques-
ton; Justice to religious societies has
n0 connection with education, except
upon the assumption that every religi-
Gus association has an inherent right to
II propOrtiunate share Of the school fund
for the religious as we'll aS secular edu-
cation of il children. If the phrase we
have quoted was intended to cover what
is known in Ohio as the ''Ghegan bill'
the passage of which was demanded by
the Catholic Church to enable it to erect
an altar i'll every refornatory institution
throughout the State, il shOuld have
been placed in sOme other connection;
HiL It's IIIc-cuct III tue i'rihOCItitit piib-
form, ia connection with the school qucs-
tion, was doubtless intended to convey
tn the Catholic managers the assurance
that they can depend upon the DemOe-
racy not merely to do what they are
told, as in the ease of the Ghegan bill,
but to secure, generally, such an amend
ment OF the State Constitution as will
permit sectarian division of the School
Fund. The Catholics of Ohio will never
consider that ''equal and exact justice"
has been done to them until they secure
Seetarian schools at the public expense.
In themeantime, until that amendment
can be obtained, it is necessary to hood
wink the Democratic Protest@nts Of Ohio
and make them believe that !he par
ty has no such purpose. Hence the res
OlutiOn we have quoted, and the denun-
citation which accompanies it is simply
to assure the Catholic leaders that they
laay safely trust the Democracy, no mat
ter what, in the present emergency, they
may be- compelled to say to the contrary.
WHAT strange bed fellows there are
among the Democratic candidates. Some
years ago Sam Cary was a member Of
the Grand Division Of Sons of Temper
ance. and at its meeting introduced a