Arizona weekly miner., 1875-02-26


 man capable of reading and writing, every
 man freeman, defying noEarchies on all
 sides, and ready to give up life to maintain
 the independence and freedom of their own
 beloved land.
 Sir, the line is 50 well marked between
 those countries that support a general sys
 tenn of education and those which do not
 that a traveler need not be told when be passes
 from one to the other. On the side of edu- cation are seen thrift, charity, contentment
 and happiness, and on the other sIde of ilit- eracy, are seen poverty intolerance and dis
 tress. The question Is so plain and simple that it does not require argument; all that is necessary is to read history and admit 1 facts. It has always been the favored argu-
 ment of those who seek to keep the people ! in ignorance so they may rule and tyrannize
 over them, that they do so by divine right.
 The monarch upon his throne claims to de-
 rive his right to rule from above, and that his person is sacred and he can do no wrong.
 He uses the cloak of religion to sustain this | right, and millions of human beings have i been brought to torture and death, because l they dared 10 have and express opinions con-
 trary to the ruling power, and all this in the
 name of religion and by power claimed to ! Dt DiN3Ic. DIT, We ID IalSt
 up people in our public schools, who will | have the manliness and courage to oppose this divine-right hurnbug. We are endeav- bring to raise up people who will be char l itable and kind 10 all, who will prescribe no
 one on account of their religious belief; who will, in the future as in the past, accept and support men for their true worth and not on account of the particular religious creed they
 may entertain. If there is any religious
 creed that cannot stand upon this platform
 of equal fairness and justice to all if its
 dogmas cannot be sustained by broad and
 liberal system of education, independent of church influence, then weak indeed must be the principles upon which 1t is founded.
 We do not propose in any manner to inter- fere with the religious instruction of the youth; we only seek to give them the rudiments of an education, so that they can be made useful men and women and intend to let them go to church and home circle for their religious teaching. In this way we propose to raise up q generation of true American citizens who will come upon the stage of action with their religious opinions mainly moulded by the mother who has so earnestly watched and prayed for them and the church influences that have surrounded them; but they will be as liberal and toler- ant for the opinions of others as the schools have been in which they were instructed; and in this way we propose to keep in the councils of the nation, in the future as we have in the past, men of all creeds who will work in harmony and unison for the honor and glory of our common country.
 Sir, have heard 1t stated that we were an accidental majority, and it has been as- serted that the ballot would be invoked to divide our school funds, which aims and means nothing less than utter and complete destruction of our free school system. Cover the subject with all the sophistry you please. this is what it means and this will be the sure and speedy result, if the will of the op- position is carried out. am free to say that deplore such contest. 1 have fondly hoped that so sacred a public trust as that of i educating our little ones would never be l made a subject of sectarian warfare; but if | come it must, l will tell the opposition that we are not an accidental majority, and if the | issue is forced upon us, they will find that l the hardy miner, the sun-burned farmer and | the toiling mechanic marching in one solid | phalanx.to sustain this sasred trust He who | the idea that the people of Arizona | will tamelv give up our free school system, knows but little of them. Until recently. 1 1 have not supposed that an unfriendly hand | could be found within the broad limits of | this Territory to give the system an un- friendly blow. The people have slumbered Tn the belief that upon this question we were all united But, gentlemen of the oppos- tion, raise the issue if you desire, and you will see such an uprising from the moun- talns and valleys of Arizona as will convince you that We are no accidental majority.
 NIT. President. perhaps most of you have been more fortunate, but have to thank our public schools for what education have. and am grateful It is the proudest period Of my life that am this day privileged to stand before you and the country and offer up this just tribute 10 an institution which has given me the little possess, and that is to-day doing the same thing for millions of my young countr1men. My only regret is that do not possess greater ability, and have not had more time to do full justice to this subject.
 There Is no question on earth So dear to ny heart, aud hope when I refuse or fail 10 raise my voice, and arm if necessary, in defense of the public schools of America, hat my tongue will cleave to the roof of my mouth and my arm will fall from its socket. \eXt to my mother, this school system has 'een my best friend, and it would be as un- grateful in me to turn against my mother as O give it an unfriendy blow, or fail to de- end it when one is struck. Mir. President. am opposed to this bill on principle. It proposes to appropriate money from the pub lc school fund for the benefit of a private chool. It is the betrayal of trust reposed n us to use one dollar of this money except or the purpose for which it was designed. IS the establishing of a principle that will cad to the destruction of our public schools therefore hope that the bill will not pass
 SCHOOL BooKs.-California is in a terrible . tew over the change of readers in the pub c schools. Arizona is not behind Califor- { ia, nor Massachusetts for that matter, in her l etermination to have good schools and the cry best books and appliances for teaching. :,