Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-08-26
From Harpers Weekly.l
The School Question in COnnecti-
cut.

schools. In his manly, earnest, tenn |
perate, and admirable speech at Mari |
on, which is a singular contrast to the |
reckless furry and shallow demagoge-
ry of his opponent, General Hayes,
the Republican candidate for Govern
or, spoke most plainly and conclusive |
ly upon the subject The platforms |
| of both parties in that State assert, |
indeed, that the schools must remain |
free from priestly control. But the |
relation of the Democratic party to |
the Roman Church is such that its dec
laratioR upsn this subject can not be
trusted. When the Ohio Democrats
pronounce for the freedom of the
schools, we can not forget that every
attempt to place the schools under
sectarisn control by division of the
school money has been made by Dem
ocrats and it is notorious that except
for the Democratic intrigue to retain
the Roman Catholic vote, there would
be no question as to the division of the
school money. It is made question
solely by the effort of the Roman
Catholic managers, sustained by Dem
ocratic leaders The effort is made in
every State, and its history is every
where the same. One of the latest
chapters was in Connecticut, and has
probably escaped the attention of most
of our readers. But the whole situa-
ton may be studied in events in that
State, and the facts are well worth at
tention.
A partially successful attempt has
already been made in New Haven,
Waterbury, and New Britain to obtain
share of the money for Catholic
schools, and during the recent session
of the Legislature, in which the major
ity was Democratic, Mr.. Lynde Harri-
son, a well known Republican, intro
duced an amendment to the Constitu-
ton expressly prohibiting any grant
to sectarian institutions. It was re-
ferred to the committee upon the sub
lject, composed of five Democrats and
three Republicans. The Republicans,
with one Democrat, reported the
, amendment favorably, the other four
Democrats adversely. Action was de-
layed in the House because the Demo
cratic majority wished to avoid any
record upon the subject. We now
proceed to state facts which rest upon
the best authority. AS soon as the
amendment was introduced, Father
, Hughes, a leading Roman Catholic
clergyman in Hartford, notified the
| Democratic managers that it must not
be allowed to pass. Conferences were
2 held in New Haven, at which Govern
or lngersoll, and the editors of two OF
8 the chief Democratic papers in the
State were present, with members o
3 the Democratic State Committee, anC
it was decided, in obedience to the
= priestly demand, that the amendmen
4 must be killed, A caucus was held
and it was resolved that the PROPOSE
o ton should be made party question
e and should be defeated by a motion o
3 indefinite pOstponement. Meanwhile,
the priests were invited to appear be
e fore the committee and publicly Civ
e reasons for opposing the amendment
But they failed to come, and were con
e tentwith private interviews with Demo
IS cratic leaders
Late in July they took up the ques
- ton. Mr. Harrison, the chairman {
III the committee, opened the debate, fol
chilly stating the argument against SCI
in tartan schools, and saying that tn
at committee was equally divided upo
I'd the amendment. Mr.. Stevens,
IS Hartford, a member of the committe
ne who had reported unfavorably, follow
7. ed in opposition, declaring that it wa
an attempt "to crowd a sectarian i.
sue upon the people of the Stat
err which, to their credit, they had hithe
o. to avoided" and he insisted that tt
he existing pro vision of the Constitutio
,is made such provision unnecessary
rv When he had spoken, Mr.. Carroll,
al Democrat and Roman Catholic, mo,
Of ed the indefinite postponement of tt
no subject, and called the previous que
en- ton. This form was adopted to CT
,as off all reply to Mr.. Stevens statemen
no in regard to the present Constitution
ms to prevent further debate, and to avo
he q direct vote upon the amendment.
re The friends of the freedom of Il
no schools demanded the yeas and nay
Of The result was that one hundred al
,h- eleven (111) Democrats voted in oh
IN dience to the priests for indefini
ex- postpOnement; ninety-four (94) R
in publicans and four a. Democra
In making ninety-eight (9S), vot
rv. against postponement. Sixteen 1
to Republicans and (19) Democrats we
lad pared or absent. The only Germ
ark in the House, Mr.. Ziegler, was one
ac. the four Democrats who voted again
ad- postponement, and the other thl
the were farmers from small rural towns
of This is an illustration Of the r.
no. attitude of the Democratic party up
in the school question, which we co
not mend to the consideration of the pc
Iers pie of Ohio. If the freedom of I
en-. schools is in danger-and no one W
mes is familiar with the facts will deny
at the peril lies in the servile ODE
en-. ence of the Democratic leaders to [
nm Roman priesthood, which is the pr
di. of the Roman Catholic vote for
was Democratic party. The import
nm point is not what Democrats n
ion say on the subject in Ohio, but w
the they do in every State in the Union
,11I There is considerable rivalry
,aII, tween the villages of Webster Gr,
,on. and Kirkwood, which breaks out
heir frequent occasions in spontane
not self glorying even between the you
ov est children. The other day two Ii
boys, aged respectively seven !
eight years, met each. other on
and troot. on5 tLo foT,>r,;,os oon,.a.s. 80.
the ansnod. '''N'
nceo 4,: "Ah, hap said the Kirkwood
nan ..Thotss voth;ro- - ia A. WI,
entail cro1a Lov w;th go 5ia5o;, .s,,
nan, oot ~ ~ tbora - 49, ooiI,as ;,
} the Tbo Tir,-rooJ Go,r =" 80 "iIonood
vely fa,v nnonoamts ~, az oStnnisbin@
RS in - ;nfarunt;an ~ 'n,' - 1"st ho sndS,
w; NJ frightened vp, and broke out with